21 pin socket

To plug a 21 pin decoder into?

Sound perhaps.

Mark Thornton

I thought all the Jinty's were NON DCC ready, or DDC Fitted ? I have only heard of the Class 66 having 21 pins ?

Where did you hear this ?

"Andy Sollis CVMRD" wrote

I'm guessing that the sound-equipped 20 has the 21-pin socket too.

John.

"John Turner" wrote "Andy Sollis CVMRD" wrote

I'm guessing that the sound-equipped 20 has the 21-pin socket too.

John.

May be so, but a Jinty ? Where would you place it ? It doesn't even have an

Andy

One of the paradoxical consequences of cheap chips is that "mechanical" parts such as circuit boards may well cost more than the chips. Thus, it's often cheaper to stock a single board that suits a variety of circuits than to stock different boards for different devices. (Anyone who has built a computer will know what I mean: I've yet to see a motherboard _without_ unused component locations.)

It's also rather expensive to stock and track parts - again, often more expensive than the parts themselves.*** So it may be cheaper to use a component in several applications, even though it it does more than necessary in some. Or to use "defective" versions of some components in less demanding applications. Eg, a defective 8-bit chip may still work well as a 4-bit chip (and end up in cheap watches or timers, for example.)

And sometimes you run out of, or don't yet have, the correct component, so you use one that will do the job, even if it's over-engineered.

Any of these factors may be the reason Bachmann fitted an over-engineered board into the Jinty.

In the 1950s I worked at a plant that sold welding gases. We used a four-part "gas shipping order" to record sales. Three of the four copies went to the office. One day I asked what happened to them: one stayed on site. Two went to Region, where one stayed; and the last one went to Records at head office to be stored for seven years. The clerk told me that someone had tracked the cost of a GSO from ordering to final disposal of the last copies, and had estimated it at about $8.50. Now, we sold a lot of gas in small cylinders to farmers, who brought in the empties, and drove away with fully charged ones. These customers paid under $7 for a refill of oxygen and acetylene....

Computerisation has reduced the cost of information, but has also increased the demand, so the net effect has been nil. Or even an increase in the cost of paperwork.

HTH

Judging by Steve Jones's experience at

ROB

"Andy Sollis CVMRD" wrote

Yup, me too, and with a Lenz Mini Gold in situ it works an absolute treat.

John.

"Robert Flint" wrote Judging by Steve Jones's experience at

ROB

?? I thought he was dead ? Went about 4 months after day after day of postings with nothing ? I thought something had happened to him ? I take it he is posting again as I gave up looking at his informative (if not occasionally biast site)

Andy

messagenews:45b7e2cb$0$24380$ snipped-for-privacy@free.teranews.com...

Jones's experience at

My understanding is that any Bachmann loco where a sound option will be made available will be fitted with the 21 pin socket irrespective of whether the specific loco has sound fitted or not. Hope that makes sense.

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote: [...]

Yup - simplifies parts storage and tracking - a very costly business.

HTH

I read that Bachmann were going to make all locos dcc ready, I just wondered what functions you would have on the jinty to require the use of a 21 pin socket.

Norra lot !!!

I have a lenz silver in mine which gives a shunt control and nothing else (apart from the quality) so 8 pin over 21 ? nearly 3 times the amount of wasted space to remove before hard wiring your chip in and discarding the 21 pin plug to the bin !!

Andy

That's what I did with mine too. Just took out Bachmann's board, and replaced it with the Gold Mini.

Ian J.

That's what I was thinking, is there any need to put in a 21 pin decoder socket in locos that do not have need, never mind the space for any other funtions other than to control the motor.