I just equipped my Atlas N Scale Alco C628 with a Digitrax drop in decoder. i got the decoder placed on the programing track and addressed. It ran fine. Then I placed the locomotive on the layout and throttled up, the Alco moved forward but another locomotive, in a consist with a different address started moving too. I tried readdressing both locomotives but had the same problem.
My digitrax DCC system is connected to a DPDT a switch that allows me to toggle between the layout and the programing track. Thinking that might be the issue, I removed the second loco from the layout and readdressed the Alco again. But once again both locomotives moved when I applied the throttle. At this point my frustration level was rising and I decided to turn everything off before I made things worst. What could be going on here and how can I fix it?
Any help is appreciated.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
Okay, silly question time: When you readdressed the Alco, did you change its address? Or simply readdress to the same one?
What is it addressed too?
What is the other unit, and it's address?
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
WHat are the addresses involved here?
Only way two locos are going to move ont eh sem address is that either they have the same address programmed, or one is in a consist using the address programmed in the standalone unit.
Since you mention you use Digitrax, this shouldn't be a CV19 problem, but if you have a loco 123, and another has CV19 set to 123, they will both run on address 123. But unless you were playing around with manually creating consists using CV19, none of your locos should haev CV19 set. You can try reading it and making sure it is 0 in all affected locos.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
ricktrains4824 Okay, silly question time: When you readdressed the Alco, did you change its address? Or simply readdress to the same one? What is it addressed too? What is the other unit, and it's address?
I gave the Alco a new address each time. Started with 104, then changed to 114 and then 115. The other unit is an Atlas FM H16-44 also with a Digitrax drop in decoder.
ANd each time, the Alco responded to the new address you gave it, but also each time you put a different address in the ALco, the FM also moved?
Which Digitrax system are you running? I'd suggest doing the OpSw 39 reset procedure from the manual and clear everything out.
GP-9_Man,
For giggles, try a 4 digit address on the Alco.
It* is sounding like you have consist(s) addressed to 3 digits, and those are conflicting (read identically addressed) as the numbers you attempted to assign to the Alco.
Which Digitrax system are you using? Which programming mode are you using?
Martin Myers
mfm37 Which Digitrax system are you using? Which programming mode are you using? Martin Myers
i am using the super Empire Builder system. As for the programing mode, I believ only one allows you to address decoders.
When you program "on the program track" with the SEB, whatever track is connected to the track connections is the "programming track", so unless you have a seperate section of track to switch in, every loco sitting on the rails will be programmed.
Programming on the main addresses whatever loco address is selected, however you generally can not change the existing address to another of the same type. ie, 123 is a short address in Digitrax, you cannot Ops Mode (program on main) 123 and change the address to 100, another short address. You can, however, with a few exceptions, change 123 to long address 1234.
rrinker When you program "on the program track" with the SEB, whatever track is connected to the track connections is the "programming track", so unless you have a seperate section of track to switch in, every loco sitting on the rails will be programmed. Programming on the main addresses whatever loco address is selected, however you generally can not change the existing address to another of the same type. ie, 123 is a short address in Digitrax, you cannot Ops Mode (program on main) 123 and change the address to 100, another short address. You can, however, with a few exceptions, change 123 to long address 1234. --Randy
The programming track is isolated from the rest of the layout. The track connections pass through a DPDT. This allows me to toggle between the programming track and the layout.
I just went through a hair pulling programming problem with my programming track that WAS isolated from the layout via a DPDT switch. I had had no problems prior to this and now I could only get CV changes to take part of the time. I finally found that the DPDT was faulty and would break contact on its own randomly. I have now gone back to a completely isolated programming track and no more DPDTs to go bad at the most inopportune time.
Joe
Won;t work for his system as there is no dedicated program track output. However, connecting a seperate piece of track to the track terminals and trying to program the loco, then switching the wires back would be a good test to see if the problem is that the DPDT switch isn't, well, switching.
I'm not sure the DPDT switch is the problem. When I flip it to the programing track, the power indicators for each block on my control panel go dark. Also it's only one locomotive on the layout causing the issue. If it were the switch I would think every locomotive on the layout would respond to the new address. Also, even when I removed the offending loco from the tracks, it still responded to the new address.
Not sure how else a different loco would get the same address programmed in it if not for program track bleed-through to the main track. Onlyother possibility has already been mentioned, that the oen has CV19 set to the address you are programming to the second, but that wouldn't explain it changing when you tried other addresses. One decoder shoud have no effect on another in a different loco unless it's bady broken, such as shorting the track or distorting the DCC signal - that wouldn't make two run on the same address though. One other possibility is that they are in consist with each other, but changing the address should break that. Try an Op Sw 39 reset (yes, the DB150 does do a reset).