Digitrax DH163A0 decoder

[acpardo]

Hi, I put the DH163A0 digitra xdecoder in my F7 athearn Genesis and the foward light F0F is always on [:(!], tried to reset CV8 to 008 without any success, the other functions are OK.. ('[?]')

HEEEELPPPP!!

Any ideas

Adrian Pardo
Buenos Aires Argentina

[selector]

Is there another CV for directional control of lighting? Are you saying that the fwd light is on at the same time that the loco is in reverse and the reverse light is on?

I don't know the answer, but rrinker, a DCC encyclopedia, is sure to reply soon. He helped me when I had a CV headache.

[rrinker]

Sounds like either a wiring problem or a bad decoder. If there WAS a bad CV settingin the function control, the reset would have cleared it, factory defalt settings definitely make the front light and rear light properly directional.
Is the front bulb hooked to the proper terminals? Is there a resistor, or were the bulbs swapped? I don't have any Genesis but I was under the impression that the stock bulbs were 1.5 volt. It could be that the bulb is still connected to the factory circuit and simply being powered directly by the track and not via the decoder.

--Randy

[acpardo]

the bulbs are connected thru a 1000 ohm resistor to the right place.
I check the wiring several times... so the las answer is BAD DECODER... is a new one

bad luck, sending decoder from here to DIGITRAX will cost me more than buying a new one.

Thanks

Adrian Pardo
Buenos Aires, Argentina

[rrinker]

Try it out of the loco just to be sure. Hook the track pickups to jumper clips to connect to the track, put a bulb with resistor beween the FOF output and the function common (blue if it had wires, on the A0 decoders it's the two center tabs at the front of the decoder), and connect a motor to the motor terminals. See what happens. You can do it withotu hooking a motor up. In forward with F0 on, the light shouldbe on. Switch to reverse, it should go out. After switching to reverse you may need to adjust the speed to make sure the reverse signal is being sent.

--Randy

[dacort]

I have quite a few DH163AO's, and on a couple of them I fried some function leads by being careless about wires touching live track while I was doing the install. I have since learned. :)

However, in all cases so far the decoders are still perfectly good aside from the bad function. I had one with the F0F lead fried so I just wired the headlight to F1 and remapped the CVs to make F1 behave like F0F.

I use decoders like this in engines that don't need many functions. The 163s have four more function outputs besides the headlights, so you might try this. If the decoder still works otherwise it'll save you the cost of a new one.

[acpardo]

Thanks I though on that ...and perhaps will be the way to solve the problem.

regards

Adrian Pardo
Buenos Aires. Argentina

[Modeloldtimer]

After rechecking the decoder wiriing. if you have reprogramed the decoders CV08 to 008/x08 rember the loco's address is now 03
If you can't turn the lights on and off or the lights blink when you ran the loco, this is symptomatic of a Standard (14 speed step opernation) decoder trying to process 28 speed step Advanced packets. Be sure that the decoder and the command station are using the same mode by reprogramming the decoder or by changing the command station's operating mode.

If you can't control the opernation of the lights in your locomotive with your throttle (in default 128 or 28 speed mode). be sure that the decoder is programed for Advanced 28 speed step mode.Your Digitrax decoder was shipped programmed to 128 speed step mode. You may have changed your decoder's programming when performing the decoder test procedure. in any case, if you are not able to turn the locomovies lights on and off you will need to change CV 29 to 006/x06 to have proper light opernation when using your Digitrax system in its optimum 128 speed step mode. DO this by programing CV29 with a value of 006/x06 you can down load The DIGITRAX Mobile Decoder Manual and look at Section 6.2 for more information about CV29. http://www.digitrax.com/