I have a Life-Like Proto 2000 SD60 that ran fine prior to converting to DCC. I have an EasyDCC command station and installed a Lenz LE103XF decoder in the SD60. Everything worked except the loco ran VERY slowly. I e-mailed Lenz and they said it was probably a short someplace, an assessment I don't agree with. If it was a short, I would think the engine would not run at all. So, I replaced the Lenz decoder with a Digitrax DH121 and got exactly the same results. I talked to a tech rep at Life-Like Products and he had no idea what the problem is, but said that it is undoubtedly the fault of the decoders. The bottom line is that each of the manufacturers is blaming one or more of the others and I have no idea where the problem is. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks. Don McMinds, Philomath, OR k7dm@casco.net

-- Don McMinds (k7dm@casco.net), April 03, 2002

Answers

Don: Perhaps I can help. Here is my findings and fix as posted on the Teton Short Line web site.

03/15/02:Recently there has been some discussion on the SIGlists about poor electrical pickup with this loco. Mine have been OK but a friend suffered. His units have Digitrax decoders that fit much easier than mine and he suspected them- Perhaps that decoder is more sensitive to brief power interruptions- I really don't know. The electrical problems were traced to the greased mechanical interface where the truck bolster pivots on the body bolster. It just isn't good enough- Yes, I know that Athearn has used that technique forever and maybe we could just clean up the grease and fix it but I'd gone deep into it and wasn't going to do a half-way patch. I cut of the tab that brings the other connection up from the truck and soldered wires to the truck. Dressed them so they would not be abraded and Used a short piece of heat shrink and ACC to lash the wires to the remainder of the cutoff tab to keep them in place. Here is a picture. http://www.ida.net/users/tetonsl/railroad/pk2gp9.jpg Made solder connections on pcb pads for easy truck removal.

The paragraph above is quoted from my web page http://www.ida.net/users/tetonsl/railroad/DCChome.htm

I have since done this to others and the success rate is 100%.

-- Wayne Roderick (tetonsl@ida.net), April 03, 2002.