LGB 55029 Decoder test after installation

[Airbuspilot]

I am replacing the decoder in the loco from my previous post (GE 6/6 11 Tiefencaste). I have an LGB 55029 decoder which i think is a direct replacement for the damaged decoder. Looking at the manual it talks about a calibration run. First item in the process is to select the motor in CV 52, there is a list of 7 possible motors, how do I know motor type?

I don’t have a ”suitable oval track” for the test, I do have a long straight of around 25 meters but with a slight gradient does any one know how much track is needed to make the test run? Does the test work in both directions?

Robin

 

[dunnyrail]

I am replacing the decoder in the loco from my previous post (GE 6/6 11 Tiefencaste). I have an LGB 55029 decoder which i think is a direct replacement for the damaged decoder. Looking at the manual it talks about a calibration run. First item in the process is to select the motor in CV 52, there is a list of 7 possible motors, how do I know motor type?

I don’t have a ”suitable oval track” for the test, I do have a long straight of around 25 meters but with a slight gradient does any one know how much track is needed to make the test run? Does the test work in both directions?

Robin

I think when I did one of these test runs 6-8 yards was all I used. So your straight should be plenty. Can anyone else discuss the motor type and more importantly does the calibration run for the 2 motors or would each have to be done separately on a rolling road.

 

[Airbuspilot]

I think when I did one of these test runs 6-8 yards was all I used. So your straight should be plenty. Can anyone else discuss the motor type and more importantly does the calibration run for the 2 motors or would each have to be done separately on a rolling road.

Thanks Jon, for info the manual specifically excludes the use of a rolling road. It seems I can start and stop the test at any time so I should be able to find a starting point which works, my worry was having the length to do it successfully. If you managed within say 10 yards it should be OK.

Robin

 

[Keith RhB]

Hi Robin, according to this snippet from the latest Depesche magazine, you want to set it to type 7:

Value 7 = DC motor 1 gauge
The greater weight of an LGB or 1-gauge loco means that the physical parameters used for control purposes differ from those used for an H0 loco. This setting takes these parameters into account in its operating behavior and is therefore recommended for LGB locomotives.

 

[Airbuspilot]

Hi Keith

Thanks for this information, I can start the calibration run now. Perhaps I am not looking in the correct place but it seems strange that fitting an LGB decoder into an LGB Locomotive one important piece of information is not in the documentation!

Robin

 

[OBBherr]

Hi Robin, do let us know how the calibration run went.

FYI there is a series of articles re mfx in LGB Depesche starting 01/22. In 02/22 they recommend value 7 for LGB and Gauge 1.

I am thinking of starting up a topic on mfx generally including conversions So we can pool our knowledge. I find MLGB documentation generally inadequate as you have discovered. I had exactly the same issue plus several others.

 

[Airbuspilot]

Hi Robin, do let us know how the calibration run went.

FYI there is a series of articles re mfx in LGB Depesche starting 01/22. In 02/22 they recommend value 7 for LGB and Gauge 1.

I am thinking of starting up a topic on mfx generally including conversions So we can pool our knowledge. I find MLGB documentation generally inadequate as you have discovered. I had exactly the same issue plus several others.

Hi Adrian

The calibration run was an easy exercise and worked well. The decoder came with CV 52 pre set to 7, I changed the address to the correct Loco address but changed nothing else.

CV 7 needs to be set to 77 for the test run. I had a reasonably long run for the test but had no idea how much track would be needed so started at one end, naturally the Loco went the wrong way so I stopped the test. When the test stops CV 7 “resets” to its delivered state and needs to be changed back to 77.

This time the direction was good. Any small throttle movement starts the automatic process, initially the lights flash and there is a slight judder similar to CV setting on the programming track. The Loco slowly moves forward, accelerates to a medium speed then slows to a stop, lights flash and Loco judders then everything stops. From there you have normal control from the throttle.

I didn’t measure the distance covered and wont have access to the layout until Monday, I would say distance covered would be well within 10 meters but I will check next week.

Hope that helps

Robin

 

[Greg Elmassian]

So how much better/different did the loco run?

 

[Airbuspilot]

Hi Adrian

The calibration run was an easy exercise and worked well. The decoder came with CV 52 pre set to 7, I changed the address to the correct Loco address but changed nothing else.

CV 7 needs to be set to 77 for the test run. I had a reasonably long run for the test but had no idea how much track would be needed so started at one end, naturally the Loco went the wrong way so I stopped the test. When the test stops CV 7 “resets” to its delivered state and needs to be changed back to 77.

This time the direction was good. Any small throttle movement starts the automatic process, initially the lights flash and there is a slight judder similar to CV setting on the programming track. The Loco slowly moves forward, accelerates to a medium speed then slows to a stop, lights flash and Loco judders then everything stops. From there you have normal control from the throttle.

I didn’t measure the distance covered and wont have access to the layout until Monday, I would say distance covered would be well within 10 meters but I will check next week.

Hope that helps

Robin

So how much better/different did the loco run?

Too early to say, there was no issue with this Loco until the decoder blew up, the new decoder is working normally as far as I can tell but I only ran it for a few minutes to test the new decoder.