Bower RS-3 lighting issue

[lyndenbranch]

I received two Bowser RS-3 the past two days. Right out of the box, they run very well, and the painting and detail for my chosen prototypes is first rate. These are two separate road names--NP and SP&P--and purchased from different dealers by mail.

But very quickly I had the same issues with the LED lighting on each unit--each a day apart. Very strange.

After a quick break in to see if each functioned properly--they did, though the sound was cranked way up on both--I set about to program both to my liking--starting voltage, momentum, top voltage, etc--just as I do with all my other ESU 5.0 decoders. I heeded the warning to change the value of CV32 to "1" before changing individual sound settings (lower prime move roar and raise the muted air horn)( beyond the universal CV63 (which I dropped from the default to 80 to begin with). I did this while programming on the main track (I use an MRC Prodigy II DCC system). Shortly after this, with the SP&S locomotive, the headlight on the short hood (Bowers calls this the "Front" and the rooftop beacon stopped working. I did a system reset to the locomotive (setting "8" on CV08) on the programming track, and no change--neither light was working. The headlight on the "rear" hood (long hood) works just fine.

I figured I'd contact the merchant I purchased from as well as Bowser during business hours this upcoming Monday.  I did not bother pulling the shell off and seeing if a wire had come loose until I talked at least to Bowser.

Today, received my second RS-3--an NP model. It also ran fine originally. After messing with programming the same momentum, top speed, sound etc. functions, NEARLY the same thing happened. The roof beacon continues to work, but just like the SP&S model, the short hood ("front" headlight) now does not work.

Any suggestions on a programming route to further diagnose? I will add that I do not have a LokProgrammer--on the list, but this would require an investment in a PC computer (I'm a Mac) as well as the LocProgrammer.

I'll also add that Lee English has been amazingly responsive to my customer questions in the past.

Thanks.

Mr. Lynden

[edwardsutorik]

I bought four of these. On one of them, the lights tend to flicker, slowly. It's acting like a loose connection. So I think it's far from impossible that the problem is a loose wire. Of course, yours just cut out. But still,....


Ed

[lyndenbranch]

Aug 13, 2022 16:21:02 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

I bought four of these. On one of them, the lights tend to flicker, slowly. It's acting like a loose connection. So I think it's far from impossible that the problem is a loose wire. Of course, yours just cut out. But still,....


Ed

Given your experiences, Ed, I decided to pull the shell off my Northern Pacific model. I swapped the rear and front headlight modules, and the front headlight still didn't work. So, could it be a mother board issue? Pulled the Loksound 5 decoder I had handy in a Scale Trains SD40-2 (just have to pop the dynamic brake hatch off to access it--no screws and wires and other messy stuff to deal with) and all headlights worked fine with that in place. So, I'm going to think it is a bum decoder.  I'll try the same thing with the SP&S model this weekend, but I'm guessing I'll contact Bowser and let them facilitate a decoder swap.

[Gino Damen]

Hi,

It is very uncommon for ESU light outputs to be blown out. The only output which isn't guarded is that from the speaker.

On the other hand, it could be a faulty decoder batch. But I would recommend to find somebody who has the ESU programmer and let the programmer have a go at it. It will probably update the firmware and you can check if your settings are done correctly. The LS5 is a complex decoder to program only using CV's.

Gino

[atsf_4]

I have purchased 6 of these RS-3's. The latest one to arrive is a GB&W with the dcc and sound. In dcc, the headlights do not stay on. Any time the speed of the unit is changed, the headlights momentarily go out and then will come back on once the loco reaches a steady speed. It does not matter which direction the unit is traveling; the same issue occurs.

The unit also runs a bit slower than the other RS-3's, but also very quietly and with less current draw. It is drawing between 0.09 and 0.11 amps when blowing the horn, and I think that was at nearly full speed in dcc.

Ironically, and I am fully aware Bowser does not recommend operating Loksound 5 equipped units in plain dc, but in plain dc the unit actually runs a little better and the headlights stay on all the time. The sounds in plain dc also seem to be very well synched to what the unit is actually doing. I was quite surprised that this particular unit runs better in plain dc.

The rooftop beacon is independent of the headlights and functions perfectly.

Also I removed the body and checked for loose wires and was not able to find any loose wires.

The 3 plain dc units (of 6 total) all run exceptionally well; I think they are better than the dcc units (operating on NCE Powercab system).