Today I purchased a new locomotive with a 9-pin dcc-ready plug-in. The store did not have my first decoder of choice, NCE, so I bought a Digitrax DH123D instead, thinking "What's the difference?". We plugged in the decoder in the store and ran it on the test track with a digitrax system to check if it worked. We even programmed the address and start voltage. Finally, I take the engine home, set it up with my NCE system, put it on the track and bam! It doesn't move an inch! I was able to control the lighting and direction, but it goes nowhere. I called the guy at the hobby shop to ask for help, and after trying everything he could think of, he declared the decoder "dead". I am now stuck waiting for the NCE decoder to be restocked so that I can get one for this engine. I do not want to discredit digitrax, as some of their products are excelent, but am sharing my one and only experience with them. However, from now on I think I will stick with NCE.
sfb
What is the address you programmed?
I had problems in the past with both Digitrax and NCE decoders, I now use TCS for motor only decoders.
Jack W.
Get yourself a decoder tester. That is the only reliable way to determine if the decoder works properly or not.
Rich
Alton Junction
SFB.
Can you read the decoder on the program track? If you can control the lights with your throttle then the address is correct. You may try a decoder reset and try address 3. Remember that address 3 is just 3+enter. Not 0003. If you do 0003+ enter NCE thinks it is a long address. If you can read CV8 or CV7 then there is nothing wrong with the decoder.
You did not say what loco you have. Did the LHS have the shell off for testing and programming? Its possible that when the shell was placed back on a wire was pinched or even the 8 pin plug was pushed too far down and shorted. A friend did that with a Athearn loco and the pins on the plug were too long and was forced down when the shell was squeezed back on.
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!
Shell off. Also, it is a 9-pin plug, not 8-pin.
NCE sells a decoder tester for $20, a neat gadget to have.
May I ask again what is the address the hobby shop programmed for you?
CV8=8 will reset this decoder to factory default.
The number was 4048. I reset the decoder to no result.
The Digitrax DZ123 (Z Scale) decoder had a problem in that they were prone to blowing and was replaced by the DZ125 which is what I use. The DH123 may have a similar problem. Yours isn't the first complaint I've heard about them not work properly.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
steamfreightboy We plugged in the decoder in the store and ran it on the test track with a digitrax system to check if it worked. We even programmed the address and start voltage. Finally, I take the engine home, set it up with my NCE system, put it on the track and bam! It doesn't move an inch!
You said that you programmed the address and start voltage at the shop, and that the loco/decoder apparently worked there, but then you said you "set it up" with your NCE system at home.
Did you run it on the test track at the shop before or after you programmed the address and start voltage? Or both?
Did it run on your home layout before you "set it up"?
What changes did you make at home when you "set it up"?
The fact that it apparently ran okay at some point, and then didn't after some (additional?) changes were made, makes me suspect those changes.
jeffrey-wimberlyThe Digitrax DZ123 (Z Scale) decoder had a problem in that they were prone to blowing and was replaced by the DZ125 which is what I use. The DH123 may have a similar problem. Yours isn't the first complaint I've heard about them not work properly.
Hmmm, the dozen or so DH123's and DZ123's I have installed in my fleet must not have gotten that memo.
The only problem I've had with either model is a fried output on a DH123 that I miswired, but that's not the decoder's fault...
Doubt it's fried, not if you programmed it and had it working at the shop before taking it home.
Address would be my first guess, although the address you set is a long address no matter what system. If you set it at the shop to say 48 I can see you having an issue - you have to select 38 on the NCE system to address short address 48, entering 048 would assume long address 48 on NCE which would NOT be the decoder's address unless also programmed on an NCE system.
