I have a Digitrax DCS-50 command/booster that was indicating a short circuit. After troublehshooting for weeks, I disconnected the DCS-50 from all the bus wires. It still showed a short with nothing connected!
I suggest that this be your FIRST step in troubleshooting not the last step. Digitrax repaired the unit for $30 since it was several years old. I do not know what caused the failure.
My HO layout is code 83 with Tortoises power-routing Shinohara turnouts.
Terry
TBat55I suggest that this be your FIRST step in troubleshooting not the last step.
Part of my job is troubleshooting large, complex radar systems. These things, believe it or not, are actually more complex than a model railroad, either DC or DCC. The two troubleshooting questions I always start with are:
1. What was the last thing you did before it stopped working?
2. What's the most likely thing to fail?
In your case, the command station had probably been working in place for quite some time, and these units don't fail a lot. So, even though you're frustrated that it took a while to find the problem, you probably did the right things in the right order to find the problem from a "troubleshooting science" theory point of view.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have to say that I think the Digitrax fixed repair pricing is very fair and reasonable. So often these days it seems it is not worth getting electronic devices repaired as the cost of the repair out weighs the cost of replacement.
Do you have any additional short protection on your layout, or do you rely solely on the built in command station short protection? It may be that a short damaged the circuits, or may simply be that a key component reached its life end?
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
I rely only on the Command Station (power districts and circuit breakers are on the horizon). I don't think my actions caused any damage. My guess is a component failure or internal connection.
I just wanted to let others know that this rare event can happen. Digitrax products and service are excellent!