I have a Atlas sd-35 with decoder from the factory and I cannot seem to get my Digitrax Zephyr to program it. I receive the "d nA" message for no acknowlegement from the decoder. Is there another way to program with locomotive. thank you in advance for your help and time jaijef
Does the locomotive receive any commands at all? Does it run at all with the throttle set to operate on the default address of 3? Do either of the headlights come on when sitting on the track?
Are you sure there's a decoder installed? That "dial up" sound is what you get when you put a DC locomotive on DCC track. I would suspect that either the decoder isn't installed, the decoder is improperly wired, or the decoder is fried.
From the sound you report, it sounds like a DC board and not a decoder. Set the throttle to 0 (zero) and see if the loco responds, if it does then it is a DC board. If it is a factory installed DCC decoder then it is most likely toasted. Your choice here is send it to Atlas for repair (Plan to have it there awhile, the last time I contacted them for a warranty decoder repair the time frame was 90 ± days) replace the decoder yourself (faster and you can pick the brand). Gary
thank you. i got the loco for 100 bucks and the guy who owned was not into DCC. oh well. i prefer to put in a new Decoder anyway. thank you I was thinking a Digitrax - DH165A0, but if the DN163A0 is what i need i will buy one soon. thank you again maxairedale Sorry if I forgot to mention it is an HO scale loco.
What run is it from? Could it be one of the dual mode decoders? Some of the earlier runs had them. Also, have looked at Decoder Pro for your Zephyr? It really makes trouble shooting easier. ratled
Hi jaijef, WAIT! Don't rush out & buy a decoder!!! Factory decoders in Atlas HO SD35's (and some other locos) have jumper plugs in their decoder boards that must be moved to the forward position in order to operate them on DCC. The jumper plug is accessed by removing the roof panel where the engine exhaust stack & dynamic brake fans (if your prototype had DB) are located. The plug looks like a typical 8 pin DCC jumper plug, but is wired differently, and the socket it fits into has 3 rows of 4 holes instead of just two, allowing for two different positions of the plug. Odd thing is, with the plug in the DCC position, the loco will still run in DCC as long as the decoder is programmed to be analog enabled, and if the pin is in the DC position, the loco won't run in DCC mode, yet the decoder will still program but won't read back (hence your Zephyr's error message). Bill in FtL
Definitely don't go out and buy a decoder until you tell us the scale. DN163A0 is for N Scale. DH165A0 is for HO. Now you know what the H and N mean in the model numbers. Martin Myers
Checked atlas's website. What kind of box is it in? Every Version of the SD35 that came in the red/black box will have a 4 function Dual Mode Decoder. Check for a plug as mentioned above. pop the dynamics and look towards the rear of the unit. If the box says atlas Silver or is the older yellow box, than the unit will need a decoder installed.
i tried moving the plug on the dual mode decoder and received the dn A message. it came in the silver and black box.
What road and number is it? From that we can tell what run it's from and if it has a dual mode decoder in it. http://www.atlasrr.com/dcc/Atlas_Decoder_Manual.pdf ratled
Did you run the loco on DC first to see if it runs? For DCC operation, the plug should be in the forward position on the decoder board (you should see the last row of four holes empty behind the plug), For DC only, the plug should be in the rear position with the empty holes visible in the front of the decoder. Also be sure it's centered left to right on the board, with all pins going into the socket. Even with the plug in the forward (DCC) position, the loco should still run on DC as long as the Analog option is enabled in the decoder. If it won't run on DC with the plug in either position, check the motor connections. You mentioned hearing a "dial up sound", was this coming from the loco or your Zephyr command station? Not sure I recognize what a dial up sound is, do you get this sound when programming other locos that you know are working correctly? Bill in FtL
