# Eat the humble pie- How to DCC Rivarossi Big Boy- Help Pls



## musicwerks (Jan 4, 2012)

Dear friends,

I think I might be over-confident and made major mistakes in my DCC of the Rivarossi big boy.
I have saw the metal frame into half, but when I searched the internet and gathering advices from friends (RRgrassi), nobody saws the Rivarossi metal frame.

I was studying this gentleman's (Mr. Allen Gartner) website. I couldn't really understand the picture, esp the red cables infront.

http://www.wiringfordcc.com/hrbigboy.htm

I have seen people DCC-ing the old Rivarossi on youtube sucessfully. Can anyone teach me how to DCC the Rivarossi??

I have admitted that I have been reckless and that I must have gotten the DCC wiring wrong and shorted all my decoders.

Rgds
Kiong


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Musicwerks,

It's either a short, or to big of an amperage draw, under load.

The easiest way on a Riv, is to isolate the motor from the frame (easier said than done on the older ones). Use kapton tape, insulating washers, etc. Use the continuity setting on your meter to check that the motor is isolated. You might have to cut the motor mounting as well. You can use styrene and epoxy to glue it back together.

Test the motor casing to each of the motor leads as well. Even in the case of a re-motoring.

Trace the wires to motor leads to each rail using the continuity setting on your meter. Hook up the track pick up to the wires that went to the motor. Then connect the grey and orange leads to the motor.

Then test it out, shell off. Then work on the lighting.


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I just got through working on a Riv Pacific for my brother in law. No DCC though. But, It uses the same original motor as my Cab Forward and your Big Boy. Riv used a molded plastic of the same shape and dimensions of the cast metal motor mount and soldered the wires to the brush springs.

That plastic isolated the motor from the frame.

Here is an idea:

First, cut off the metal motor mount. Then you can make a plastic mount buy gluing flat styrene to get the right thickness and carving out the armature and screw holes that would be good. Then you could drill and tap screws to mount the plastic to the metal frame.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

All of this is just a reminder of how often Rivarossi re-engineered their products over the years---at least 7-8 times over the life of their longer lived models. My 70s vintage Big Boy was a piece of cake...the motor was already isolated from the frame. It literally was as simple as cutting the leads and splicing the chip into the circuit. I wish I could offer you more than that--except--make sure you are not allowing the headlight to be grounded into the circuit inadvertently. That was the only time I smoked a chip...


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Good point Shay! The lights need to be isolated as well.


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## musicwerks (Jan 4, 2012)

RRgrassi...thanks for the inputs!

Shay ...Yes, the lights weren't isolated! I just spliced the original light connections to the decoder...It was still connected to the circuit that grounds to the front bogies! (I think)


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Musicwerks

That could cause your short, as track power also runs there. The decoder was getting two shots of track power...oops!

My 1225 Riv Berk was simple like tha,t Shay!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

musicwerks said:


> Shay ...Yes, the lights weren't isolated!


Yep...that'll do it....


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