Greetings,
Help! This is a new one on me. I have a P2K E-7A with a Digitrax DH163IP decoder. It has been working for years, and it is usually consisted with an E-7B with a Soundtrax sound only decoder. No motor in B unit, just two very large speakers in a home built lead enclosure. Sounds Great!!!
Problem? I can not gain control of the speed of the E-7A with my Digitrax DB150. I have two Power dristicts with another DB150 as the slave. When I put the A unit on the track with no B unit it wants to run at about speed notch 25 I would guess. I can not get it to stop, short of lifting it off the track.
On my workbench I have a Zephyre DCS-50 that I use for programming. All is normal when using the DCS-50 and the E-7A works great. Back out on the layout with the DB-150 and it is back to uncontrolled operation. I have many other engines, and this is the only one that does this.
Anybody have any suggestions...Thank youl
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
A couple of suggestions: (Assuming you've access the loco's address and set the throttle speed to zero).
1. Place the locomotive on the programming track and read the value of CV19. If it is other than zero, record the value on a piece of paper. Change the value to zero. Place the locomotive on the layout track. If it resolves the issue, go to STEP 2.
2. Call up the value recorded in STEP 1 as a locomotive address on your throttle connected to the DCS-150. Set the speed to zero.
Let me know your findings.
Carl in Florida - - - - - - - - - - We need an HO Amtrak SDP40F and GE U36B oh wait- We GOT THEM!
Sounds like you may have that loco dialed up on the DB150 but not properly dispatched, either by itself or as part of a consist. Check the back of the DB150 manual for the OpSw settings to clear loco and consist information. Or if you have a computer interface, connect it to the DB150 and use the slot monitor tool in JMRI to check for slots still in use and clear them.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Problem solved. After much frustration I finally used option 36 on the 150 and cleared all the mobil decoder information from the command station. The following is my theory:
!. Consist A & B unit.
2. Somehow manage to turn off power to layout with the Consist still running at speed step 38.
3. take A & B units off the layout for service.
4. Next layout power on, dispatch locomotives as a consist.(I would suppose they would still be taking up slots in the 150.)
5. Put units back on the track, select them and they are already at speed step 38, but I don't understand why I couldn't throttle them back after selecting them. Perhaps it did have something to do with improperly consisting them. I suppose I should reread my manual once in awhile. My consists are all permanetly coupled with drawbars, and the units are electrically tied togeather, so I don't have to mess with consisting them very often, I usually just dispatch them when they are idleing. I was thinking of going to basic consisting, which would free up more slots in the 150. I have a fairly large railroad, and I do run out of slots. Either that or upgrade to a command station with more slots. I do not know what all the drawbacks of BASIC CONSISTING, but I think I am going to find out.
I am not sure if that is exactly what I did, but clearing the 150 with switch 36 took care of the problem.
I thought I had already done that, but the instruction manual that came with the 150 was not real clear on the proper method for clearing the option.
Thank you for your thoughts.
They were still in the consist, so motor control was on the consist address, not the actual loco address. You need to break the consist before dispatching it, unless you plan to use the same consist again. Just dispatching the consist keeps it together, it just frees up the slot the consist address was using.
And it was clearly command station consisting (Digitrax UniVersal), since selecting the loco on your Zephyr ran it just fine. Had it been CV19 Advanced consisting, you would haev had the same issue with the Zephyr until you cleared CV19.
Randy,
Thanks for your insight. It has just caused that sometimes dim bulb on my head to go off. When The consist was made I had the B unit as the "Top" and the A unit was consisted to the B. That usually worked fine for me, as the B unit has many functions used for the Soundtraxx, but it has no motor. The A unit, being NYC, don't need many functions. Thanks again for lighting that bulb on my head.
Of course if the two units are connected by a drawbar and always run together, you could just give the two decoders the same ID number, then you wouldn't have to set up consists unless you were adding another engine to run with them.