I have been experiencing an intermittent problem when operating my BLI SW7 switchers which both have factory sound. My layout uses the Lenz 100 DCC system. When I change directions with the switchers and then accelerate, the system occasionally shuts down as if it has detected a short. This is very annoying with the switch engines since they are constantly changing directions while classifying cars in the yard. I wondered if I am accelerating too soon after changing directions so I wait several seconds before accelerating. That seems to reduce the number of incidents but has not eliminated them entirely. I haven't noticed this problem with any of my road engines but that don't do direction changes nearly as often as the SW7s. Does anyone have an explaination for why this would happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening.
Does the system shut down, or does the engine just reset and start up again?
If it's just the engine, it's probably hitting a dead spot and losing power, then coasting just enough to get over it.
If it's the whole DCC system, are you using PECO turnouts, by any chance? The frog of these turnouts has a narrow gap at the V. When a metal wheel bridges the gap, it causes a momentary short. The solution is to paint over one of the rails with clear nail polish, just for a quarter-inch or so, so that a wheel can not bridge the gap.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
It's a mystery to me why people have problems with Peco turnouts shorting -- I have installed over 50 of them in both code 100 and code 83 on our HO scale club layout and my HO scale home layout, and no one has ever had a short circuit on any of them. The trick is to use an insulated rail joiner on both rails that diverge from the frog and then use separate feeder wires beyond the turnout.
The problem I'm having is a shut down of the DCC system. It reacts as if it has detected a short when all I have done is change directions for the loco and begun to accelerate in the opposite direction. The SW7s are both the older Paragons. I don't have Peco turnouts and the problem does not occur when I am passing over a turnout. It's very simple. I will be doing a switching move. I'll move the SW7 in one direction to either drop off a car(s) at a siding or yard track or to pick them up. I bring the SW7 to a stop. I then change the direction on the throttle and the instant I begin to accelerate, the system shuts down. It's as if the sudden draw in power to move the loco is being read by the system as a short, triggering a shut down. I see no reason why this would happen and have never heard of such a problem on any other layout. I was wondering if anyone had seen something similar and what if anything could be done to prevent it.
I am not sure about the Lenz system. Check and see if you can somehow add the amount of time it takes to trip the booster. The club I belong to has Lenz and we had similar problems but I don't know how it was fixed. The system was upgraded at last years Marlboro train show by the Lenz rep. Or you could probably put an auto tail lamp like an 1157 bulb in line with the boosters buss. That would buffer the inrush current to the decoders.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
cacole It's a mystery to me why people have problems with Peco turnouts shorting -- I have installed over 50 of them in both code 100 and code 83 on our HO scale club layout and my HO scale home layout, and no one has ever had a short circuit on any of them. The trick is to use an insulated rail joiner on both rails that diverge from the frog and then use separate feeder wires beyond the turnout.
I agree, having over 200 Peco on my railroad which do not have problems, along with a healthy dose of Shinohara (not Walthers) which do cause problems.
Set the momentum to a non-zero value. This is what David was getting at - the early ones (which is why he asked Paragon or Paragon2) have/had a known issue when quickly reversing direction. One workaround was adding some momentum to slow down how fast the decoder applied power. I thinkt he real fix was in the QSI upgrade chip for it.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I did some reading from Lenz online. Does the LED flash fast or slow when the system shuts down? It could be your power supply is not substantial enough or some other reason like booster overload. How many locos were running and what is the current draw of the layout when the problems arise? Which power supply are you using? How many boosters or accessories are running off your power supply? There should be a dedicated power supply for each booster. It should have at least 16 volts and 6 amps of clean DC or AC hooked to the U/V terminals and not the J/K.
http://www.lenz.com/manuals/sets/lzv100-v36.pdf