Being new to DCC, I have burned a couple(decoders) that won't be covered by warranty. Looking at them I raise the question does any one repair these? I know you can send them in to the vendor for repairs but they generally want a fee that equals a new one. Thanks for the Replys. Bob with decoder burnout.
Bob,
You are faced with the dilema that faces most folks with contemporary electronic equipment that has failed...and that is...no one can afford to fix them because a new one is cheaper than the repair costs.
Cheers, Bill S.
Jon, Thanks for the response. You seem to know alot about electronics, is it resonable to say you might know the specifics of a diode bridge? like where to get them at what rating,etc. I can see the bridge, or what I think it is. It appears to be burned. I'd have to get a better iron, and stronger magnifier glass. If I knew I had the right parts I might be willing to try. Beyound that, I guess I'll have to give it up. We are so wasteful. Bob
J> >does any one repair these? Commercially, No! But depending on how good you are with a soldering
The perfect example is the Digitrax DH123D. You can buy new ones for $15, while repair cost- not including postage- is $17.
you may now choose between the short answer or the long answer
SHORT ANSWER: Throw it away and get another.
LONG ANSWER: The problem with repairing decoders is that sometimes the proper parts are not available. This may be for a variety of reasons, one of them being that a specific FET with a given footprint needed for the decoder may out of manufacture. Many times decoders with the same model number will not really be the same inside. Parts from a current production "Model A" may not fit or function properly a five year-old "Model A".
Most likely, what you have done, is you have let the smoke out of the big motor-drive FETs. This is the most common failure mode. Although you probably can repair them, it is likely that you will have to pay more for the replacement FETs- if you can even find one that will work- plus a shipping fee, than you would have to pay for a whole new decoder.
If you mess up the microprocessor in the thing, you are hosed. There is no way to repair the micro or replace it with another, as the micros are programmed at the decoder production facility, not by the manufacturer of the micro. Even if you could program the thing you don't have- and can't get- the programming code, so you're still hosed. The best bet is usually to just. . . . . that's right. . . . throw it away and get another.
Froggy,
Trouble is, by the time you get the returned unit on the workbench, have an intelligent person pick up tools and actually think about it--you've spent more than $15. Repairing something that cheap just isn't worth it.
like where to get them at what rating,etc.< Sorry I don't. On one of the lists I belong to (can't remember which one) somebody did fix some of their decoders. If it's the bridge I would suspect any 1+ amp Shcotty(sp) diodes would work. You might try this question on the Digitrax Yahoo list or even a call to Digitax and might they probably will tell you the part they use. As many have said the cost and time may not be worth the effort.
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