I swapped front and rear trucks with my SD-7, and that seemed to work. Weird! Now I'm programming the decoder now to see if the sound file sticks.
Just because it worked yesterday does not mean it will today! dis connect the caps! Get another jumper or solder the connection. You have to remove ALL possible problems. I have see Atlas diesel locomotives with the problem with wheels ,you have described. I have replaced the wheels on poor or non working units only to have them run like new after wheels were replaced.
It's not the trucks. The old trucks from the problem SD-26 worked fine on my SD-7. It has to be the decoder. Something is screwy with it.
OK, it could be the decoder. BUT you still have not tested per my posts . I don’t know how the decoder is mounted and the wires hooked up. So are you still trying to program with the caps installed? Remove them! Don’t depend on any contacts to the decoder other than a good set of jumper wires! You might get a new decoder only to find you have a hook up problem.
I have seen a LokProgrammer read the decoder info, but not be able to read/write other CVs due to caps. Jerry is correct, let’s get down to a minimum known state before declaring the culprit. (I would be making more active suggestions, but not at home)
I will do that. So I'm not an electrical engineer, but merely a mechanical one. How would the caps interfere with programming and reading CVs when the LokProgrammer can read the decoder info? If I disconnect one side of the cap bank I have (with 2200uF of capacitance, most I have in my collection of N scale locomotives), will that be enough, or do I need to disconnect BOTH sides of the caps (they are on front and read of the locomotive and a pain to desolder)?
One side is all that needs to be done. It is a serial circuit. The caps keep the power “on”, as well as suck up power when it is first applied. Since programming is done from a non-powered state, as the programmer starts to send the commands, the caps begin to charge. Then, almost immediately, the power goes off, and the capacitors begin to discharge (provide power). But, the propriety ESU programming depends on quick power on/off. The ESU Power Packs have a circuit that recognizes this, and bypasses the capacitor. One can also add a choke into the capacitor circuit (as recommended by Zimo) which provides similar behavior . A 100uH choke can be added, in series, to capacitors. DigiKey p/n 587-1628-1-ND fits the bill. Anytime I get above approximately 600uF in capacitance, LokProgrammer has problems.
So I desoldered 6 of the 9 caps, and when I tried to read the decoder data, it started! I then tried to test it using the LokProgrammer by using the lights, sounds, etc. No go. I will try to desolder all the caps and see what happens.
So I desoldered all the caps, and the damn thing still won't come to life in the LokProgrammer. After I spend 45 minutes programming a new sound file, I tried to use the decoder tester immediately without cycling power. That did not work. I even tried to recycle power, and that did not work either. It has to be the sound file or the decoder itself.
Whenever I press "Go" on the LokProgrammer, I hear a slight and faint click from the speaker, and then nothing. Weird.
When you press “go” on the LP Cab panel, does it immediately revert to Red/Stop after the click? That indicates a decoder short.
No. OK, something is very wrong. The decoder started and worked, lights and everything, and then when I took it off the track it reverted back to the weird sound file. What. The. Heck!
I reprogrammed the sound file and decoder stuff. No go. Capacitors are all desoldered and I cannot read CVs.
Also, how can it detect the decoder firmware when I try to update it to the latest version but not read CVs?!
Perhaps I am loading the wrong sound files. I used this weblink as the only files that would go through the long 46 minute sound-loading process. http://projects.esu.eu/projectoverviews/2 It's for retail sound files because the V3.5 and V4.0 would not load onto the Select Micro sound decoder that I have.
I am using the Select Direct/Micro version of those sound files once you hit the blue download button.
If I read the information on the decoder and the "Write Sound File" icon at the top of the LokProgrammer interface is grayed out, does that mean that there is no sound file on the decoder? If so, I can't tell you how many times I've written a sound file to this decoder! Something should be on there? Also, when I go to test the decoder using the LokProgrammer, even IF there is no sound file, the motor and light functions should work, right? They are not working for me. Nothing is.
