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Sunday, March 27, 2022

Installing Keep Alives On Just About Any Decoder (+Making Them)

An excellent web page on installing keep alive on just about any decoder is located here. It is a very comprehensive list. Also, in the article are instructions on making your own Keep Alive with various references to the parts, theory, etc.

One thing stated in the article that this author disagrees with in certain circumstances is the statement:

 Note: Disable DC operation in CV 29 & set CV 11 to “0”, when using Stay/Keep Alives.

The setting of CV 11 to 0 allows the locomotive with the keep alive to continue in motion with sound as long as the keep alive has the power to do it. There are times when this may not be a good thing. The module model railroad club the author belongs to has a "lift bridge" as one of their modules. This allows members to enter and leave the layout without having to crawl under a module (remember, you will age). When the lift bridge is raised, power is cut to the modules on either side of it. This prevents approaching engines from taking a trip to the concrete (usually for the last time). With a keep alive installed it will continue to run! 

CV 11 controls how long the engine will continue to run regardless of the power left in it. Usually, the value in CV 11 is measured in 1/4 seconds so, for example, a value of 12 would equate to 3 seconds. The author usually sets CV 11 to this value of 12 in all his locomotives. This guarantees none of them come to a untimely end. 

Check your decoders' references to determine the appropriate value for CV 11.


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