Good Day Everyone,
This is my first post to this forum but I have used other forums to find answers to problems for many years.
I have a Powerhouse Pro Sys tem I purchase many years ago. The "newest" update page in the "System Reference Manual" was on the warrenty page dated 10/25/2001. The PC boards in the Powerhouse have dates of 1998 on the left bottom board, 1998 on the bottom right board , and "10052-9001 rev A NCE PH1 Upgrade" on the upper right broad.
I have two ProCab's both have had wireless antenna added to them by NCE and I have a RB02 plus I use the DIN connector on the ProCabs.
System has been in storage for about two years as I remodel and expand. Old layout was in 16 X16 room. Adding a 3 level 12 X 24 room and redoing 16 X16 room.
On Sunday I powered it back up and was running find on what track I have ready to run. About 40 ft of level track plus a 5 round 2% slope helix. I have powered up and down over twenty times since then but tonight I powered up once and back down then started to add in the wireless RB02 and things went "south".
Both ProCabs now only show "NCE PROCAB V1.3, CAB ADDRESS = 02" or 03 (depends on which one I am looking at or using.
Found a reference to "Top Circuit Board loosing contact" from this forum by Googling. Did that repair but problem remains.
Replaced 3 volt battery, Problem remains,
Tried to "reset" ProCab but I don't think it happened.
Cannot figure out how to reset Powerhouse at all.
I am not new to NCE or DCC or computers but I am really puzzled by this problem.
So I registered with this forum and are seeking your sound advise.
Regards,
Ron
Did you recently add some track or feeder wires that could be shorted out?
There is a red LED on the front of the Power Pro that indicates track power. If it is flashing instead of being continuously on, you have a short in your track wiring or the track itself.
If the LED is flashing, disconnect track feeders one at a time, starting with the last one you added, and see if that corrects the problem. Did you recently add a reverse loop or turnout?
Page 59 of the Power Pro System Reference Manual for a newer system tells how to reset the system to factory default values, as follows:
SETUP COMMAND STATION (Shortcut = PROG 5)
This allows the operator to view the Command Station's version number and set various system parameters. If you press "28882" at the "SET COMMAND STATION" prompt the command station will be reset to all original factory settings.
Ron,
Were those the assigned cab numbers before the problem? If not, try plugging in the controller and then a reset of the command station, as the battery swap out may have taken away all the settings? Might try that anyway.
Have you replaced the batteries in the controllers? They usually just go dead when low battery, but if the batteries corroded inside, maybe an issue.
Sounds like it could be a radio issue, assuming you're using both cabs wireless? I can tell you there was a update to the RB02 a few years back that fixes a lot of the previous glitches. There may also have been a update to the command station further back, but I can't recall exactly.
If none of that helps, call NCE. They're great about walking you through things and figuring it out.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
You might also want to post your question on the NCE Yahoo group. There are several very knowledgeable participants there. Good luck!
charonOn Sunday I powered it back up and was running find on what track I have ready to run. About 40 ft of level track plus a 5 round 2% slope helix. I have powered up and down over twenty times since then but tonight I powered up once and back down then started to add in the wireless RB02 and things went "south".
Your post is unclear. Does the system work properly when the cabs are plugged in, but not work when you use the cabs in radio mode? Or does it now totally not work?
Clearing up info:
RB02 has been disconnected after problem showed up.
Cabs only show these messages "NCE PROCAB V1.3, CAB ADDRESS = 02" on cab 2 or "NCE PROCAB V1.3, CAB ADDRESS = 03" on cab 3. ProCabs are connected directly using the tether to either the Powerhouse directly or through the DIN Panel plug. Problem remains no mater how cabs are connected.
System is not showing any "shorts" but I need to look at wiring to confirm that.
Track power is at 14.0 Volts and 0.7amps with nothing running on track tested with a RRAmpMeter II showing that it is in DCC mode.
When you write out things late at night after working on the problem for hours your mind does not always remember all the details. Sorry about that.
Mike,
Cab numbers are the same and I have reset them. Problem remains.
Batteries have been out of cabs while in storage. New batteries placed in one cab only in preparing to test wirelessly.
Battery compartments are VERY CLEAN.
Thanks for the cross check.
Did you try the CMD STATION reset that cacole pointed out?That's definitely the next step now that it has fresh batteries.
A couple of more things. Are you sure that the cab that responds as 2 isn't a PowerCab instead of a ProCab? You need to use the correct curly cable (NOT the flat one) with it is using the PowerCab as a controller on a PowerPro system.
Also, are you certain you're using the RB02 and not just the repeater when you tried that? The repeater won't work on it's own, but must be added in daisychain with the RB02.
skagitrailbird Ron, You might also want to post your question on the NCE Yahoo group. There are several very knowledgeable participants there. Good luck!
I second this recommendation.
I am also a member of the NCE-DCC forum on Yahoo. Pose your questions there, and answers will forthcoming in short order. Several of the forum members there are resident experts on NCE products and the PH-Pro system.
Head over to Yahoo and register on the NCE-DCC forum.
Rich
Alton Junction
charon . Old layout was in 16 X16 room. Adding a 3 level 12 X 24 room and redoing 16 X16 room.
. Old layout was in 16 X16 room. Adding a 3 level 12 X 24 room and redoing 16 X16 room.
That quite a lot of expansion. I am assuming the signal line , as well as the track buss are a lot longer than they were. Are there any boosters or Wall worts into the UTPs? Have the UTP's that were in "storage" been cleaned, front and back?
It sounds to me like you have a signal loss, either through dirty connections, or just because of the expanse of wire. Here's a simple test. Unhook your layouts signal bus and plug in your Radio throttle antenna base. Do the radio throttles come on? If they do, you may need to add wall worts to the throttle buss . Its in the NCE manual, they are easy to add
Our local club modular layout can grow as large as 50 x 100, and with that it requires 5 5amp boosters and 4 or 5 wall worts to keep the trains and throttles running
Karl
NCE über alles!
charon... but tonight I powered up once and back down then started to add in the wireless RB02 and things went "south".
i assume if you remove the wireless RB02, the problem goes away?
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Good Day All,
Thanks for all the help but so far no luck on getting it back up and running.
So I sent an email to NCE and they advised that I send the system into them for their review. Did that a week ago and now I play the waiting game to see what they find.
Will post info here when I know more.
Thanks,
Did you hear back? I may have the same problem.
Bob