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Resetting a Bachmann 45 tonner decoder with a NCE Powercab

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Resetting a Bachmann 45 tonner decoder with a NCE Powercab
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:07 PM

Testing my newly wired track, with my new DCC 45 tonner, I didn't quite have it on the track when it went through a turnout.  It reset the Powercab.  The PC recognizes the loco, but it no longer moves.  Using programming track mode, the loco twitches as the PC interrogates it but that is all.

The Bachmann forum says reset CV 8 to = 8.  Mine is 101.  I cannot reset it on the programming track.  Do I need a resistor across the rails, like the Digitrax Zephyr?  Or did I fry the decoder with one derailment? 

I will say it ran better on DC.  At low speeds on DCC it buzzes or used to buzz.  No, I did not have a DC and simultaneous DCC set up. 

Henry

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Posted by maxman on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:12 PM

BigDaddy
The Bachmann forum says reset CV 8 to = 8. Mine is 101.

What is "101"?  If you put the loco on the programming track and have the PowerCab, you should be able to select the CV option, enter 8 when it asks which CV you want to set, and then enter 8 as the value.

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Posted by tstage on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:25 PM

BigDaddy

Testing my newly wired track, with my new DCC 45 tonner, I didn't quite have it on the track when it went through a turnout.  It reset the Powercab.  The PC recognizes the loco, but it no longer moves.  Using programming track mode, the loco twitches as the PC interrogates it but that is all.

The Bachmann forum says reset CV 8 to = 8.  Mine is 101.  I cannot reset it on the programming track.  Do I need a resistor across the rails, like the Digitrax Zephyr?  Or did I fry the decoder with one derailment? 

I will say it ran better on DC.  At low speeds on DCC it buzzes or used to buzz.  No, I did not have a DC and simultaneous DCC set up.

Henry,

Your Power Cab didn't reset.  That's just the built-in short protection.  And you do not need a resistor across the rails with the Power Cab.

Did you try operating your locomotive on address 3?  Do you know what decoder brand is in your 45-tonner?

Tom

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Posted by richg1998 on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:51 PM

I have had the Power Cab for some time.

Under program track option, CV8, enter 8. Cycle power to the track. Headlight should flash a few times with successful reset and run under address 3.

I believe that is in the manual.

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 7:10 PM

CV 8 is set to 101. 

The power cab allows me to change it 8 on the programming track but when I cycle the power CV 8 is still 101.  The headlight does nothing when the power returns.  Previously I had successfully changed the loco addy to the cab number - 51.  Do I need to change it back to 3 to do these changes?

It's a factory decoder, so probably Soundtraxx (not a sound decoder)

I did read the manual but it's not working like the manual says it should.

Out of the box, the loco addy was 3.  It ran fine on DC and still runs on DC

Henry

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Posted by richg1998 on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 7:38 PM

Last I knew, the onboard non sound is a low end Lenz decoder in all Bachmann with DCC onboard. Not a Tsunami. The Bachmann rep at the Bachmann forums answered that question there a few years ago in a forum the way I posted it. Yours may be defective. Just a guess. Did you try more than once to reset?

Here is the stock PC board. A shrink wrapped decoder should be soldered to the copper contacts.

http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/images/ho_parts/852X-OODO1-1.jpg

Bachmann does change things The PC board "might" be the complete decoder with no contacts to solder to. My 70 ton with DCC was a complete PC board.

The EZ Command decoder instructions are at the Bachmann website.

Also Parts page, Loco replacement page and loco diagrams.

The only way to set it back to 3 is through a reset as far as I know. Never tried any other way.

 The Tsunami is a sound decoder, actually some say sound decoder made by SoundTraxx, not a Tsunami. They also have Sound Value decoder.

Rich

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Posted by richg1998 on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 7:53 PM

The dual mode decoder does not depend on a loco number. The microprocessor on the decoder recognizes DC versus DCC.

There is a CV to disable running on DC but yours does not have it modified or it would not have run.

Rich

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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 9:12 PM

richg1998
Last I knew, the onboard non sound is a low end Lenz decoder in all Bachmann with DCC onboard. Not a Tsunami.

Based on recent posts in the forum, I assumed that is what Bachmann used, so I could be wrong.  I have not taken the lid off to look inside, yet.

richg1998
The EZ Command decoder instructions are at the Bachmann website.

Indeed they are.  CV 8 is the manufacture code and should be 101.  They go on to say: "You can reset this decoder to factory default settings by setting configuration variable 8 (CV8) to a value of 8 using any NMRA-compliant DCC controller."  I have tried this multiple times without success.

After I tell the NCE controller to set CV8 to 8 and push enter, is there something else I am supposed to do besides power of off on?

 

Henry

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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 10:51 PM

Solved!  That's the good news, the bad news is I have no idea what I did differently. I tried a few more times without success.  Nearly all the loco roster is DC but I did buy a 4-4-0 Spectrum after the recent thread.  The plugs between the tender and the loco are a little fiddly but I got it running.  I reprogrammed the engine number and ran it around a circular track I had set up for Christmas.  It derailed at a turnout and the NCE flashed off and on.  Now it didn't run either. 

I did the CV8 reset and when I pushed enter, the loco gave a brief buzz and quiver.  That was new.  I powered on and off, nothing at the new address but when I selected 03 I had a running loco.

Put the 45 T back on the track, did exactly the same thing I did going on a dozen times and it too quivered and grunted when I hit enter.  Off/on and now it worked at 03.  I'm sure I tried it at 03 before on my previous attempts.

During my struggles, I scrolled through Program on the Main and Soundtraxx appeared on one of the screens.  So it isn't a Lenz after all.  The only thing I can think of is maybe I didn't press firmly on enter after I reprogrammed the CV8.  Seems unlikely that I would have done so repeatedly.

Henry

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Posted by richg1998 on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 11:11 PM

Yeah, I forgot about the buzz and quiver.

I do know for a couple or so years SoundTraxx has been marketing a non sound decoder so it sounds like your 45 ton has that. I am assuming new from the factory.

Would not surprise me that Bachmann has gone to a better non sound decoder. Over the last few years I have read many complaining about the Bachmann with DCC, non sound on board in different forums including the Bachmann forums.

Rich

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Posted by peahrens on Thursday, May 19, 2016 8:36 AM

Here's a list of the CV8 manufacturer numbers.  I did not realize that that ID would not necessarily indicate the decoder maker (versus the seller, such as Bachmann).

http://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/appendix_a2c_s-9.2.2.pdf

 

Paul

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Posted by SouthPenn on Thursday, May 19, 2016 9:37 AM

Most decoder manufacturers use the reset CV to hold the manufacturer code. You can reset the decoder with the CV but it will show the code once the power is cycled. 101=Bachman.

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Posted by RR Baron on Thursday, May 19, 2016 2:46 PM
CV 8 contains the NMRA assigned ID number of the manufacturer of the decoder.
Yes, Bachmann ( CV 8 = 101) does/did (???) manufacture a family of DCC decoders.
 
 
Programming CV 8 with 8 does not change the value of CV 8 to an 8. It is an instruction causing a WRITE operation instructing the decoder to return to a factory default condition.  If the decoder follows the NMRA decoder reset standard then a value of 255 is placed in CV 8 until such time that the decoder has successfully rewritten all CVs to their factory default condition. If all is as it should be you should never be able to read CV 8  with a value of 255. In the case of a Bachmann manufactured decoder , you will read  CV 8 = 101 before decoder reset and after if reset is successful.
 
BTW -
The decoder factory installed in a Bachmann HO GE 45 Ton Switcher is a Bachmann E-Z Command two function decoder.
RR Baron

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