Hornby Decoder Not Fitting Bachmann?

[Butler]

I am trying to fit a Hornby 8 pin Harness decoder in to a Bachmann 8 pin socket. It just won’t go in! The pins on the Hornby seem thicker than the Blank pins on the Bachmann. It’s hard to measure exactly, but the Hornby appear to measure a good 0.03 mm bigger. Don’t want to push to hard and bend them. I’ve fitted loads of chips before but not any noticeable trouble.

can this be correct? The Hornby looks a lot cruder, not all pins are the same length, unless I’ve pushed them in, but I don’t think so.

B

[WIMorrison]

Buy a Zimo decoder - better all round

[brossard]

It used to drive me crazy when my late friend would buy Hornby locos from a retailer who installed Hornby decoders (Bachmann got Bachmann decoders).  In pretty much every case, the performance was substandard with Hornby decoders.  So, in every case the Hornby decoder was binned and replaced with another.  A terrible waste.

 

This was quite a few years ago so Hornby decoders might have improved in the interim.

 

My locos, bar one, have all got Zimo sound.

 

John

[Butler]

At the time of purchase, no one seemed to have stock of any suitable decoders, so I panicked and bought one. I’ve got it to fit now with a bit of brute force. It seems to work Ok. In time I will relegate it to a lighting only unit. If that works

tyanks

B

[Tim123]

The 8 pin DCC plug and sockets have their origins in electronics from the earliest days of integrated circuits and electronic breadboards. The pitch between the pins is 2.54mm, and the pins should be 0.48mm diameter. Easy to make plugs and sockets from the widely available header strips. Some decoders plugs are harder to insert, others don't grip too well unless the pins are tweaked in or out. Much as I like Zimo decoders I don't like the pins on the 6 pin versions, too thin and when one broke off it took the solder track with it, a pain to deal with 

[SRman]

9 hours ago, brossard said:

It used to drive me crazy when my late friend would buy Hornby locos from a retailer who installed Hornby decoders (Bachmann got Bachmann decoders).  In pretty much every case, the performance was substandard with Hornby decoders.  So, in every case the Hornby decoder was binned and replaced with another.  A terrible waste.

 

This was quite a few years ago so Hornby decoders might have improved in the interim.

 

My locos, bar one, have all got Zimo sound.

 

John

 

I don't bin the Hornby decoders, but I do replace them with better ones, and (like Butler) relegate them to function-only duties, such as the lighting controls in Bachmann DMU trailers.

[brossard]

Agree, but there are only so many light coaches in the fleet.  In fact my friend had none being a kettle man.

 

John

[RAF96]

Usually the moan is that Hornby pins are loose in their own and others sockets requiring a tad of distortion to be applied to the pins for decent contact. I have been known to tin the pins which then created their own optimum fit when mated.