DCC glitch?

[Anonymous]

The throttle settings on my Digitrax DCC are randomly resetting to either 0 or 1. What could be causing this? It happens to all my locos.

[rrinker]

Sounds like they are selected on another throttle with the speed control turned down. Which system are you using? There are several resets that can clear the memory of the command station and fix that.

--Randy

[Anonymous]

I'm using a Digitrax DB150 command station, a DT400, A DT400R, UR91,UR90, and a NCE PB-110a.

I found that unplugging the DT400 from the UR90 has seemed to fix the problem. I tried unpowering the whole system. That didn't make any difference.
I've been using this complete system for several days and everything has worked fine till this afternoon.

[selector]

Could it be that one of the throttles on one of your paddles has the same loco dialled in, and that it is set to 0 or 1? Is it just the one loco, or all of them..if you have more than one?

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by capt_turk

I'm using a Digitrax DB150 command station, a DT400, A DT400R, UR91,UR90, and a NCE PB-110a.

I found that unplugging the DT400 from the UR90 has seemed to fix the problem. I tried unpowering the whole system. That didn't make any difference.
I've been using this complete system for several days and everything has worked fine till this afternoon.

I've read through your question a few times trying to understand it.. Do you mean that the locomotives are Randomly stopping (speed = 0)? You say that unplugging the DT400 clears it up.. What if you are only using the DT400R? In other words, is it a system problem or might you have a flaky throttle [?][?][?] Sounds like something you might want to ask Digitrax..


Jeff

[Anonymous]

Yes, the locos were randomly stopping. They would start right back up when I turned the throttle back up.
I ended up going through all the address's and releasing them all. Since then, it's been working ok. I just wonder why it acted that way. It's never done it before, and I've been running the system for 6 months. The only recent change has been the addition of the NCE PB-110a booster. It worked fine for several days after adding the booster.

The only problem now seems to be the locos with MRC decoders. They seem to have a hard time hearing the command station when I have any Digitrax decoder equiped locos on the track. They either don't respond, or they only respond after repeating the commands several times. When they are by themselves on the track they work fine.
The MRC decoders are in small locos. Four wheeled switcher and a Porter. The Digitrax decoders are in the Hiesler, Garrett. The Mikado has an MTS decoder.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but this is all G scale.
The Digitrax decoders cost twice as much, but I sure won't be buying anymore of the MRC's.

[rrinker]

See section 26 of the Super Empire Builder manual for the instructions on clearing the DB150 memory - OpSw 39. If you had a Locobuffer and JMRI you could see the problem with the Slot Monitor tool, but I am fairly certain what I said before is true. The loco was selected on the one throttle but not properly released. The fact that things work properly if you remove that throttle reinforces this. Clearing the memory will fix this - just turning off the power does NOT clear the memory.
Your manual may be a different version, but the copy I downloaded has the instructions for this starting in Section 26 on page 107.

--Randy

[rolleiman]

My first DCC system was the MRC 2000... Never had anything but trouble using it.. The walkaround didn't work worth beans and the lack of a visual feedback from the unit was frustrating at best. From there I stepped up to the Empire builder and had a problem with that where randomly, all of the locos on the layout would take off like a bat out of _-__ anytime I tried to use the E-stop on the DT100.. Digitrax replaced the unit and all was fine. I then decided I wanted the Chief for its' 8 amp capacity and dedicated programming track (which won't even talk to the MRC decoders).. Anyway, still had / have some locos (HO) equipped with the MRC decoders and had / have to replace every one of them.. I don't know why, I just know that the Chief (w/ DT400IR) completely ignores them. On the flip side, the MRC unit wouldn't program the digitrax decoders.. Somehow I get the feeling that these companies have gone off on slight tangents with thier own slightly different standards. OR maybe it's just MRC..

Jeff

[rrinker]

Those older MRC decoders only support the limited Register Mode programming. Digitrax systems can program in Paged, Direct, Ops, or Register mode - so you have to pick the right one depending on what the decoder supports. The Command 2000 as far as I know would only program in Register mode, although that should be able to set the address on a Digitrax decoder.

--Randy

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

Those older MRC decoders only support the limited Register Mode programming. Digitrax systems can program in Paged, Direct, Ops, or Register mode - so you have to pick the right one depending on what the decoder supports. The Command 2000 as far as I know would only program in Register mode, although that should be able to set the address on a Digitrax decoder.

--Randy

I'm sure it'll matter to someone but for me, the MRC 2000 is long gone and happily so. It just wasn't worth the headache to me.. Soon the rest of the MRC decoders will be gone as well.. Since I bought the digitrax, I haven't given MRC a second thought.. Reallly a shame though, they've always made nice power packs. I still have my control master X from the old days..

Jeff
[8D]

[rrinker]

And I just had an occurrence of the same problem last night. My father in law was running some trains using the Zephyr console, and it was running really slow, so he called me. I plugged in my DT400, told him to release the loco so I could pick it up. I picked it up and found out why it was slow - he accidently activated F6, and it was a Digitrax decoder with switch mode. Then the train is running and suddenly stopped. I went over to check the Zephyr and found out he hadn't released the loco, he hit something other then the Exit button. After I released the loco from the console it still misbehaved until I also released it from the DT400 and reacquired it.

--Randy