LGB onboard decoder pins question

whatlep

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Chaps/esses

Does anyone know what pins on an LGB onboard decoder are the equaivalent of the +ve and GND pins on other LGB/Massoth decoders? Assuming that they exist, of course! I'm aware of the diagram here:
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=18609&high=onboard+decoder
but that doesn't show any obvious candidates.
 
Hi Peter,

I would suspect that the "Multi Purpose" sockets may be a candidate. I will try and find out.
 
muns said:
Hi Peter,

I would suspect that the "Multi Purpose" sockets may be a candidate. I will try and find out.

Thanks Mark. The +ve side is presumably one of the pins for the various F0/F1/F2 functions (but which one!). The GND (-ve) pin is more secretive. I'll be surprised if it's off the MP socket as they are usually a passthrough from the track.
 
Good point Peter, i had totally forgot about those "multi purpose sockets".
 
Hi Peter, just spoken to Massoth (had to call them anyway) and can report that a fixed 24v supply is not available on this decoder.
 
muns said:
Hi Peter, just spoken to Massoth (had to call them anyway) and can report that a fixed 24v supply is not available on this decoder.

Thanks for trying Mark. Plan A for attaching a power buffer to the existing decoder now abandoned. Plan B to be thought out: I think I'll run some trains while pondering the problem.
 
whatlep said:
muns said:
Hi Peter, just spoken to Massoth (had to call them anyway) and can report that a fixed 24v supply is not available on this decoder.

Thanks for trying Mark. Plan A for attaching a power buffer to the existing decoder now abandoned. Plan B to be thought out: I think I'll run some trains while pondering the problem.

Hmmm, that's useful to know but nonetheless annoying - so there is effectively no way to connect a power buffer (even an LGB one) to one of their small loco onboard decoders - which are installed in exactly the kind of locos that NEED power buffers.... slight lack of joined-up-thinking here? :@

Incidentally, and probably not relevant to this particular question - in the connection diagram for this decoder (in the other thread that Peter linked to above), there is one socket that appears to be unlabelled - the four-pin one directly above the control switch socket, at the right hand side of the decoder as shown in the diagram. Anyone know what that one does?

Jon.
 
You can buffer LGB on board decoders with, for example, the new Massoth Powercap micro. There is an article with pictures etc. in the most recent Volldampf. It is in German, but if you are interested just send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will send you a scanned PDF copy of the article.
 
Peter,

Can you confirm whether you want to connect a power buffer to a large or small onboard decoder. I may have inadvertantly been talking about the wrong one!
 
Further to my earlier post, I just checked the article and you can buffer LGB 55020, 55021, 55022, 55027 and both the small and large onboard decoders with the Powercap micro.
 
bunnyrabbit03 said:
Further to my earlier post, I just checked the article and you can buffer LGB 55020, 55021, 55022, 55027 and both the small and large onboard decoders with the Powercap micro.

That's very interesting info. The numbered decoders are easy as the relevant pins are labelled in the instructions. I'll be PMing you for the article as it's the new Massoth powercap micro buffer (8151601) which I want to atach to the small (single-motor) onboard decoder.
 
Thanks, got the PDF and just had a quick look at the second page - for all the decoders in question, it looks like a job of soldering to the board - in the case of the Small Loco Decoder, actually soldering directly to some of the components on the board! Doesn't that look worryingly familiar to you, Peter....? :o:
Not sure my soldering abilities are up to this - I could foresee some rather expensive fried decoders if I tried it - shame there isn't a plug-in option.

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
Thanks, got the PDF and just had a quick look at the second page - for all the decoders in question, it looks like a job of soldering to the board - in the case of the Small Loco Decoder, actually soldering directly to some of the components on the board! Doesn't that look worryingly familiar to you, Peter....? :o:
Not sure my soldering abilities are up to this - I could foresee some rather expensive fried decoders if I tried it - shame there isn't a plug-in option.

Jon.
Happy to give you soldering training or do the soldering for you if required Jon....
 
That's very kind of you, Giz - might have to take you up on that at some point! My basic soldering is OK, I can join wires and sometimes even solder leads to switch terminals without melting the inside of the switch (sometimes...), but I know I don't have a steady enough hand for going anywhere near micro-components on decoder boards.... ;)

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
in the case of the Small Loco Decoder, actually soldering directly to some of the components on the board! Doesn't that look worryingly familiar to you, Peter....? :o:

Oh yes indeedy!

I've just spent an hour trying to get a decent joint on one of those components. :@ I haven't fried the decoder, but nor have I succeeded in getting anything to "stick". Time for a PM to Gizzy! :love:
 
whatlep said:
Time for a PM to Gizzy! :love:
I'm here for the asking Peter?

I taught a soldier to solder last week....
 
Maybe you should run a little course for us GSCers on soldering, Giz - half a dozen of us for a day sometime....? ;)

Jon.
 
I remember in the early days of our model railway club trying to teach a member that worked in a bank how to solder.
Lesson one. Hold RED plastic end of soldering iron!
 
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