I'm sure this must be a silly girly question.

S

Sarah Winfield

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Is it possible to install a decoder upside down?

Once you've stopped laughing please take a little time to answer my question please?

Sarah Winfield
 
Sarah;

I've often done "Decoding" while standing on my head, so I see no reason to see a problem with mounting an average decoder, up-side-down...!!!

...to be serious...decoders are mountable in any orientation...there should not be any problem, that I'm aware of...the ex-perts, may differ....
Fr.Fred
 
Just make sure it is secure.. You don't want it dropping onto moving parts, or other electronics..

If I was mounting a decoder to the underside of a roof, or such like, I would probably use screws, and not 'sticky pads'.
 
Agree 100% with both Fred and Phil - you can mount a decoder at any angle, BUT if you put it somewhere that it is fighting against gravity, make sure it is VERY firmly fixed. Don't rely on the little white sticky pads that come with some decoders, and don't use cheap craft-shop ones. If you can't fix it permanently in place with screws (which will always be the best way, regardless of its orientation) then get some of the black ultra-strong sticky pads used for holding numberplates onto cars (get them from Halfords, or online) - those things stick like the proverbial to a blanket......

As Phil says, what you MUST avoid is any risk of the decoder dropping onto anything metal and/or electrical and shorting itself out.

Jon.
 
You CAN get some from Australia. . . . . :envy:
 
When you say upside down, is that what you meant, or did you mean with the connectors reversed.
 
To be honest JimmyB I'm clutching at straws, trying to get my head round the problem with my Stainz locomotive.

At least I now know it is the locomotive. I just have to figure a way of getting it to do what it can when upside-down but won't do when it's the right way up!

Sarah Winfield
 
So are you really asking if the decoder works differently when the loco is upside down?

By the way, it's often best practice to mount a decoder so there is some airflow around it, not enclosing it in a big tube of heat shrink or tape. Also, a big piece of tape across the bottom also can affect cooling.

Note, I say "best practice" since if you are running a low current motor (your Stainz), keeping the decoder cool is not usually a concern. Heavy loads, big motors, grades are where you want to give the decoder some room to breathe so to speak.

I think you are seeing operation unloaded/no resistance vs. running on a track, with drag on the wheels and drivetrain. I'm still in the out of quarter camp.

Greg
 
Sarah Winfield said:
At least I now know it is the locomotive. I just have to figure a way of getting it to do what it can when upside-down but won't do when it's the right way up!

Sarah Winfield
Click to expand...
I have one of those (not a stainz)- but unfortunately am no help where DCC is concerned.

The places to start looking I would suggest, are the electrical continuity from the skates to the motor (via your decoder).

Anywhere there is a joint, which could be soldered - problems with dry solder joints; is the solder solid and shiny? - or could be brass strip - is it pressing firmly up against its connecting piece, or could be pin connectors - again, is there a good tight fit?

It sounds as if you have enough current going through to turn the wheels, but it's flakey for some reason, and not performing under load.

I'm about to dismantle the Bachmann Annie for the same reason :wasntme::wasntme::wasntme:
 
I have no knowledge about DCC at all .
If you are still looking for a repair shop, I would suggest to contact ModellBahn-Lippe in Germany as they have a repair capability and they have a very reliable service without any risk.

About your question I totally share what Greg explained about cooling.
However if you have already installed the decoder upside down there might be an electromagnetic effect with the motor if they are too close.
In this case just put a metallic shielding like the aluminium paper we find around a chocolate table. Then be careful to avoid short circuits.
 
Actually, there's no parts on decoders that are really affected by magnetism.

Also, while the aluminum paper on chocolate will shield from RFI (radio frequency interference), to shield from magnetism, you need a ferrous metal, containing iron, which is not present in aluminum.

Best practice is to keep anything conductive away from the decoder board.

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
.......
Also, while the aluminum paper on chocolate will shield from RFI (radio frequency interference), to shield from magnetism, you need a ferrous metal, containing iron, which is not present in aluminum.

.........

Greg
Click to expand...


Apparently a tinfoil hat (or an armadillo shell) blocks the CIA/MI5/Alien mind-control rays too..... :rofl:

Jon.
 
On a more serious note, Sarah, I really don't think that you're going to get to the bottom of the problem(s) with your old Stainz until you can get someone to have a proper look at it; my suggestion in the meantime would be just to put that one aside and have some fun running your two newer Stainzes and your 0-6-0 Diesel, just to get some enjoyment out of running trains in the good weather.
Plenty of time to sort out the older Stainz later......

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
On a more serious note, Sarah, I really don't think that you're going to get to the bottom of the problem(s) with your old Stainz until you can get someone to have a proper look at it; my suggestion in the meantime would be just to put that one aside and have some fun running your two newer Stainzes and your 0-6-0 Diesel, just to get some enjoyment out of running trains in the good weather.
Plenty of time to sort out the older Stainz later......

Jon.
Click to expand...
Sound advice Jon.
 
I do appreciate all the help, suggestions and encouragement that members of this forum have given me.

But, oh, if only my life were that simple. I just can't not try and sort out what the problem is. I think I have 3 good locomotives but it is this 4th one which needs to be fixed.

I hate to use my good locomotives in case something goes wrong with them!

Sarah Winfield
 
Zerogee said:
On a more serious note, Sarah, I really don't think that you're going to get to the bottom of the problem(s) with your old Stainz until you can get someone to have a proper look at it; my suggestion in the meantime would be just to put that one aside and have some fun running your two newer Stainzes and your 0-6-0 Diesel, just to get some enjoyment out of running trains in the good weather.
Plenty of time to sort out the older Stainz later......

Jon.
Click to expand...
Jon's right, it's probably time to bite the bullet and get an expert to physically look at it rather than stabbing in the dark
 
Sarah Winfield said:
I do appreciate all the help, suggestions and encouragement that members of this forum have given me.

But, oh, if only my life were that simple. I just can't not try and sort out what the problem is. I think I have 3 good locomotives but it is this 4th one which needs to be fixed.

I hate to use my good locomotives in case something goes wrong with them!

Sarah Winfield
Click to expand...

I could of course be seen as tempting the fates, but I REALLY don't think that you'll have any trouble with your three newer locos.... I think the problems with the older Stainz most likely are related to the age and wear of the loco, and JUST possibly to the unusual decoder that is fitted to it (not necessarily anything to do with the decoder itself, but there could be something odd or loose in the installation wiring?). As far as I understand it, your two newer Stainzes are both chipped with LGB/Massoth plug-in direct decoders, and your 0-6-0 diesel most likely has a factory-installed LGB onboard decoder - plus none of these three are likely to exhibit anything like the sort of age-related wear of the early one.

Jon.
 
Sarah Winfield said:
I do appreciate all the help, suggestions and encouragement that members of this forum have given me.

But, oh, if only my life were that simple. I just can't not try and sort out what the problem is. I think I have 3 good locomotives but it is this 4th one which needs to be fixed.

I hate to use my good locomotives in case something goes wrong with them!

Sarah Winfield
Click to expand...

Sarah, you cannot live in fear that something will go wrong. You run your trains. If they break, you fix them. Unless you are a collector, run them, and have fun.

Greg
 
Dead fish in my pond usually float "Belly up"...and are easy to recognise...but...there seldom is that problem, unless the frost goes down over 3 feet, over Winter.
This year, there are lots of new offspring, so they must be rather healthy. Oh...bad me...this is not "The Pond Thread"....I must leave at once....!!
Fr.Fred
 
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