Same here it was the E8/E9 decoders that arrived just last week, there was no Kapton Tape wrapped around the Styrofoam insert.
How are decoders enclosed? I need to secure some decoders so I purchased some Kapton tape online. One of my decoders is NCE and all the parts on the PC board are exposed. I plan to use shrink wrap to enclose the decoder when I attach it to the motor. My Digitrax and TCS decoders are already enclosed with something that has their respective logo printed on it. Does anyone know what this material is called? Is it shrink wrap?
Flash, It's shrink tube but a very thin variety. I've used shrink tube to recover a couple of Digitrax decoders over the years but the 3M stuff is much thicker so space could be a problem. That all being said, most decoders that are not wrapped shouldn't be. Lenz cautions against it because of heat build up. I use Kapton tape but only on the part that will short, So if the bottom of the decoder is going to sit on the metal frame, I either stick a piece of kapton tape on the bottom of the decoder or if there is room, I'll cut a thin piece of styrene to insulate it. Martin Myers
I just bought a 36 yd roll of ¼” Kapton tape for $5.55 from searching Google. There wasn’t a minimum order, but I ended up buying some other interesting stuff as well.
Yes the Digitrax decoders do come with Kapton tape holding it to a pice of styrofoam BUT once in a while t he factory has brain fade and the Kapton tape isn't there. :mad; In that case, "take two and hit to right", to coin an old baseball term.
I just learned about Kapton tape and it is worth it. There are a few points to consider in my opinion. Saving a few cents in tape and risking a $25 to $30 decoder shorting out does not have much merit. The properties of the tape allows you to solder near or on it without fear of burning it. This comes in handy on the so called plug and pray. You should solder the contacts, some decoders just cannot make enough surface contact for a good connection. The tape comes in handy to protect different areas. I tested a few bad connections and the weak points had temps reaching 116 degrees in a few seconds. These is why we hear about cab floors melting. If you do decoders installs you should have a roll of it. The key to all decoder installs is the DC motor isolation. This tape is the best solution. INobu
