Hello everyone,
I have a powerpax to use for BLI and other sound equipped loco's my question is in trying to use it I have not really seen any improvement in being able to program sound decoders. I use an NCE power pro system and have tried about everything i can think of. So lets start listing all of your ideas, tips, tricks, etc.
I don't what a power pax is, but I have not been at this too long so bear with me. NCE makes a Power House system ( a power cab and a separate control box which can pan put out 5 amps of power) and a Power Pro system (which is all in one hand held throttle and only puts out abt 2 amps of power). I have a Power Cab system, so I might be able to help a little or ask the right questions that will get the right answer from someone a little smarter than me..Is the Power Pax a booster? If so, is it the Smart booster (SB3)?
Earl
I once caught a train in my pajama's. How it got in my pajama's I'll never know... (sorry, Groucho)
If your BLI is equipped with QSI sound, before you start programming, go to CV 62 and turn the voice feedback to off CV 62 = 0. This will make life much easier for you. NCE systems don't like the voice feedback of the QSI chips.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
I have turned off the voice feedback and gotten the same results. I am kind of hoping someone will point me to a website that has some sort of help sheet. LOL May be wishful thinking but hey a guy can dream huh. thanks everyone.
Can you elaborate on what sort of problems you're having in programming your locomotive or what sort of 'tricks or tips' you're looking for? How do you have the PowerPax connected to your programming track and to the NCE unit?
I have/had a Power Pax, it is misplaced or I lost it, anyway I never had any problem programming QSI and Soundtrax decoders with it and a Zephyr.
At home I use my Power Cab and I have no problem programming QSI decoders.
At the club I use a Digitrax PR3 and again can program QSI, Blue Line and Soundtrax decoders with ease.
Your problem might be a defective Power Pax
Jack W.
Use Opns Mode (Main Line) programming and you don't need the Power Pax. I have one of them, too, and could tell no difference in programming strength with it connected to the programming track. With my NCE Pro Cab I program practically everything using Opns Mode and have had no problems.
The problem with programming on the main, is you can't read CVs.
jalajoie The problem with programming on the main, is you can't read CVs.
Try Direct instead of Paged mode and see if that works.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
jalajoieThe problem with programming on the main, is you can't read CVs.
I can read CVs with my NCE ProCab Radio throttle -- any time I enter a CV number in Opns Mode, it shows me the present value.
NSCOALDRAGI have a powerpax to use for BLI and other sound equipped loco's my question is in trying to use it I have not really seen any improvement in being able to program sound decoders.
Cacole, either you're joking or incorrect. Ops mode only shows a CV value that you recently programmed, and gets this from RAM, not from the decoder. It doesn't matter that you're using an NCE Radio cab. If you go immediatly to Ops mode after turning on your system, a loco's CV's will read zero, but of course are mostly not.
Hal
There is currently only one way I know for sure, and one other that might also do it, for reading CVs in Ops Mode. The one I know works is Digitrax decoders with Transponding, and all the associated other hardware to make Transponding work. The other is Lenz decoders with Railcom and the associated hardware to make that work. I believe that allows you to read CVs among other things, same as Digitrax Transponding.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.