Are Bachmann decoders any good?

[pete12345]

More specifically, the 3-function one. I have a few older locos I'd like to convert to DCC (my current MPD is wired up for DC at the moment) and I'd like to do them all at about the same time. Mostly they're hornby, tender drive, with a Bachmann Dean Goods, Lima 31 and Mainline 56 thrown in. I'm not after any fancy features at the moment, but at the same time I don't want rubbish that will make the locos uncontrollable. Is this decoder decent enough or am I better off looking elsewhere?

Cheers

Pete

[slackbladder]

Hi Pete. I'm no expert but have fitted a few to some of my stock and to be honest they have not been a problem.. The only one that has (slight mind you) came fitted in a Bachmann 4MT.. it was ok out the box and for a month or so then recently started to run a tad erratic, I cleaned everything, same problem, I then found the cure,,, remove any suppressors (the little yellow things) its been fine since. Obviously my warranty isnt though.

The one slight drawback for you though could be that they are not very small so if space is tight you may need a smaller decoder.

sb

[pete12345]

I've had a look inside the locos, and I think there's only one which will pose a problem. The other tender drives have a pair of ballast weights which can be cut down to make room. The Dean Goods has a similar weight inside the boiler. Cutting a portion of this away should mean I can fit a decoder in the firebox. The diesels of course have loads of space and working lights on the 56

[m8internet]

Which Bachmann decoder are you looking at?

I bought one 36-558 for use in my N gauge items, as it was one of the lowest priced NEM651 6 pin decoders I have seen
Fitting was easy, but it would not program first time round
I then removed it and refitted, it worked fine

I then bought a further batch of four and these have now been fitted to two locos and two DVTs
Equally, I have not yet seen a decoder purely for functions around the same price, so the motor function is wasted and not used!

The locos also seem to have an acceleration and deceleration curve by default, something my other decoders have not come with

[Flashbang]

Hi
The Bachmann 36-553 three function decoder offers some very limited motor control and it uses Bemf too, so that should help.

But my "Rule of thumb" where older locos and decoder choice are concerned is - The older the loco the better quality of decoder to be used. As a better quality decoder offers the user far more options to "tweak" the CVs for fine motor control. Assuming your DCC system allows CVs to be altered? If it doesn't then you wont gain a lot really!

I would go for TCS or Digitrax decoders or even a Lenz Silver

Don't forget the locos MUST run faultlessly on dc powered rails before a conversion is undertaken. As a poor dc running loco will normally become far worse on DCC!

[Bigglesof266]

G'day Pete,

At current count, I now have 21 locos. However I'll issue a caveat with that, that they are all current models and all were purchased new over the past 12 months. The majority including Hornby locos, have been fitted with Bachmann -553 or -554 decoders. Whilst sooner or later I'll probably get a dud or have one fail, as yet, I have still to encounter an operational malfunction with a Bachmann decoder. I will upgrade more to TCS et al as needs must and pricing ameliorates as it will in time just as it will with sound decoders. But presently kitting with TCS effectively doubles the decoder kitout cost per unit given available sources of product from here, so that Bachmann suffice for my current general use. Their price is certainly right, they are reliable, but in the particular I think their BEMF implementation notably superior in operation.

I prefer them by far to Hornby's 'equivalent' budget R8249 or R8215 decoders of which I have several, all bar one (R8249) decoder a consequence of being obtained via a DCC Fitted loco. Physically, Bachmann's -553 is fractionally larger. But in hand with that, QC seems better than Hornby's and construction is more robust. I haven't found fitment a problem in anything DCC Ready yet.

I think the acid pre-test in yoru situ is how well your locos already run on DC as Flashbang said. If they run fine and you remove the suppressors when fitting the decoder, on balance it suggests should run OK under DCC with a Bachmann decoder. Of course in the final analysis only baking the pudding and putting it to the taste test will reveal whether the ingredients were of sufficient quality to honour the recipe.