Not being able to select the address "00" or "03" on a Digitrax UT6d throttle.

[Bendtracker1]

I have a question for anyone using the new Digitrax UT6d throttles.

I've had my UT6d's for several months now, so far I'm really liking them. I have found a couple of Quirks with them, but have managed to work my way through them.

However tonight while messing around with some locos for a friend who wants me to replace the DCC boards with DC boards (please don't ask why), I found that no matter what I do I CANNOT select the address "00" or "03" with any of my UT6d's?

I have looked online trying to find info on this and I come up with zilch for info other than a link to Digitrax for the UT6d throttle manual.
In one part of the manual it states that I can choose "0000" for an analog loco. When I try this, I get nothing and nothing changes on the screen.

If I press any number key: 1,2,4-9, that number shows up on the screen. A "0" will show up if I start with 1,2,4-9, such as "60" or "600".
If I press 0 or 3 I get nothing.
If I press the 3 button twice, I get "33" to show up on the screen.

It seems to me that there is a safety, a lock or an option on the UT6d's that prevents this?
I kind of get this about choosing "0", but not "03", because how else are you suppose to choose a decoder that is still set for the default address of "03"?

Has anyone ran into this issue with their UT6d?

I should mention that I'm using a Digitrax Super Chief wireless and a UR93.

[GaryHinshaw]

I have not seen that on my UT6Ds.  In fact I just dialled up an analog loco (address 0) yesterday, and address 03 not too long ago.  Any chance you have OpSw 20 set to disable analog operations on your command station?  That does not explain the address 03 issue, but it could explain address 0.

[Bendtracker1]

Hi Gary,
As far as I know OpSw20 has never been messed with as I'm able to call up either address on my DT402d's and I have done it with my old UT4d's with no issues.

Last night was the first time that I noticed the issue with the UT6d's.
I've had them since July and I cannot specifically recall dialing up "00" or "03" before last night, but I'm sure I have as I've been testing and selling off locos since I got them, most of which are DC?

[peteski]

Do you have/own other throttles besides the UT6d? If you do, can those select those addresses?  Being able to test another throttle would isolate the problem to either the UT6d or the command station itself.

[Bendtracker1]

Do you have/own other throttles besides the UT6d? If you do, can those select those addresses?  Being able to test another throttle would isolate the problem to either the UT6d or the command station itself.

"I'm able to call up either address on my DT402d's and I have done it with my old UT4d's with no issues."

[peteski]

"I'm able to call up either address on my DT402d's and I have done it with my old UT4d's with no issues."

Sorry - I guess I was bit careless reading your 2nd reply.  So the problem is specific to the UT6d throttle.  While waiting for other replies here, you could also contact Digitrax to increase your chances for some answers.

EDIT: fixed typo

[Bendtracker1]

Sorry - I guess I was bit careless reading your 2nd reply.  So the problem is specific to the UT4d throttle.  While waiting for other replies here, you could also contact Digitrax to increase your chances for some answers.

I'm assuming you meant to type UT6d?
And yes, I have an inquiry into Digitrax.

[John]

There is nothing on the digitrax group that I could find === I wouldn't mess with it till you hear back from the mothership .. the only other thing to try might be resetting the throttle to factory default, and possibly reflashing the firmware .. but wait until digitrax gets back to you before reflash

[GaryHinshaw]

Please let us know how it turns out. 

I know I often have to press the Loco button multiple times to get a new address to 'stick', especially if it is an address I have called up repeatedly in the recent past.  Sometimes it will prompt me to steal the address and sometimes it will just do nothing, but then acquire after the 3rd or 4th try.  Kind of lame actually.  Clearing the slots with OpSw 36 or 39 might help as well...

[Bendtracker1]

Please let us know how it turns out. 

I know I often have to press the Loco button multiple times to get a new address to 'stick', especially if it is an address I have called up repeatedly in the recent past.  Sometimes it will prompt me to steal the address and sometimes it will just do nothing, but then acquire after the 3rd or 4th try.  Kind of lame actually.  Clearing the slots with OpSw 36 or 39 might help as well...

Gary, I have not had issues with getting an address to stick as you've described, not yet at least, but good to know.

There is nothing on the digitrax group that I could find === I wouldn't mess with it till you hear back from the mothership .. the only other thing to try might be resetting the throttle to factory default, and possibly reflashing the firmware .. but wait until digitrax gets back to you before reflash

Luckily I didn't have to mess with the firmware, another poster on another forum suggested I plug the UT into a UP5/7 and see if that makes any difference, but I didn't have to do that either.

Anyway, I must be losing my fricken mind....everything is working as normal now?

As mentioned, I had posted on several forums of the issues at hand. Some had some good advice.
One of which was to check to see if I had the same addresses on another throttle, I was pretty sure this was not the case, however it was the simplest thing to check first.
After supper I went back down and turned the system on and doubled checked for a duplicate address on all the throttles, both the DT's and UT's, of which there was not, not on any throttle.

Next, I fired up JMRI and checked the Slot Monitor, another suggestion.
I had about 15 addresses showing, some were valid, others were mistakes made when trying to add an address.
There were also 2 "03's" and about 5 "00's" showing but none were tied to another address and ALL were showing "Idle".
These were showing up on the two throttles that I was using last night.

I released all the "00" and "03's" and grabbed the UT6d that I was using last night.
I was able to dial up "00" and "03" simply enough on the first try and confirmed they worked with the two locos I had on the track.
Worked just like it should.

I probably should have done a better job of trying tests individually, but being frustrated I just started trying things.

One of two things must have cleared it up:
1- shutting down the system. Which I doubt was the cause as I shut it down completely several times last night.
2- clearing out all the "00's" and "03's" from the slot monitor.
or a combination of both?

So now that's working again, I'll have to keep and eye out to see if this issue arises again.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

[GaryHinshaw]

Good to hear that it's just you losing your mind. 

[John]

Glad you were able to get beyond it .. It's interesting that the system would have multiples of the same address stored .. 

[Bendtracker1]

Glad you were able to get beyond it .. It's interesting that the system would have multiples of the same address stored ..

Yeah, from my understanding, there should have been only one showing which is where the STEAL option comes from?
Why the slot monitor was showing multiples of the same addresses is beyond me?
I need to dig a little deeper.

[peteski]

Yeah, from my understanding, there should have been only one showing which is where the STEAL option comes from?
Why the slot monitor was showing multiples of the same addresses is beyond me?
I need to dig a little deeper.

It could just be buggy firmware in the command station.

[Maletrain]

In the Digitrax system, it is possible (and, unfortunately, not uncommon) to have more than one throttle controlling an address.  I happens whenever somebody does not dispatch or release an address and another throttle "steals" that address. 

So, that really doesn't explain your issue when you could not select the address at all.  Frankly, the keypad behavior you describe sounds like problems with the "0" and "3" key contacts, where you first don't get any and then get it twice.  But, when that happens to me (with older throttles) I can usually get the number if I am persistent.  In your case, it seems like it might have been the command station that was fighting you, but I have no idea why it would.  Getting the same address with the same throttle in multiple slots seems really odd.  That may be the thing to ask Digitrax to explain.