RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion

RailPro and Decoder Buddy

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gregeusa:
21 pin standard started in Europe I believe

snowdog:
I've used several 21 pin - 9 pin adaptors

cws:
Which decoder buddy did you choose, Mini, V1B, V5B or V8B and why? 

thanks!

Carl

faithie999:

--- Quote from: sieggs1 on August 04, 2026, 10:33:57 AM ---Hey all,

I use the Decoder Buddy with RailPro LM-3S-21. Yes, you can use a Keep-Alive with the pins on the Decoder Buddy. RailPro's own works but I have also been making my own keep-alives for much cheaper and they last longer.

Rob S.

--- End quote ---

Rob--can you post details on your DIY keep-alives?   i went down the DIY road some time ago and wasn't happy with my results. 
thanks

Ken

sieggs1:
Hey Ken,

I recommend watching the following videos on YouTube from Larry Puckett. His design is far superior than my experience with RailPro's own PBM-2 and much cheaper to build. This is what I use.

    [/url]

  [/url]

All parts are available on Amazon and the cost per unit to build is less than $10.

The two wires connect to the pads on the Decoder Buddy specifically for the keep-alive.

I put these on ALL my locos, especially my SW1500s. My locos NEVER stall, even on my unpowered frogs and my double crossover.

I use 5x 3.0V, 2F capacitors to get to 15V total. He uses only 4 capacitors so I don't think that would be enough for HO scale.

Rob

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