Author Topic: Will a ZIMO MS540E24 decoder work with an ESU 53953 adapter-board?  (Read 279 times)

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_trainski

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Would anybody on the forum know if the ZIMO MS540E24 sound decoder would work with the ESU 53953 adapter-board to open wires? I have a bunch of the 53953 boards and need to hardwire the MS540E24 for a custom Plymouth MDT switcher project. I did do a swap with an Atlas Silver GP9TT and an ESU LokSound 5 nano and the ZIMO MS540E24 with no problems. Just wondering if the ESU 53953 will have the same pinouts that work with the MS540E24. Any constructive feedback or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you fellas!

_trainski

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Re: Will a ZIMO MS540E24 decoder work with an ESU 53953 adapter-board?
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2025, 06:48:25 PM »
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Yes. I did further research on this forum and a few other forums pertaining to ZIMO, ESU, and the E24 socket connection pinouts. I will bench test my MS540E24 and the ESU 53953 adapter-board with confidence now. Mark this post as solved by me. Cheers!

peteski

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Re: Will a ZIMO MS540E24 decoder work with an ESU 53953 adapter-board?
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2025, 09:39:48 PM »
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The E24 pinout should be mostly standard.  The only differences between ZIMO and ESU I could think of would be which function outputs could be defined as logic-level (and/or SUSI data/clock, Power Pack enable, or cam input). For reference, here are the ESU definitions.

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_trainski

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Re: Will a ZIMO MS540E24 decoder work with an ESU 53953 adapter-board?
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2025, 01:14:51 AM »
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Thank you Peteski for your kindness and helpful diagrams. I will let you know the outcome once my brand new ZIMO KLUG arrives from Buckambool, should be in a few days. I hope to sound record a Plymouth MDT 4-wheel switcher in Niagara Falls this Spring 2026, I met the locomotive mechanic at RealRails 2025 in October. Cheers