> Rusty wrote: I smoked off the first one I
> installed and these decoders cost over a hundred dollars each.
> Kiss that 100$ goodbye.
Hi Rusty...A few thoughts for your contemplation. (1) You should not
be paying the full retail price for these since there are discount
prices readily available all over the place. The street price is
well under $100. (2) How do you know for sure that the decoder
is "smoked" (burned out)? Just because it stops working does not
necessarily mean it is damaged. Read on.....
> The start current came out to
> 0.850 + Amps on all of them. The low RPM current was around 0.600 +
> Amps, the high RPM current was around 0.400 + Amps <snip> The final
> test was to run the model up against the bumper and apply the full
> 12 volts and let the wheels spin. They all had current draws around
> 1.200 to 1.300 Amps.
Without checking, I believe the Tsunami has a current rating of
1-1/2 amps. If this is correct, I don't think you should have a
problem -- in theory at least.
> What this means to me is, I need to find a different path to going
> DCC and sound in these engines. I just don't think the Tsunami is
> really going to work. Please, prove me wrong,
Cannot prove anything based on the information provided, but here are
some things to review: (1) Tsunami has a thermal cutoff circuit,
similar to a circuit breaker, which will which will cause it to shut
down when it becomes overheated due to passing too much current
through it. When it cools down in a few minutes, the switch turns
back on and the decoder is ready once again to be used. All this
without damage. (2) Various Yahoo Groups have reported many times
that the 1-1/1 amp rating appears to be very conservative and some
locos have been continuously run with slightly more current draw
without problems. (3) Perhaps the decoder was damaged due to some
miswiring or a short circuit? This sometimes happens then putting
the loco back together if some insulation gets pinched or sliced
accidentally.
> I'm convinced it is because Dan insisted that Boo Rim
> install the Maxon motor instead of the Pittman.
The more expensive motors are more efficient and draw less current
for the same horsepower output. No question about that. But that
fact is not what is causing you these problems. Something else is at
work here.
> Pittman's are
> excellent motors
Pittman has a web site where you can learn all about the current
ratings of all their motors. For example, the motor Jettie used in
the NYC Niagara is rated at 6A continuous running current. Yep, SIX
AMPS! That doesn't mean it will actually use six amps, but it means
that if it does draw six amps it will not be damaged. Since you will
not find a decoder rated at six amps, you will be better off to
measure the wheels slip current and use that to determine if the
Tsunami decodere is adequate for that loco.
> I now think I need a bunch of Maxon motors for a
> major rebuild program.
That is a lot of work and expense and is not really needed. If you
are patient, SoundTraxx has stated they intend to build decoders for
the O/G scale crowd in the near future. Litchfield Station did some
beta testing on a prototype and it worked very well according to
reports. I think it is a 2 amp, or maybe 4 amp, version of the
Tsunami. When it will be released is anyone's guess, but one rumor
says early 2009. Meeting target release dates, however, is not a
strong point of SoundTraxx or any other model railroad manufacturer.
Personally, I would wait it out rather than remotor everything in
your fleet. Not to mention, of course, that maybe the 1-1/2 amp
version of Tsunami might actually work if the problem was a miswire.
Good luck.....Ed L.
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