Ok I give up! How the heck do I install drivers for NCE USB Interface?All right I did mange to find the correct download, but I'm still trying to get it to work with DecoderPro
This forum is good for general DCC questions but consider the below. Both groups are very specialized.
There is a NCE Group and Decoder Pro group you should join and monitor.
The Decoder Pro or JMRI users group is very active as the software is evolving quite rapidly. The software is for Windows, MAC and Linux users. As you know now, it is not plug and play.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmriusers/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NCE-DCC/
Rich
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.
Thanks, I’m still struggling with this. Windows XP finally accepted the driver, but DecoderPro is not talking to the PowerCab. I’ve moved the jumpers all around and still no success.
I wanted to get this working tonight, but I think I have everything screwed up now. I might have to uninstall everything and start over again. It would probably would have helped if knew something, anything at all about DCC. I’ve owned this NCE PowerCab for about 4 months now and still can’t get it to work.
Someone recommended downloading Decoder Pro, then I had to buy the USB interface. I’m getting tired and frustrated now, so I think I try again tomorrow.
Well I just discovered my problems.
“The NCE USB Adapter can't get information from AIUs, so they can't be used to get feedback from the layout.” This means besides No AIU support, No Turnout MONITORING, and No Clock functions.
I just spent hours trying to get it to read which loco I had and it never will be able to do that.
I'm done!
You can program locos with the USB interface and the PowerCab. The no feedback section is referring to if you use the NCE AIU with block detectors for occupancy detectors, you can;t read those via the USB interface. It does NOT mean it cannot program decoders, or run trains using the throttle in JMRI.
The critical factor is the cab ID, the USB interface must be on a certain cab ID to work properly, it's in the instructions. As for driver installation, MOST things in Windows work best if you install the driver software FIRST and then plug in the device. If you've had several failures you need to unplug it and use Device Manager to clear out what is already installed. And use the same USB port all the time, i fyou switch ports after the fact Windows considers that a new device - the distinguishing factor is device ID plus the port ID, so the same device plugged into 3 different ports is 3 devices and each will get a different COM port assignment.
--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 struggled with this very same issue. After many hours of swapping cables and re-downloading drivers, prowling the Yahoo user groups, etc. I returned the device to NCE and they bench tested it and pronounced it good. I recieved it back and still had the same problem. I spent several hours on the phone with Matt at NCE to step by step re-do all I had done and even went to another computer to set it up there. IN the process of moving to the other computer in the den area, the compnents were re-arranged in relationship to each other (not the connections, but their physical proximity to each other) and things started working- until I moved the bus cable (4 wire) between the USB device and the PCP panel that the Power cab and USB device plug into - then everything died again. Turns out to be a bad solder on the RJ 45 jack on the USB device which worked when the cord was twisted just enough to make contact and then failed when the torque was removed from the COM bus cable. Matt suggested that since my plan was to enclose the USB device and the PCP panel in a project box to make it portable, to just remove the RJ45 jack and hard wire solder the two together. I did not hard wire the PCP panel, but I did hard wire a new patch cord with the plug on it to the USB Device. That solved the problem for me. Call NCE and talk to Matt. He is great to work with and will probably get your device repaired free of cost.
Earl
I once caught a train in my pajama's. How it got in my pajama's I'll never know... (sorry, Groucho)
rrinkerYou can program locos with the USB interface and the PowerCab. The no feedback section is referring to if you use the NCE AIU with block detectors for occupancy detectors, you can;t read those via the USB interface. It does NOT mean it cannot program decoders, or run trains using the throttle in JMRI.
Thanks Randy, that Cab Id thing was important to me because I don’t see the decoders in the list. I started buying DCC equipped Atlas N scale Locos about 3 years ago in preparation for this DCC experience and I have no idea what decoders are in there. All I know is that is says Lenz decoder on the Atlas box. The instruction DecoderPro manual doesn’t tell me anything about which decoder to select for Lenz.
ds137Call NCE and talk to Matt. He is great to work with and will probably get your device repaired free of cost.
Thanks Earl, I’m not ready to call Matt just yet. One of the reasons that I took so long to start my NCE DCC project is because I received my Power Cab with a DOA power supply. It took so long until I got a replacement that I started another layout and and just put everything on the back burner.
I’ve given up on using the DecoderPro and USB at least for right now. I’m just trying to program some locos for their very first run around the track. I managed to get 6 programmed with long id number and nothing more.
I also installed a drop in decoder in some Kato E9 A & B units about 4 months ago and I can’t get them to budge. The NCE power Cab only says it can’t find the decoder in either one. I’m going to work on them tonight.
Well that right there may be your problem - many of the Atlas decoders made by Lenz are fairly low end, like the ones they supply to Bachmann. These are known to be troublesome decoders - if the PowerCab can't read them by itself, using the USB interface won't help. What often works with these decoders is to place a 1K ohm resistor across the program track - 'short' the track with the resistor. This increased the load enough that the system can detect the decoder's acknowledgement pulses.
Get it working with JUST the PowerCab - if you can read CVs with the PowerCab, THEN try the USB interface and JMRI.
rrinker Well that right there may be your problem - many of the Atlas decoders made by Lenz are fairly low end, like the ones they supply to Bachmann. These are known to be troublesome decoders - if the PowerCab can't read them by itself, using the USB interface won't help. What often works with these decoders is to place a 1K ohm resistor across the program track - 'short' the track with the resistor. This increased the load enough that the system can detect the decoder's acknowledgement pulses. Get it working with JUST the PowerCab - if you can read CVs with the PowerCab, THEN try the USB interface and JMRI. --Randy
Oh wow, I sure don’t want to hear that right now. Ok I’ll just have to work it out, thanks.
I might even look into replacing the decoders if that is possible.