N Decoder recommendation request

[mecgp7]

I have an A/A set of ER Models N scale Sharks. Wondering if someone could recommend decoders for them? I have looked a little bit and have seen some that were retired
I would prefer plug and play.

The back story is that both came with homemade decoders using the existing boards.  Neither work now. I have looked for the analog boards forever and have struck out. I am resolved to put decoders in them and run them on DC. So, if anyone out there has analog boards, I'd be grateful.

[EL3632]

I used Digitrax DN166I1Ds in mine, which are the decoders for the non-prong Intermountain F Units. They fit in pretty seamlessly, and the only thing you will have to do is solder the motor leads and the headlight to the decoder. I used extra decoder wire I had lying around for the motor connection and it works fine, soldered one end to the motor connection on the decoder and the other end was soldered to the motor, where the original tabs were.
Here is a link to an e-tailer selling them:
https://yankeedabbler.com/n-scale-dig-dn166i1d-series-6-board-replacement-dcc-control-dec?gclid=Cj0KCQiAr5iQBhCsARIsAPcwROP8cR0ZEy-cVl4jfuXiAu__Nryo8iXknp0VghJHOWm9Q8JpE97LQw0aAle9EALw_wcB

[mecgp7]

Thank you. I'll have to hone my soldering skills as I am horrible at it.

[jdcolombo]

If all you want to do is run these on DC, why bother with a decoder?  All you have to do is run a wire from the frame screws that hold the old boards to the motor brush on the same side and you have an engine that will run on DC.  Lighting would be a bit more complicated depending on what you want, but not much.  If all you want is a headlight that lights up in the forward direction, you can get this by wiring an LED with a 470-ohm dropping resistor.  The positive frame side in forward direction goes to the LED anode; attach the resistor to the cathode and wire it to the other side of the frame.  If you don't know which side is positive or negative, just wire it up and if it doesn't light in the forward direction, switch the wires.  You can get more complicated - for example, by adding a capacitor if you get too much flickering of the headlight or by adding an LED driver IC for more constant brightness, or by using a tiny bridge rectifier if you want the headlight on in both directions, but you should be able to find circuit diagrams for any of these options on the web and you can probably buy pre-made kits for bidirectional constant-brightness LED lighting that would be cheaper than a DCC decoder.

If you're not going to use DCC, this is probably a better solution.  While most modern DCC decoders CAN run on DC, they really aren't at their best doing so.  DC operation almost always suffers.  For pure DC operation, you're better off skipping the decoder, wiring the engine for direct DC operation, and using a good DC-only throttle.

John C.

[peteski]

I wonder if "DC" is just a typo.  "DC" is just one "C" away from "DCC".    Otherwise it makes no sense.

[mecgp7]

Nope, I meant DC. I have them wired similar to how John describes (without the resistors), but I was not sure it would be good for the motors. After all, what are all those gizmos on a current analog board? As you can tell, I ain't no electrical engineer. I would be happiest with the stock boards, but no one seems to want to part with theirs. I figured there'd be a bunch available since it seems most are into DCC.
BTW, what ARE all those gizmos on an analog board??

[jdcolombo]

It's a bit hard to tell from Spookshow's photos what the "gizmos" are, but what I see is a small capacitor, a resistor, and probably a diode behind the resistor.  These are almost certainly for the headlight - Spookshow's description says that the headlight is a filament bulb, not an LED, and it may be a 1.5v bulb.  The "gizmos" are there to power the bulb and provide directional lighting (I assume killing the headlight when the engine is in reverse, which is contrary to prototype rules, but done on every model I've ever seen).

You absolutely will NOT hurt the motor by wiring it directly.  This is the way everything was wired before DCC came along.  If you want to keep the filament bulb as your headlight (not something I'd recommend), you can pretty easily re-create the gizmos for that purpose.  But I'd get rid of the filament bulb and replace it with a warm-white LED, which will never burn out during your lifetime.

As I noted in my previous post, wiring a headlight LED is a bit more challenging depending on how sophisticated you want to get - e.g., adding a capacitor for flickering prevention, or adding other components for constant-brightness or bidirectional operation.  But I'm pretty sure you can get pre-wired small PC boards that will take care of this. 

If you're not planning on running this engine on DCC, then I definitely would NOT invest in a DCC decoder.  You'll get much better performance by simply wiring the motor directly, doing whatever you need for the headlight, and running these off a top-notch DC throttle.

John C.

[peteski]

Yes, installing a DCC decoder in a model which will only be operate on DC is pointless and will actually be detrimental to the model's performance.

Andy chance you could take clear closeup photos of those "homemade decoders" in those locos? Preferably both the top and bottom of them?  I doubt anybody could have built a home-made DCC decoder that would fit on the existing "light board".  It might be some customized light circuit, maybe to produce constant lighting.   That could be several diodes or a bridge rectifier, and some 1.5V miniature light bulbs.

Something like this.

[nstars]

I have to check it, but I may have the original DC boards for these engines

Marc

[mecgp7]

Yes, installing a DCC decoder in a model which will only be operate on DC is pointless and will actually be detrimental to the model's performance.

Andy chance you could take clear closeup photos of those "homemade decoders" in those locos? Preferably both the top and bottom of them?  I doubt anybody could have built a home-made DCC decoder that would fit on the existing "light board".  It might be some customized light circuit, maybe to produce constant lighting.   That could be several diodes or a bridge rectifier, and some 1.5V miniature light bulbs.

Something like this.

Homemade decoder:
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[peteski]

Oh, now I understand.  The decoder is not home made (looks like a Lenz decoder), but it was "transplanted" onto the original DC light board.  YOu can fairly easily remove it and convert the light board back to DC.  Or, if Marc finds his extra light board, you will be in business too.

This is what the original board looks like (from spookshow's website).


I actually did something similar in couple of my models.  One of them was the Con-Cor Galloping Goose.  I transplanted a Digitrax decoder into its light board.