Received my P2K Heritage 0-6-0 today. I put the tender on and placed it on the layout. Nothing! No sound or movement. I first tried loco address 03 and, when that didn't work, tried the loco number in desparation. This, of course, didn't work either. I seem to recall that these new QSI equipped locos have a start up routine but I cannot locate it in the instructions.
Is there a startup sequence?
73
Bruce in the Peg
Bruce,
Make sure the the wipers on the tender trucks are making contact with the wheels. Also check that the drawbar plug is seated correctly. It should run out of the box on DC or at address '03' on DCC.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Double-click F6 is the startup if it was in shutdown mode. But the problem is most likely the plug - they are VERY hard to get seated correctly but the usually don't work if not properly connected. My hands a almost too big to get in there to plug things in, what helps is one it's started to use a small screwdriver and carefully push each side alternately until the plug is fully seated. Be careful though, one slip will lop off one or more of the wires.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Bruce, I have one that was made before 2004...or maybe it was in 2004. It has a unique drawbar that doubles as both tether and drawbar. The plug part should mate normally with the socket, but there are/were two small tabs that fold down over two lugs on the plug, or else it's the other way around...I forget. If you can't get that to work, there maybe be another problem related to pins, solders, or even the decoder if the wipers seem to be making contact as Randy suggests.
If it is the typical wired tether and drawbar, then the plug must be pressed home fully and firmly with the tip of a bamboo kabob skewer or something like it. I grip the loco carefully and use the splayed tines of a very fine needle-nosed pliers that are not sharp at the tip, but still pretty small. I have to do this with all BLI steamers.
Crandell
It's a great little engine, and works fine on insulfrog turnouts right up to the Fast Tracks #8
Try the tender by itself. I have an older model 0-6-0, from about 4 years ago. The sound will come on even without the engine.
I did have a problem with this engine at one point, after running it over a defective 30-degree crossing and having it short out. It had gone into some sort of "deep sleep" mode, from which it could only be awakened by a handsome prince with a QSI programmer module attached to his computer. Fortunately, my LHS guy is just such a person, and he was able to rouse the engine from its slumber. Happily ever after, so far.
You might also try a reset. There is a way to do that on the programming track by setting a sequence of CVs, and my engine also came with a "magic wand" which activates a magnetic reed switch inside the tender. When I had my "Sleeping Beauty" problem, though, neither of these worked.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have to agree with Randy.
It's gotta be the plug.
That's typical of Proto Heritage.
A fine runner once you get completely set up.
Rich
Alton Junction
Although unless they cheaped out and have the entire tender only pick up power from one side, it should at least sit there and make noise even with the loco completely out of the picture and unplugged. My PCM T1 will competely 'run' with just the tender, chuffing and all. If there's not so much as a hiss or anything and the tender DOES pick up power from both sides then it's either DOA or it's in shutdown.
While I am not familiar with other systems to know if this is typical, with my NCE I must enter only "3", not "03", to get a new loco to respond. You should be able to change the address to whatever you want on the program track even without ever operating it on address "3".
YIKES DoI feel stupid now NCE was the culprit. My old system required "03" to acquire the loco. NCE does not. In my defense, the power cab did indicate "003" when I falsly entered "03" The same as when I enter "3" but then it WORKS
Thanks to all
Blind Bruce YIKES DoI feel stupid now NCE was the culprit. My old system required "03" to acquire the loco. NCE does not. In my defense, the power cab did indicate "003" when I falsly entered "03" The same as when I enter "3" but then it WORKS Thanks to all
Ahh, Bruce, don't feel stupid.
All DCC systems have their own peculiarities, and NCE is no exception.
I have an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system, and I have gone so far as to put the following instructions at the bottom of a spreadsheet that I keep for my locomotive roster and consist numbers. "A leading zero is necessary for long addresses below 128. A long address between 1 and 127 will have an asterisk (*) before the loco address on the cab display." When you keyed in "03", the system was looking for long address 03 on the layout, not the short address 3.
All of which brings up a point that I occasionally make on this forum. Whenever a new locomotive is introduced to the layout, it should start up on the programming track, not the main track. If your DCC system is not suffficiently powered to read the decoders on sound equipment, especially QSI decoders, add a booster to the programming track. I have a PowerPax DCC Programming Booster from DCC Specialties installed between the NCE command station and the programming track.
By programming on the programming track rather than the main track, it is a lot easier to read back the CV values including the short address and the long address. On the main track, you cannot read back CV values, you can only input them.
Always a good idea for the program track test, but turn off the PowerPax first - otherwise you are doing no different than just putting the loco on the main. Sure the PowerPax shuts off if there's a short - so does the main track from the booster! The idea of program track testing first is that if there IS a short it's very LOW power to the current limited program track so no harm, no foul.
rrinker Always a good idea for the program track test, but turn off the PowerPax first - otherwise you are doing no different than just putting the loco on the main. Sure the PowerPax shuts off if there's a short - so does the main track from the booster! The idea of program track testing first is that if there IS a short it's very LOW power to the current limited program track so no harm, no foul. --Randy
Randy, wouldn't the PowerPax shut off sooner in the event of a short than would the DCC command station? I don't know that for a fact, but according to DCC Specialties,here is the PowerPax works:
PowerPax is microprocessor controlled. When hooked up for programming, the PowerPax initially provides power to the programming track to charge-up decoder components like capacitors that would otherwise reduce programming energy and cause a programming failure. When you initiate the programming sequence through your DCC System, the PowerPax also boosts and controls the programming energy to about 200 mA. In the event of an overload or short the PowerPax instantly shuts down to protect the decoder and your DCC System’s programming circuits.
That's pretty much how the internal breaker on any decent booster works as well. 200ma isn't too bad, relative to the potential 5 amps on the main, but that's typically 10x or so more than typical program track.
It may not be quite so bad, but I've yet to find a decoder that I need such a device to be able to program and read with either of the available options I have - Zephyr or PR3. Well I have a third option but that would require too much reconfiguration to make it worthwhile, which would be to use the DB150.