Runaway Trains - DCC speed control issues

[Anonymous]

I got the Bachmann Digital Commander starter set with the FT-A and GP40 Sante Fe engines. I had speed conrol for mabey the first minute with each engine and now I got almost nothing. Forward and reverse work. I can turn the lights on and off but starting --- poor, poor, poor. Stoping --- that is not happening. I need to kill power with the red stop button. There is no fine tuning. There is mabey some throttle response but it is on its own time scale.

Both engines work when the track is switched back to DC and my DC engine works, though slightly slower and on a slight delay, when run on the DCC.

I tried disconnecting the capacitors in the FT-A but even then the issues persist.

So what is going on? What options do I have to fix these issues?

Thanks,

Ed

[rolleiman]

Sounds like something is stuck.. Try reprogramming the decoders. I use to have this problem with my MRC Command 2000 and their decoders. Would hit a given button (didn't matter which), and all the trains would take off like a bat out of he!!. Returned the MRC to the store, replaced the MRC decoders, bought a digitrax Chief, problem gone.

[Anonymous]

I have definetly ruled out my trains as the issue. Somethings is up with the DCC controller. I got my trains running almost perfect by giving the controller a shake. They do not stay runninng good for long though and the poor speed control issues creep back after a bit therfore requiring more and more shaking to get the trains to respond correctly.

I wonder if Bachmann has a warrenty on its controller?

[rolleiman]

Check the website.. I know they have a warranty on their trains (or use to, been awhile). Never hurts to ask them..

Good luck. 

[jim22]

It's not a momentum thing is it?  If you inadvertently set the engines to have a lot of momentum, they would hardly respond to the throttle.  They wouldn't move much at first, so you would set the throttle way up.  Then they will accellerate to a high speed and not slow down when you dropped the throttle setting back.   My system has individual momentum for each engine.  Not sure if your system might have it for all engines at once.

Jim

[Pruitt]

Maybe you've got an outrageously noisy DCC signal. Try putting a 150-ohm, two-watt resistor across the rails (yes, across the rails) at the point farthest from your feeders. This will act as a "clamp" and significantly reduce "ringing" of the DCC signal on the tracks. It will pull roughly ten milliamps. Don't skimp on the wattage of the resistor - you need a two watt one or it will burn out.

For a more in-depth discussion, see the most recent Scale Rails.

[CSX Robert]

...I got my trains running almost perfect by giving the controller a shake. They do not stay runninng good for long though and the poor speed control issues creep back after a bit therfore requiring more and more shaking to get the trains to respond correctly...

That sounds like a bad potentiometer (speed control knob) to me. I would definitely contact Bachmann about sending it back.

[modelmaker51]

Yeah, if shaking the controller changes the action, it's most likely there's something wrong with the controller. Check with Bachmann, they have a very good service department and usually very helpful.

[Anonymous]

You can not adjust momentum on a Bachmann DCC controller, though it does have some designed into it.

The potentiometer sounds about right. I think that could be the issue.

Whatever the problem I'll just send the thing back and try again with a new controller.