I am sick of Altas C40-8Ws and DIGITRAX decoders

[John]

I've had it with Atlas C40-8Ws, and trying to put a DIGITRAX decoder into it.   Why does Atlas allow the frame to be made so that the little slots can't make proper contact without the little clips on them that fall off onto the floor never to be seen again.  And why can't DIGITRAX actually make a decoder that will fit into the little slot on an Atlas frame without the user having to add solder blobs on the damned decoder .. what a bunch of crap.  I've purchased my last digitrax decoder, and my last Atlas locomotive ..

[mu26aeh]

I've got NCE in mine and they work great.  Plus they have 4 pads right under front light for the ditch lights

*** Actually, I just checked my NS units (C40-8 and C40-8W).  They both have Digitrax decoders.  I ditched the little clips bc I lost one or two of them and built them up with solder.  I did get the CW wired for ditch lights.  I haven't tackled the 8-40C yet, have to drill pilot to accept the ditch light glazing.

[jdcolombo]

While drop-in decoders are a great idea in theory, in practice they just don't work all that well without some modification - a coat of solder on the pickup pads, for example, to make sure the connections are tight, and maybe even hard-wiring the motor.

The right way to do this is what Fox Valley does: you have a light board made to spec with the loco that has a socket for a plug-in decoder.  Problem solved.  If only everyone else would adopt this system.

John C.

[flight2000]

I feel your pain and will never buy another non-dcc Atlas loco.  The factory installed NCE decoders are working pretty good so far.

Cheers,
Brian

[central.vermont]

The right way to do this is what Fox Valley does: you have a light board made to spec with the loco that has a socket for a plug-in decoder.  Problem solved.  If only everyone else would adopt this system.

John C.

+1!!!!!!!

Jon

[ryan_wilkerson]

+2
Sometimes, you can remove the decoder without even removing the full shell. Outstanding design!

+1!!!!!!!

Jon

[peteski]

The problem is that the headlight PCB (printed circuit boards) Atlas used are manufactured from thicker material than Digitrax decoders.  If Digitrax only made the decoder PCBs the same thickens as the originals, this problem wouldn't exist and we would all be happy.  I have no idea what lead to this mismatch. Maybe Digitrax couldn't get the proper thickness PCBs cheap enough? Maybe they received incorrect information from Atlas?  But you are right, this is an annoying problem.

[nscaler711]

Yea I about threw my Pepsi Can Dash 8 into the trash because it was the DCC equipped version... I have since crushed the decoder and put a DC board into it... Runs just fine now...
As for FVM yea that's all fine and Dandy if they'd use more than 6 pins... Or you know more than a FX4 decoder...
I kinda miss the 8 pin in HO some days, sure made adding extra lights easier without trying to fry a decoder to add a tiny wire in a spot where even pencil tip soldering iron can't go.... 

I'll stick with My Katos... At least most of those are truly drop ins... 

[mmyers]

just about every Atlas engine I own has a hard wired decoder. Figured if I had to add some solder, may as well solder the whole thing. plus I already had them.

[John]

just about every Atlas engine I own has a hard wired decoder. Figured if I had to add some solder, may as well solder the whole thing. plus I already had them.

Yea ... I end up doing that a lot as well on my other C40s . but this one just pissed me off more than others .. especially when the little clip thingy went flying into the carpet .. never to be seen again