Arnold locomotive.....

french_guy Jan 27, 2017

  1. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    Hello

    I have an old N scale Arnold locomotive V45 (French - "SNCF")
    What is this round piece in front of the worm gear?
    This loco is very small, so what is the smallest decoder on the market that is still OK to use on a N scale locomotive?
    IMG_2041.JPG
    Thanks
     
  2. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    Neat little loco. Is that round thing just a metal disc or metal on both sides with ceramic between? It appears to be. In that case it may just be a capacitor to suppress TV interference.

    Doug
     
  3. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    If it's a capacitor, should I remove it or it's OK to keep it?
    What is the smallest decoder I could use? I think I really need to find a VERY small one.......!!!!
     
  4. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    I don't do DCC so I can't answer your decoder question. If you are going to convert the loco to DCC, you probably want to remove the capacitor.

    Doug
     
  5. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    It looks to me like it is the way power is transferred from the front truck to the frame. When that front truck is turned from side to side does the disk rotate ? If so, than that is what it is.
     
  6. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    Trucks are not articulated on this locomotive.....
     
  7. CSX Robert

    CSX Robert TrainBoard Member

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    Don't know if one of these is the smallest or not, but here are some pretty darn small ones:
    Digitrax DZ126T
    Digitrax DZ126
    TCS Z2
    ESU LokPilot Micro
     
  8. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    To give you an idea of the size of that loco, here it is next to a Life-Like SW9/1200.......Yeah, kind of tiny !
    IMG_2044.JPG
     
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  9. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    Some more info on the loco: http://www.spookshow.net/loco2/arnoldv45.html

    From the pics I think you would need to go with a z scale decoder like mentioned above with the DZ126 / DZ126T. These are very tiny but you may still find difficulty in finding a spot in there for them. It looks like the interior of the loco is pretty cram packed with the motor. If you could find a way to squeeze in a smaller motor you might get more room for a decoder but that would require a lot of surgery and creativity on the inside.

    One thing you would need to do though is line the inside of the shell with Kapton tape to ensure it remains isolated from the rest of the interior as it is reported as being all metal.
     
  10. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you for taking the time to check on Spookshow....Yes, the shell is full metal. I noticed a spot where I could maybe mill some of it to gain some room, but I don't want to ruin my loco.......It was a gift from my grand-father for Christmas......something like 30 years ago !!!
     
  11. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    I would advise against trying to mill the interior of the shell if you can avoid it. The Kapton tape is an easy fix for the isolation and doesn't do anything permanently damaging to the shell should you decide not to keep it how you modify it.

    I also have a few locos similar to this one (both age and internal lack of room) and I am going to keep them DC only likely as I don't want to fight with the decoders in them. I have a pile of locos sitting on my workbench waiting for decoders already, some of which may end up on here or eBay eventually.
     
  12. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    OK, so I should try to buy the TINIEST decoder I can find and see if i can fit it into it without touching any of the shell........Other than the 4 decoders mentioned above (Digitrax DZ126T, Digitrax DZ126, TCS Z2, ESU LokPilot Micro), do you know other models that would be even smaller, but still adequate in term of current?
     
  13. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    Another one to try and search out is DCX76ZN from CT Elektronik, it is 6.9 x 6.1 x 1.7 mm LxWxH. The LokPilot Micro seems to also be very tiny and may be a better fit than the DZ126/T.

    Many of these tiny decoders will provide plenty of power for the loco. Most are rated up to 0.8A which should be sufficient for basic operations.
     
  14. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks....I was looking at the Lenz Silver Mini, but it seems the DCX76ZN is even smaller !!!
     
  15. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    By the way, where do you find them in the US?
     
  16. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    I haven't found any suppliers in the US with them but a few in Europe that might ship internationally.
     
  17. CSX Robert

    CSX Robert TrainBoard Member

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    The Digitrax and TCS decoders I mentioned are wrapped in shrink wrap so they could touch the shell without a problem.
     
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  18. Atani

    Atani TrainBoard Member

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    you can also wrap the decoder in Kapton tape if you get one that does not have something on it to isolate it.
     
  19. jdcolombo

    jdcolombo TrainBoard Member

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  20. french_guy

    french_guy TrainBoard Member

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    I know it's an old thread...but I'm still "contemplating" how to install a decoder in this tiny locomotive
    John, you recommended the Lokpilot Nano, but it seems to be discontinued
    Looks like the new Lokpilot 5 Direct DCC is the newer model, and has the exact same size....
    Would it be the one I should try?
     

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