There is NO issue with using Digitrax decoders on NCE DCC systems nor using NCE decoders on Digitrax systems. The DH123D is a fine basic decoder. They are no less reliable than other brands. I follow the Digitrax group on Yahoo and have never seen it mentioned about this or any other decoder being 'prone to blowing', at least not when properly installed (isolated motor, no shorts to the rails) and when operated within the listed current limitations.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Stevert steamfreightboy: We plugged in the decoder in the store and ran it on the test track with a digitrax system to check if it worked. We even programmed the address and start voltage. Finally, I take the engine home, set it up with my NCE system, put it on the track and bam! It doesn't move an inch! You said that you programmed the address and start voltage at the shop, and that the loco/decoder apparently worked there, but then you said you "set it up" with your NCE system at home. 1) Did you run it on the test track at the shop before or after you programmed the address and start voltage? Or both? 2) Did it run on your home layout before you "set it up"? 3) What changes did you make at home when you "set it up"? The fact that it apparently ran okay at some point, and then didn't after some (additional?) changes were made, makes me suspect those changes.
steamfreightboy: We plugged in the decoder in the store and ran it on the test track with a digitrax system to check if it worked. We even programmed the address and start voltage. Finally, I take the engine home, set it up with my NCE system, put it on the track and bam! It doesn't move an inch!
1) Did you run it on the test track at the shop before or after you programmed the address and start voltage? Or both?
2) Did it run on your home layout before you "set it up"?
3) What changes did you make at home when you "set it up"?
1) Both.
2) Yes, it did not move.
3) I made no changes before attempting to troubleshoot.
Will it respond and run to the short address?
Stevert Hmmm, the DZ123's I have installed in my fleet must not have gotten that memo.
Hmmm, the DZ123's I have installed in my fleet must not have gotten that memo.
steamfreightboy,
Most of the time a problem like yours is within CV17 CV18 and CV29. When I need to troubleshoot that kind of problem I first look at CV29. For a 4 digits address it should be 34 or 38. If it is set correctly I look at CV17 and CV18, for your address of 4048 CV17 should be 207 and CV18 should be 208. Most of the time one of these CV got mixed up and it is an easy matter to write the proper value into the right CV.
Here is a link to a CV29 look up table
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/cv29-lookup.htm
Here is a link to a CV17 and CV18 calculator
http://ruppweb.dyndns.org/xray/comp/decoder.htm
I also always read CV19 to make sure it is set to zero.
I guess you may know all this already, I post just in case.
Just do this: Set CV8=8.
DO NOT use the 'decoder recovery' menu option on the PowerCab, it sets CVs that are only used by NCE decoders.
It should now run as address 3. Not 03 or 003. Just 3.
Now back to the program track and set the desired address.
Back to my original question. Can you read any CVs on the program track? This will determine if the motor circuit is good or not. If you can read a CV out of the decoder then it is a mater of programing.
first thing I'd try is to put the loco an a seperate piece of track and hook up DC power or touch the rails with the terminals of a 9 volt battery, unless you turned off analog operation with cv 29, if the decoder is good the loco should run.
if it works, next check that the address is not tied to a consist in the system either by accident, or old mu ghost in the system,
if it doesn't, replace decoder with jumper, and repeat DC test, if it runs we know it's a decoder issue, if not then the loco is at fault, generally poor connection on motor lead or loose plastic cap.
if resetting the defaults on the decoder or the other stuff doesn't work, mail the decoder to digitrax with a copy of your receipt, and they will replace it for free under thei one year worry free warrenty.
I have many DH123 decoders, and continue to use them as standard fleet decoders, and have only had two bad ones, 1 DOA, and one that died causes unknown, both were replaced by digitrax.
Is it possible there's a loco with that address attached to a consist with a different engine/number as the lead? If you can control the lights, but not the speed, the command station could be doing something odd.
Thank you all for your replies. I opened up the darned thing and behold! It was not plugged in all the way I don't know how it came unplugged, as it was all the way in in the hobby shop...
Another mystery solved.
steamfreightboy Thank you all for your replies. I opened up the darned thing and behold! It was not plugged in all the way I don't know how it came unplugged, as it was all the way in in the hobby shop...
At the risk of beating a dead horse, an inexpensive decoder tester would resolve these types of issues very quickly.
How true Rich, especially that NCE has one for $20 at Tony.
I may invest in one in the future, but I am not planning on getting another engine for a while, so it would be somewhat unneeded.