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If you will try this before you return. Put the loco on your track. Don’t hook the track power up just yet!Make sure all wheels are on the rails ! Plug the Power Cab power supply in. NO HOOK UP to the rails.Now press the left lower button (PROG/ESC) four times- the display should read use program track- hit inter.Display should read PROG TRK- just under that is 1=STD. 2=CV 3=REG. NOW hook up the track power from the panel to your test track. ( BTW) you should see a red LED on the panel shinning red. Now hit 1 for STD. Should take a few seconds but the display should read back to you a number.Depending on which decoder is in stalled. Like 141 on the Blackstone.If you see, can’t read cv —- you are not getting power to the decoder. Rails,wheels or a bad connection.
I doubt the Power Cab is defective. It sends DCC signal to the rails, and even controls the addresses both locos are set to. It intermittently runs one loco, and controls sound functions of the other loco. I really think that both locos are problematic.
Pete,I don't necessarily disagree. But if not, could it be that voltage from the power supply is low? I'm wondering if that would account for the fact that one runs poorly and the other not at all. Don't sound decoders need more current/voltage to operate than non-sound decoders? If I'm thinking right, low current/voltage from the power supply could make the non-sound decoder not respond correctly and the sound decoder with it's higher current/voltage requirements might not be able to pass on enough voltage to the motor????? I wonder what the output voltage of the power supply should be?Thanks,Scott
I can't speak to your narrow gauge SW7, but as for the Blackstone K-27, when mine shat the proverbial bed it started similarly to yours. It did all the sounds, but when I cracked the throttle she stood still and gave me the 11 headlight blinks of death. Eventually the sounds quit too, about the time the smell of toasted electronics became detectable.
I seem to recall you mentioning this problem elsewhere (in your layout thread?). IIRC, you posted a photo of the smoked decoder, and it seemed to me that one of the transistor pairs (which are part of the H-Bridge that drives the motor) was blown. If that's all that is wrong with your decoder, that should be fixable (if the part number of that dual-transistor can be found).
My first instinct was one of cognitive dissonance...but then I can imagine an alternate world where the D&RGW--rather than attempting to smother its remaining narrow gauge lines--embraced them during the San Juan Extension oil boom of the 50s and 60s and bought narrow gauge versions of first- and second-generation diesels. If my RGS ever runs a diesel, though, it would most likely be a pair of Grandt Line boxcabs painted for the San Juan Central.
IN my experience with electronics and DCC in general, I don't think too low of a voltage would result in the symptoms you are seeing. Like you, I own the NCE Power Cab. The "wall-wart" power supply outputs IIRC around 13.5V DC (I don't have it handy right now). Byt the time the DCC voltage gets to the track, it will likely be about 1 volt less, but die to the way the DCC signal is, you can't really measure it accurately using any standard multimeter.
Hey, at least sending the Power Cab to NCE will result in having a verified known-good DCC system. If the locos still act up, you know it is not the Power Cab. And it will have updated firmware.
Pete,In my time in Uncle Sam's canoe club, as an electronics type, and I learned over the years when you have an electical/electronics problem always start with power and ground. You may be right and low voltage would not exhibit my symptoms but it is a possibility and it's easy to check. From what I've read (on NCE's web site I think) I should see about 10ish VAC on the track if the wall wart is working properly. I realize that's an approximation and that I'd need an "O"scope to see what's really going on at track level but if I measure it and get something like 3-4 volts I can feel pretty comfortable that there is a problem in the system. Additionally I read somewhere (I've been doing a lot of research and often don't remember where I read something), that some of the early power cabs shipped with problem power supplies.
Scott,In my professional experience as a troubleshooter (electronic tech like you, and now more of a software troubleshooter), I have learned that the more details about the problem and about the environment I have, the easier it is to arrive at possible fixes/solutions. I have to say that you have omitted some of info (like measuring 3-4 volts at the track with your non-DCC-specific AC voltmeter). If I knew that I wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the Power Cab as the possible problem. But I still doubt that the Power Cab is the problem. If the DCC track voltage was too low, you would not be able to get the sound decoder to properly "boot up" and also play the non-running sounds.Still, as we both agreed, sending the Power Cab to ESU for service and upgrade will quickly eliminate it as the problem component in this puzzle. Hopefully you will update this thread (or continue troubleshooting) once you get the Power Cab back.
a$$haterish
you should get 12 to 15 volts on the track, unit plugged, no loco's or lighted observation cars on the track .. i get 14.5 with a rrampmeter and a mrc prodigy ...as previously stated, you should upgrade your system to the current chip / value first, just in case ..
Oh?! That's the foundation of TRW.
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Topic: Problems with DCC (Read 5654 times)
