# Hello All! New to forum with a controller question



## nsmustang55ol (Sep 3, 2021)

Greetings from Houston TX. Been in and out of hobby for a few years now. Now that I have more space thinking of starting over. I recently got my layout cleaned up after moving a year or so ago. I have a switcher that I installed a DZ123 controller in. It ran great for a while then all of a sudden the controller melted. Thinking it was just faulty I swapped it out for another one and instantly it got hot. I quickly took the LOCO off the tracks and let it cool. I removed the controller and the motor, hooked the Pickup wires on controller directly to the tracks and then the motor leads to the motor. The motor would control but the controller started to melt. Any ideas? I really like this switcher and want it to work but don't want to keep throwing controllers at it. Also my layout is very simple. Its one of those older "Bachmann Golden Spike" sets with the simple 10 locomotive controller. All my other LOCO's with the same controller work great. thanks in advance.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Just a guess but my first thought is that for some reason the motor in that locomotive is drawing way too much amperage.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

flyboy is right.

The decoder heats because the motor is drawing too much current. 
Is this possibly an older motor? I had an old S1 switcher made in
Yugoslavia that had a heavily sparking worn out motor that burned up a decoder.
Those oldies often draw way more current
than more recently made motors. You can check the amp draw of
your loco's motor but you'll need a DC power pack or 9 volt battery.
Disconnect the motor from the decoder.
Set your multimeter to AMPs...connect the negative DC wire to one tab of
the motor...connect one lead from the multimeter to the other motor
tab...and the second multimeter lead to the positive DC. Note the
meter reading. If it is 1 amp or more it is drawing too much current.
and should be replaced. A typical model DC motor will draw around .02
amp or so when running...more if loaded.

Most DCC decoders have a 2 amp capability but if your loco gearing
is binding, or in need of lube, or the motor is excessively sparking
it could draw more current than the decoder can handle.

Don


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## nsmustang55ol (Sep 3, 2021)

It’s problably 2 years old. Bachman. Also the gearing is freed up and lubed properly. Is it possible to have a shorter out motor but it still works when connecting direct power to it?


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## nsmustang55ol (Sep 3, 2021)

nsmustang55ol said:


> It’s problably 2 years old. Bachman. Also the gearing is freed up and lubed properly. Is it possible to have a shorter out motor but it still works when connecting direct power to it? It’s just odd that it worked for a while then all of a sudden first controller melts, then immediately 2nd controller melts.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Sounds like the motor is bad. Do the amp test as Don suggested. If it's bad, Bachmann may repair it (although it's probably out of warranty); otherwise you would have to remotor it yourself. Not that hard if you can handle a soldering iron. It's also possible something else in the loco has shorted, creating the large current draw. Definitely don't put any more decoders in it until you find the cause.


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## DavefromMD (Jul 25, 2013)

Maybe I'm overlooking something. What scale is this? The DZ 123 is designed for Z scale. Yes, it says it is 1 amp, but if you are putting it in an HO locomotive, that may be the issue. If you need a decoder smaller than an HO one because of space, try a DN decoder designed for N gauge.


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## nsmustang55ol (Sep 3, 2021)

It’s for N scale. And to be honest I’m about to go outside and check the paperwork for the correct model# of the decoder. my layout has been tucked away since we moved here. I am also going to check continuity between several things on the loco. this particular locomotive has the wires going directly to the trucks. Some of my other ones use I guess “wipers” that use the frame of the locomotive to transfer power.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

I see you say the motor works fine when you connect power direct to it.
Not sure what you mean...are you saying the motor runs freely when
you connect DC to it's tabs? If so, I again urge you to do the
metered amp test.

Here are some other 'things to check':

A 2 year old Bachmann loco should have a very efficient motor that
normally would not overload a decoder, even one for a smaller scale.
Have you tried finger spinning the motor to see that it's bearings
are not binding? Is it possible that there may be some wire or part that is touching
one of the motor tabs? Bachmann uses a universal joint to power
each truck. Can you finger turn these to determine if there is binding?

Don


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

I have had only two Bachmann locomotives to date. Both required a lot of throttle to get moving, and when I adjusted CV2 for V-Start upward to get the loco to move on Speed Step #1, the setting was above 35. That's a whack of start-up voltage.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

I had 10 DCC non sound Bachmann locos...most running with the
decoder's default settings. All had very smooth creep ability and
ran at realistic speeds with normal controller settings. Something
is amiss with the loco that is the topic.

Don


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