Hey Everyone;
I have a problem. A new n-scale Bachmann DCC equipped 2-6-6-2 will not allow me to change the address from the standard 03 using my Digitrax Zephyr. I place the loco on my program track and tried to change to address to 97 using the PAGE mode of the Zephyr. When I try to either read the existing address or write the new one, I get a "denied" error message. I also tried on the mainline using the OPERATIONS mode and I get a "busy" error message. I tried changing addresses on some of my other locos with Digitrax decoders and everything worked fine. Any help will be appreciated.
Jim
Put a 1K resistor across the rails of your program track. The Bachmann decoders are of rather low quality (after all they include them even in $30 locos) and sadly are not up to the quality of the Spectrum steam locos they go in. Adding the 1K resistor should allow you to program the decoder in the normal fashion. I do not think the Bachmann decoders support Ops Mode programming so while that generally works with sound decoders, it won't work with this one.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Digitrax has four programming modes. pg (their prefered), ph, pd and po (ops mode). Try them all. Last week at my club I had to use pd to program an address into an HO loco on an Empire Builder system.
Randy's note of using a 1k resistor seems to be popping up a bit more often these days. It also seems to work for most folks asking the question.
Springfield PA
I have no idea if the Bachman decoders will program in OPs mode. Try the 1K resistor trick first. Use direct mode programming. Pd on the display.
You can't program a short address (97) on the main while the decoder is selected by its short address (03). Select 03, then program a long address e.g. 970. Make the long address active by pressing Y/+ at the prompt.
Next select the new long address, go into Ops mode programming and change the short address to 97.
Hamltnblue Randy's note of using a 1k resistor seems to be popping up a bit more often these days. It also seems to work for most folks asking the question.
That's because Bachmann is putting them in almost everything the sell anymore, even the low end stuff. And if you're going to put a decoder that you sell for $19.95 in a $30 loco that used to sell for $50 WITHOUT DCC, something has to give. I don't run steam or I'd probably have more Bachmann locos. None of the diesels impress me so far so I remain unaffected. If one DID appeal to me, the first thing I'd do is swap decoders. Not quite as easy to do in N scale though.
Thanks Everyone. I went by Radio Shack today, bought a 1K resistor and wired it across the program track. Both of the Bachmanns I have programmed just fine with the resistor in place. I'm thinking about putting a better decoder in them, but I have done a couple of n scale decoder installations and I am not in a real hurry to do another.