I'm having a slight issue with my Super Empire Builder and some DC locomotives. I'm extremely new to DCC (as in today was my first real time playing around with it). The issues I'm having have happened with my K-4 from Bachmann and some Blueline loco's from BLI.
The Bachmann I could get running following the directions in the SEB manual for analog running at 00 but I encountered some intermittent problems when adjusting the throttle. The engine would quit intermittently as if the power had been interrupted. I'm leaning towards the thought that it is a track laying problem with this point but the next issues make me wonder if I am missing something.
The larger problem is trying to get the BLI Blueline's running. I can get the sound to work on 03 but I could not get the loco's to move at that address or at 00. I know that the BLI has some issues with DCC because of their design but am I alone in having this specific issue?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have zilch in experience with DC and Blueline and such, but I know they are essentially DC engines. The SEB won't run any DC engines unless the throttle is set for an address of "00". Even so, your sound decoder should work, regardless of the address you have on your throttle...AFAIK.
Try it on address 00.
-Crandell
Hi Selector,
I did try the 00 address but I tried it "alone". I was messing with the DT400 last night and figured out a way to get the locomotives to move.
I have to have one of the throttles set for the 03 address for the sound card and the other throttle control set at the 00 address. If I throttle the 03 sound card address, the sound card starts up and then as long as the 03 address has some level of throttle applied, an increase of the throttle at the 00 address will allow the engine to move. Strange but it works.
I'm generally only posting this as a response to your suggestion and for the archive in case anyone else asks the question at a later point.
Flynn I'm having a slight issue with my Super Empire Builder and some DC locomotives. I'm extremely new to DCC (as in today was my first real time playing around with it). The issues I'm having have happened with my K-4 from Bachmann and some Blueline loco's from BLI. The Bachmann I could get running following the directions in the SEB manual for analog running at 00 but I encountered some intermittent problems when adjusting the throttle. The engine would quit intermittently as if the power had been interrupted. I'm leaning towards the thought that it is a track laying problem with this point but the next issues make me wonder if I am missing something. The larger problem is trying to get the BLI Blueline's running. I can get the sound to work on 03 but I could not get the loco's to move at that address or at 00. I know that the BLI has some issues with DCC because of their design but am I alone in having this specific issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Please don't take offense to my question but did you install a motor controller in the Blueline locomotive ? They only come with a sound decoder. You must add your own motor controller. I prefer a Digitrax DZ143PS. If you did install one, did you set an address for it ? BY default it should be set to 03, which would match the sound decoder.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
No offense taken with the question Jeff.
I did not install the motor controllers yet. I was trying to test the DT400's ability to run the Bluelines as analog locomotives. Using the directions provided by Digitrax in the manual, the unalterd DC motive Bluelines would not run. The fix I found was to initiate the 03 sound card address and then working the 00 analog address throttle in tandem with the 03 address throttle worked to ge the engines moving.
My next project is to install the motor decoders over time on all the Bluelines for full DCC operations but I wanted to try them out as "DC" first.
DCC really isn't any fun without decoders but here's a short term fix until you get a decoder installed.
Select address 00 on the Left throttle knob.
Select the sound decoder's address on the right throttle knob.
Press MU then +.
That will consist the analog motor to the DCC decoder. Use the right throttle knob to control and the function buttons should also work for sound.
Martin Myers
Flynn No offense taken with the question Jeff. I did not install the motor controllers yet. I was trying to test the DT400's ability to run the Bluelines as analog locomotives. Using the directions provided by Digitrax in the manual, the unalterd DC motive Bluelines would not run. The fix I found was to initiate the 03 sound card address and then working the 00 analog address throttle in tandem with the 03 address throttle worked to ge the engines moving. My next project is to install the motor decoders over time on all the Bluelines for full DCC operations but I wanted to try them out as "DC" first.
Yes, the 00 would power the motor with DC and the 03 would activate the sound. Without a motor controller, there isn't a way to get them both to work with DCC on the same address (I don't think you can program the sound decoder to a DCC address of 0, nor would you really want to ). On the non-Digitrax aystems that don't support a DC mode of operation you can't get the motor to move at all. You can only get the sound to work. Martin's consist method will work in a pinch.
Just a reminder, the sound decoder must be the "top" address (right knob) to have control of the functions.