ESU Nano 58923 decoder problem

[woodone]

I got two of these the other day for a customer install I have to do.
Did one the other day and was all OK. The second unit did not go so well.
I installed it into an older Atlas GP7.  This unit required machining to fit the decoder & speaker into it.
So after the install I tried to download the sound file .
My ESU Programer showed an error- No decoder could be detected , tried again and got the same error.
So I hooked the loco up to my NCEPowerCab. Well the Power Cab showed the manufacture’s code of 151.
So I changed the address and was able to sound the horn (factory default) OK & run the motor forward & reverse. The forward & rear lights worked too.
Not knowing what was going on I got a third decoder from my supplier. This time I hooked this decoder up to my decoder tester. Same problem, no decoder supported but I can use my Power Cab, change the address & sound horn.
Called ESU. And they did not have an an answer ? Send it back for repair or replacement.
Oh, by the way when I was using my Power Cab I did a decoder reset= CV8 to 8 . That did not change anything.
Any off the wall ideas?

[jdcolombo]

How do you have the decoder hooked up to the LokProgrammer?  Did you try programming with the decoder installed in the engine?  Hooked to the decoder tester?  Hooked directly to the Programmer?

Did you try programming a different decoder to rule out a problem with the LokProgrammer itself?

FWIW, I would have done what you did first - order a second Nano.  But once the problem repeated with a second Nano, I'd suspect the electrical connection between the decoder and Programmer, the connection between the programmer and computer, or the Programmer itself.  In that order.

John C.

[peteski]

Just recently there was a thread on the LokSound group (on groups.io about some ESU decoders dying). Not specifcally nanos, but they were all V5.  I also seem to recall that few months back, someone had a batch of new V5 nanos dying not long after purchase.  There might be a bad batch of components ESU is using on their decoders.

As for ESU tech support, what can they say over the phone?  There is no magic command they can give you to revive a half-dead decoder. You already tried a reset. Not much else can be done.

  I assume of course that you tried to successfully load a sound project to another V5 ESU decoder (to verify that your LokProgrammer setup is not the problem.  If you haven't yet, that would be a good thing to try.

You also mentioned that the decoder failed on the decoder tester. Is you tester connected to LokProgrammer, or to your PowerCab?  If to the LokProgrammer, then again test your LokProgrammer to see if it will work with other V5 decoders.  Yes you mentioned that the first decoder worked ok, but maybe the LokProgrammer died after that decoder was done.  Just sayin' . . .

Those are my off-the-wall ideas.

[jdcolombo]

OOPS - I missed the "tried hooking it up to the decoder tester" part.

Hmmmm.  I'd do what Pete suggested next: try programming a different V5 decoder (not a Nano) and see if that works.

John C.

[woodone]

I had two decoder to install. First one went into an older Atlas GP7. It worked fine.
Did the second install into a second Atlas GP7. Tried setting the address and got the error code.
Tried with the Power Cab and was able to read, so I changed the address and was able to sound horn and run motor.
I got a third decoder and this time I used a decoder tester to check the decoder before installing.
The third decoder acted  the same way. So the second decoder installed into loco would not read any CV’s.
The third decoder was installed onto a decoder tester. Same results.
I did call ESU support and talked to a gentleman named Lee, he was not able to help on the phone.
The normal tech (Frank) is out sick for a while. So I will have to send them back for replacement or repair.
Lee said something about software not being installed to the decoder?
Thought it strange that I could read CV’s with the Power Cab.