Fitting Bachmann 36-553 Decoder

Just a cautionary note to anyone trying to fit a Bachmann 36-553 decoder in the trailer car on this model.



Basically, it doesn't fit without some alteration to the plug.

It fits the wrong way round but then the lights don't work, so you need to trim the plug board a bit.

I filed mine.

Would be interesting to know what's done in the bought DCC fitted one, as I assume it would use the same decoder.



Ed

 

manufactureres ? the mind boggles,
:thumbs;-):cool:

Is this the latest model Ed ?

I wonder if the socket has been fitted in the wrong place, or the wrong way round on your model ………….:hmm

When I did mine - the "old" version of two or 3 years ago, the trailer car needed a 6 pin decoder - nobody makes a function only 6 pin so the decoder for the lights actually worked out dearer than the cheap Hattons one I had to hand for the power car ………………..:twisted::twisted:  Stupid or what !!!

It's the latest model Peter, bought last year.

I 'ran it in' on DC when I got it and then put it back in the box until I was ready to chip it.

It's only  when I did chip it, I realised it's supposed to have interior light and they don't work!

Broke a battery box off the underframe of the motor car as well, trying to get the body off.

It's a lovely model, but quite fragile and a devil to take apart.


Ed

 

I'd agree about taking the body off Ed.  Mine was not too bad to remove - a bit of card here and a bit of card there to hold the tabs open but, getting the thing back on was a devil.  The prongs connecting the interior lighting to the power input are extremely easy to bend - or worse still, to break off their mounting in the floor panel. :???:

Broke a battery box off mine aswell Ed trying to get the body off ,no matter how much I tried the body wouldnt budge so give up fearing I would do more damag so run  it on DC as my layout is only single track 

I managed it the same way Peter mentioned, Brian.

Sort of prise off down one side inserting bits of plasticard to stop the body springing back and then start on the other side. It seemed to come off at the end I was working on and didn't just pull up straight off the chassis.

The motor car body went back on easily, but the trailer car took me ages as it just didn't want to clip back in at both ends.

At some point I need to do it again to find out why the interior lights aren't working and add some passengers, but it's now at the very bottom of my 'to do' list.



Ed

Has the design of the plug been changed as it looks quite wide to me. Look at the picture on the Hatton's web-site -

http://www.ehattons.com/19639/Bachmann_Branchline_36_553_8_pin_3_function_1A_decoder_with_back_EMF/StockDetail.aspx

Much narrower plug to my eyes?

 

Bought mine about 2 years ago and went to chip it after I had run it in tried the card method but the body wouldnt budge (was the motor car I was working on ) it has hardley been run until a week ago ,runs nice and smooth on DC ,got no plans for DCC as yet so taking the body off again is very very very low on the list .

[user=1238]RFS[/user] wrote:

Has the design of the plug been changed as it looks quite wide to me. Look at the picture on the Hatton's web-site -

http://www.ehattons.com/19639/Bachmann_Branchline_36_553_8_pin_3_function_1A_decoder_with_back_EMF/StockDetail.aspx

Much narrower plug to my eyes?

 

No idea Robert, but I know Hattons aren't very good at updating their website apart from prices.

I only bought the Bachmann decoders as I thought they would obviously fit being the same brand, even though I believe they are made by ESU.

I wouldn't now they've gone up from £12 when I bought them in June to £15.50


Ed

Those are my favourite decoders ,but such a big price increase, Rails of Sheffield stock those too, and i think a bit cheaper.

The Lenz Standard+ is a far superior decoder in every way compared to this Bachmann one and costs little more.  Its 8-pin plug is narrower than the Bachmann one and should fit without a problem. I bought my last batch from this German boxshifter -



http://www.modellbahnshop-lippe.com/produkt/Lenz/9-4-0-62718-003001-0-0-0-0-0-0-grp-gb-p-0/ein_produkt.html



18.25 Euros works out at just over £15, you can pay with PayPal and they have free shipping (by UPS) till the end of September.

Just looked them up at rails and they are even more expensive groan.:oops:  I bought 4 nor long ago for £12 .50 each i think it was.
I will look up those Lenz jobs then Robert.

Even more expensive elsewhere, except here.

http://www.aspiregiftsandmodels.co.uk/bachmann-36-553-3-function-8-pin-dcc-decoder-with-back-emf-422-p.asp

I suspect this is something to do with Bachmann's prices rises, so maybe get 'em now if they have stock at this price and you want this particular decoder.

Ed

Whilst the few Bachmann decoders I have, have performed faultlessly, given the choice, I'd go for the Lenz every time.

The Bachmann version may well be an under-cover ESU decoder but they're designed and built to a price, not necessarily to a quality other than ensuring "they work".

As I said, I've had no problems with Bachmann personally so I don't really know why I'd go for the Lenz - maybe I've been brainwashed ………………:roll::roll::roll:

Hornby, on the other hand ……………….:shock::shock::shock:

Hi Peter

I've heard (read) they're a older or cut down version of the LokPilot which is nearly double the price, so even at £15.00 they're still pretty good value for money.

I seem to remember you have a Lenz system, so buying Lenz decoders seems to make perfect sense to me

I bought a Hattons one as a test ……………………… and managed to blow it up, so I won't buy any more.

Apart from one TCS the others I bought were Digitrax which are fine and since I ended up buying a Digitrax system, also seems to make sense.


Ed

PS I bet if I'd bought a Digitrax decoder for the Bachmann DMU I never would have started this thread)

I do indeed have a Lenz system Ed but have Bachmann, Hattons (DCC Concepts) and TCS decoders in addition to my favoured Lenz offerings.

The few sound ones I've got are of course, from other manufacturers.

As I'm still in the "learning stages" of decoder programming, I'm not qualified to say which works best.  The only problems I've had were with the Hattons/DCC Cncepts ones so won't buy any more of those - although they were very cheap !!!

Certainly the Lenz ones seem to perform perfectly "out of the box". :thumbs

Hi Ed.   After all your woes with your smart DMU. Did you ever consider a sound Decoder? I am really impressed with the sound of my DEMU's and if I fancied getting a DMU I would consider the sound element.I don't think that it would work with electric Loco 's or EMU's though.  All the best. Kevin

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

I'd agree about taking the body off Ed.  Mine was not too bad to remove - a bit of card here and a bit of card there to hold the tabs open but, getting the thing back on was a devil.  The prongs connecting the interior lighting to the power input are extremely easy to bend - or worse still, to break off their mounting in the floor panel. :???:

Hi Petermac.     That sounds like the old school song "Old Macdold had a farm" ,    All the best.  Kevin

I still have a small stock of Hornby decoders, removed from Hornby DCC-fitted locos and units and replaced with better decoders (the decoder-fitted examples were sometimes to be found in the major retailers at cheaper prices than the non-decoder-fitted ones). These Hornby ones are ideal for lighting and function-only use. They aren't very robust and the power output is lower than most of the better decoders, but they are small and fit into places the Bachmann/ESU and Lenz decoders won't.