Decoder And Keep Alive For A Southern Steam Loco (208)

[@peterjhillier7659]

Thanks, Larry, that soldering looks quite provoking, that is where one of those head mounted illuminated Magnifiers would come in very handy. Great Video as ever, keep safe.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Exactly what I used to check out the solder joints.

[@stuartaaron613]

Larry, nice installation. I recently have been bitten by the UK bug (thank you Larry, Sam, and Jenny). My latest locomotive is a Bachmann LBSCR H2 Atlantic 4-4-2. I does have tender pickups (unusual for Bachmann UK steam) on two of the three axles, but I still like to use no-stall capacitors on my locomotives (when running on the club layout there is only one power district on the main line, and when someone shorts out the layout everything dies for a moment, except those with capacitors). In the H2, Bachmann uses an interface board like the one in your 0-6-0, except it is slightly longer and had a 100 micro farad, 50 volt electrolytic capacitor connected to it. When I checked under the board I found that it was connected to pins 16 and 20 on the 21 pin interface, plus there are two solder pads under that are connected to the capacitor and those two pins as well. So I removed the stock capacitor, and soldered to the pad a TCS KA-1 "Keep Alive." I also used the SoundTraxx Econami UK 21PNEM decoder as well. Engine runs and sounds great.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Cool, that is great they provided for the KA on the board. The em filter cap on mine was on the motor itself soI just clipped the legs and off it came. I actually filmed that operation as well as lubing the loco but had to cit those segments as the video was kind of long at 40 minutes. The loco runs really well and I think that having a KA buffers the power feed and gives a much smoother motor response. Plus I love the SoundTraxx motor control algorithms. I just wish they had included an 0-6-0 PT recording among the sounds. All my locos sound alike since I have to use the GWR 2-6-2 PT sounds. The tap tap tap sound of the 0-6-0 PTs is very distinctive.

[@kensbackshop6399]

Wow Larry you really know your dcc ,,,thanks for sharing,,ken

[@ricter591]

Thanks Larry. 🐾🚂.

[@205004gs]

Awesome job 👏👍

[@nicholasbishop3300]

Nice installation Larry Nick Australia

[@AndrewJohnson-ur3lw]

I do like these Soundtraxx decoders and have used them in 4 locos. I tweaked the CV's so that there are auto sounds (CV198 to 12, Cylinder cocks & brakes). UK drivers tend to just use single either short or long whistles depending upon what they are doing.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Yes, they are a bargain compared to Zimo and LokSound decoders. And they come with a large variety of exhaust and whistles. I think I have about installed in locos now along with one diesel version in my GWR Flying Banana. I must admit though that the only automatic sound I use is the brake squeal.

[@Mark_W_L]

YouChoos have a sound project recorded from one of these C class locomotives that has been preserved by the Bluebell Railway. However, the project is only available for Zimo decoders.

[@amyreynolds3619]

I also do Southern railroad, but I do not go DCC or sound because I am a deaf disability veteran with hearing aids. The range of hearing aids is ten feet.

[@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-jam8267]

Larry you make it a simple job,

[@locowerke]

With the capacitor you installed, which of those wires is positive & negative? Great video!

[@TheDCCGuy]

Blue is positive.

[@stuartaaron613]

Larry, regarding 21 pin decoder standards, there are two standards, NMRA and 21MTC. Unfortunately there are some differences between them which can cause problems with function outputs.

[@TheDCCGuy]

I am pretty sure the NMRA ran up the white flag and adopted the 21MTC as the standard, but it has been a real pita of a process. As far as I know all the manufacturers who originally used the NMRA std switched some time ago to 21MTC.

[@nicksanto882]

A couple nice things about a Decoder Buddy for 21-pin decoders is that the NMRA, NEM standards become transparent. All lighting outputs have resistors and there are provisions for a two or three wire stay alive. The Mini offers two logic level outputs so a small steam locomotive could have both smoke and a three wire stay alive. These would be on reasonable sized soldering pads for the less experienced in soldering. It was tough enough soldering a control wire onto pin-1 of the 21-pin connector on the early motherboards! Very good video!

[@robertmcminnis1829]

Larry, I'm using an Atlas Mark IV turnout and a Tortoise switch machine like in video 177 and have a question, where do the red, yellow, and green wires connect to the turnout. Thanks

[@TheDCCGuy]

I’m not sure which wires you are talking about. Do you mean the ones I used on my Tortoises? If so then the yellow one connects to the frog on the turnout. There should be a small screw hole beside the frog for it. Atlas sells a small pack of screws just for this purpose. The red and green wires are attached to the DCC power bus to provide the power to the frog through the Tortoise’s internal switch.

[@robertmcminnis1829]

@@TheDCCGuy Thank you very much

[@andrewstevenson5449]

Good video. I wondered - in my utter ignorance of both DCC and stayalives - if the Keep Alive could have been connected to the power inputs (e.g. those two unused power inputs)? This is probably teaching grandmothers to suck eggs, but many years ago I used to work on computers, when you added/removed chips from the motherboards, and I had a chip removal tool, which allowed chips to be pulled out vertically to avoid (or at least reduce) the risk of bending pins. I guess you've tried those, and just find the tweezers easier in the confined space of model locomotives?

[@TheDCCGuy]

No it has to be connected to the negative and common connections. The DCC power is pseudo AC whereas the internal decoder circuits use DC provided by the rectifiers and the stay alive device.

[@chriscox4023]

Very informative! How about 8 and 18 pin decoders + stay alive?

[@TheDCCGuy]

The 8 pin is easy as I have done in a number of previous installation videos. The 18 pin one is like the 21 and needs solder contacts on the circuit board. These 18 pin boards are very small so I don’t expect to see contacts on them. Dapol in England has been using a lot of the 18 pin versions in their newer steam locos but I cannot find a stay alive connection. So I plan to just gut the existing wiring and interface board and install decoders with wires in their place. A video on that process is in the works.

[@johnbean2159]

As a new one to the hobby what is the best track to start with Kato or atlas

[@toadjam12000]

neither, micro engineering is best.

[@oprekboy9693]

Keep alive decoder have steam sound?

[@TheDCCGuy]

TCS sells steam sound decoders with keep alives attached. SoundTraxx offers steam sound decoders and some of theirs have sockets for use with their keep alives and others can be wired up directly.

[@oprekboy9693]

@@TheDCCGuy thank you for your information... I'm new railroad digital sound, usually RC digital sound, tank etc..

[@joelvale3887]

They should install a connection like the ones for the speakers for the keep alive too.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Apparently on some circuit boards they now do. But you can’t depend on every manufacturer to fall in line right away.

[@danshobbies13]

Best thing they ever did was come up with the NMRA standard

[@skipduld8948]

U MUST HAVE GREAT VISON BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I COULD SOLDER THEM TINY WIRES . IM 68 I CAN SEE A CAR DRIVING BUT PUTTING WIRES LIKE THAT IS REALY TOUGH. I ENVY U.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Not really, I wear the cheap magnifying glasses (reading glasses) sold on the revolving rack at the grocery store.