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Some train set throttles put out a very high maximum voltage that is not suitable for scale model
trains. The maximum recommended voltage is 15 volts DC. Similarly, controllers designed for
large scale trains put out a much higher voltage than your APT-E can handle.
If you use a train set throttle or a throttle designed for large scale trains, your locomotive’s circuitry
may end up looking like some really nasty spag bol. In such situations, we’ll try our best to fix it for
you. But we may have to charge you for the replacement parts and/or the labour involved. That’s
because you didn’t read this bit of the manual.
Don’t you wish you had read this before you shoved 24 volts through your very expensive model?
INSTALLING A SILENT DCC DECODER
The APT-E contains an ESU-designed motherboard in PC-1. This is connected to the track, motor
and lighting outputs. A blind plug is attached to the motherboard using a 21-pin connector. To
install a decoder, remove the blind plug and install a 21-pin decoder (recommended) or a 21-pin
adapter to attach an 8-pin or a 9-pin decoder. Your chosen decoder should have four function
outputs.
At the time of writing, we recommend the following 21-pin decoder:
• ESU #54615 - LokPilot V4.0 DCC with 21MTC
We feel the 21-pin connectors are superior because there are enough pins to ensure that all
your lighting and sound functions are connected. The necessary resistors are included on our
motherboard so you don’t have to futz around with resistors. (“Futz around” is a North American
Yiddish term. There is no English translation. But you probably understand what we mean. Buy
more Rapido products and you’ll eventually learn the entire Yiddish slang dictionary.) Just remove
the blind plug, plug in the recommended decoder in the same orientation and you have DCC.
ESU has made an APT-E function mapping which can be downloaded into their non-sound de-
coder (54615) so that the function buttons and motor control are exactly the same as our factory-
released sound versions. This is available for download on the APT-E page in the Support section
of our web site. You will need an ESU LokProgrammer to write the function mapping to the 54615
decoder. If you don’t have a LokProgrammer, you can adjust CVs in the usual way.
OPERATION – DC (SOUND)
To operate your sound-equipped APT-E locomotive on a DC layout, just give the throttle some juice.
The turbines will start up once sufficient voltage has been reached (around seven volts). See the
note above (in
Operation – DC (Silent)
) about using train set or large scale throttles. With DC
layouts, you have very little control over the sounds of your model.
The APT-E will go through its startup sound sequence before it moves. Sit back and enjoy.
In DC operation, the cab lights do not work. However, the rest of the lights do, including direc-
tional headlights, taillights and interior lights (including the flashing lights in TC-2!).
Please note that the sound-equipped APT-E comes with a feature called “Back EMF.” Essentially,
the decoder reads the output of the motor and adjusts the operation of the train accordingly. This
results in extra-smooth running in DCC, but it can result in jerky operation in DC. If you wish to turn
Back EMF off, you will need to take your APT-E to a layout equipped with DCC to do so.
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