I installed an MRC system for a gentleman about 4 years ago. Unfortunately due to sickness it wasn't used for about three of those years. Fortunately he and his wife have overcome most of their health problems and he is now working on his layout.The main problem is that the individual decoders don't seem to know their addresses. For ex. two locos are on the track and one is running,when you move the dial to a new loco,it won't respond and sometimes the running one ,runs away.Also, can a reverser unit fail from disuse? I haven't been able to get a reversing section working since we started up again. All of this was working properly a few years back when I installed the layout in his house. He has been reading a lot about DCC and is getting better at knowing what is going on,but thes problems still arise. I'm beginning to wonder if I should switch him back to analog, but then the layout will require exstensive and complicated rewiring for a block system. Thanks for any help here. BILL
PS I'm not what you'd call a professional, but I consider myself fairly proficient. I have successfully installed decoders in about 20 locos 6 of them N-scale and 5 of those steam.The latest being a Kato,Mike. I run a Digitrax system on my own layout.
Thanks David,I may have to give that a try.
I would agree, seems something has gone wrong with the system itself. That would explain the strange loco behavior AND the auto-reverse not working. It almost sounds as if one side of the DCC signal is not being output. Not sure if there's a ground pin on the Prodigy liek there is on Digitrax command stations, but if there is any you have a meter you can try measuring the AC voltage between one rail and ground and then the other rail and ground. It's not completely accurate, but what we're interested in here is how close they are to one another - they should be the same. If you try this on your Digitrax system, as long as Address 00 is set to speed 0, you will see they are the same or very close. A vast difference indicates a fault with the track outputs.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks, another thing to try when we get together again.
Simplify.
Hook the Prodigy (original?) to one piece of track. Put on one known good loco. See what happens.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Just a thought...If the layout sat unused for 3 years, are the wheels and track dirty? I know dirty track and wheels can cause MRC decoders to act like that. (What brand decoders are we talking about?)
I agree with Jeff. Just hook it to a clean piece of flex track and see what happens.
Single locos operate fine. We've cleaned track and cleaned track. We are now in the process of Flitzing everything. The decoders are Digitrax DZ123 s. Several of the locos have tested out fine on my own home Digitrax system on a clean length of nickel silver track. One decoder I checked on the LT-1 decoder tester,was fine. I'm gonna check the wire connections for corrosion although I don't expect any. The basement its in is clean and dry and he must keep it about 75o down there. I always have to strip down to a T-shirt despite the fact its in the 40s and 50s daytime now. I'll check with MRC monay fer sher. BILL Thanks again.
I think there are bad electrical connections in the track wiring between the Prodigy and the track, especially where the auto-reverse module is. It may not be getting power from the track. You need to get a voltmeter and check all of the track to see if there is power everywhere.
I think the single loco working ok supports the theory that there are loose/bad connections. Additional current increases the voltage loss past acceptable.