This is my first question. I am converting athearn blue box loco's to dcc. I have a Digitrax Super Chief system with NCE decoders.
The problem started last night when I continued this project after a 2 year vacation. The loco's will only run on the address 03 and will not store or accept the 4 digit address I assign it. I fear there may be a problem with the booster(Digitrax db100) and or the throttle ( Digitrax 400) or both.I converted several of these a couple of years ago and had no problem after I learned how to program the address.
Please feel free to give the sequence of programming for the address to make sure I still remember, also interested in hearing opinion's as to what the problem may be. Other than changeing the address to 03 there is no other control or response from the throttle.
Thanks
Ronny from Ms.
Ronny Sykes
Do you have a DB100 or a DCS100? The DB100 was a booster only, and won't run as a full system. Since you have a DT400 throttle, I'm goign to assume you have the DCS100.
DO you have a program track hooked up? Hook a short peice of track to the PGM A and PGM B terminals on the unit. This track should not be in any way connected to the main track, which connects to the RAIL A and RAIL B terminals.
Put the loco on the program track. On the DT400, press the Program button until you see Pd on the bottom of the display, for Direct Mode programming. This will work with the Digitrax decoders.
The main part of the display should say AD2= or AD4=. If it says AD2, click the left button so it says AD4. Turnt he right knob, or key in the address you want to use. A long (AD4) address in Digitrax has to be greater than 128, so if the address you are trying to use is 1-127, it can only be a 2-digit address so you would want to use AD2.
Press the Enter key. The display will SAY AD4=On?. Press the Y key for yes. This display times out in a few seconds so if you miss it, go back and set the address and be ready to press the Y key. The display shoudl come back to AD4=On? again - I always press Y another couple of times just to be sure. It will keep repeating, so after a couple of Y's, pres the Exit key to get out of program mode.
Put the loco on the main track, and see if it runs with the new address.
You can review this procedure in the system manual, or the DT400 manual. If you lost yours, you cna download them from the Digitrax site. A DCS100/DT400 combo would be a SUper CHief set, or you cn go unde rThrottles and look up the DT400, both will be under retired systems as the DT400 has been repalced with the DT402, creating the Super Chief Xtra set. There are some slight differences in configuring the throttles, and the DT402 support up to F28, but otherwise procedures are the same. Your DT400 can be upgraded to a DT402 for a reasonable price, but you have to send it back to Digitrax.
--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 like to start with the simplest possible remedy. In this case, note that many decoders come from the factory set to only accept "two digit" loco numbers (technically, 1 thru 127 IIRC). Check the decoder's instructions, there's a good chance you have to change CV29 to a different value in order to allow the decoder to accept four-digit numbers.
You may need a programming track booster to be able to program addresses on your programing track. Several of my clubs members have the Zephyr or Super Cheif and have problems programming addresses. They usually bring their locos to the club and program them on our N scale layout with the Super Empire Builder. No program track is necessary there. One of the members bought a booster for programming and is very happy with it. It doesn't matter who the decoder manufacturer is.
You definitely do NOT need a program track booster to program Digitrax decoders on a Digitrax system. Not even their sound decoders need a booster, because they implmented the keep-alive capcitor CORRECTLY so it does not cause an inrush problem. Since the OP is converted Blue Box locos, I'm assumign somethign more like a DH123AT or DH163AT motor-only decoder. If a booster is needed for soemthign liek this, there is a problem elsewhere.
Thanks for the responce and info I have recieved from everyone. The fact that I have only 2 Digitrax decoder's that are installed and work perfectly, all the rest of the decoders(70) are NCE.
I have given thought to the idea that the NCE decoder's are not compatable but have already installed NCE products in the past and they worked great with the Digitrax system.This makes me think there may be a problem with my system.Don't really want to replace the system or the decoders.
All these decoder's and the Digitrax system has been in storage for at least 2 years.If I can't figure out what is wrong and correct it , I will return it to Digitrax for repair.As a last alternative I will replace the system with a new system
Same program steps should work for NCE decoders as well.
You might try to do a reset first. For the NCE, set CV30=2, then take the loco off the track and try again. It should run on address 3 at that point, try programming the desired address. Remember, if the address is 127 or less, it's AD2, NOT AD4, you cannot program an address like 100 as a logn address on Digitrax.
For the Digitrax decoders, CV8=8 is the reset. Rest is the same.
The NCE decoders should work OK as most decoders follow NMRA standards and will work with all DCC systems. You also don't need a booster if you are not programming sound decoders.
It sounds to me like there is something wrong with your set up or you are not going by the instructions since it has been a while for you. It may be worth re-reading them just to make sure you have everything set up OK. If you don't have them any more, you can down-load the manuals from the manufacturers web site. (Both Digitrax and NCE.)
Another thing that has an effect on programming is making sure there is good electrical contact between the track and locomotive. This could be a problem since your stuff has set a while. You might try a little WD-40 on the track where the loco sits for programming.
Also, if the decoder is locked, they can't be programmed. Try setting CV15 and CV16 to zero first.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
excuse me It is a Digitrax DCS 100
termite467 This is my first question. I am converting athearn blue box loco's to dcc. I have a Digitrax Super Chief system with NCE decoders. The problem started last night when I continued this project after a 2 year vacation. The loco's will only run on the address 03 and will not store or accept the 4 digit address I assign it. I fear there may be a problem with the booster(Digitrax db100) and or the throttle ( Digitrax 400) or both.I converted several of these a couple of years ago and had no problem after I learned how to program the address. Please feel free to give the sequence of programming for the address to make sure I still remember, also interested in hearing opinion's as to what the problem may be. Other than changeing the address to 03 there is no other control or response from the throttle.
Are you able to run the engines using address 03?? Can you change other CVs, but not add a four-digit address?? If the answer is YES to both, it's most likely you need to change the value of CV29 to allow four-digit addresses. If the answer is NO for all your engines / decoders, then it may be a problem with the DCS 100.
After much investigation there is NO POWER going to the programming track but, there is power going to the track power.Locomotives Will run on 03 but cv will not change niether.I have noticed that on the up 5 loconet universal panel's the track status light does not work either.
Unless there are any other suggestions here I will be forced to return this system to Digitrax
Ronny
Whether you see voltage on the programming track depends on when you try to measure it. The programming track works a little differently from the regular track bus.
The only time there would be power from the command station to the programming track is during the few seconds when the command station is actually writing to or reading data from the locomotive being programmed. This would be immediately after pressing [ENTER] or [DISP]. At any other time, there is no voltage to measure.
As for the UP5 Track Status LED, do you have your UP5s connected to the track or the track bus? The LED on the UP5 only works if you have wired the screw terminals on the back of the UP5 panel to the track or the track power bus. It won't light up if you only have it connected to Loconet. The panel will work fine for allowing you to connect throttles, though, even if you don't have it connected to track power.
I use plenty of NCE decoders with my Digitrax systems without any issues, so I don't think there's any kind of compatibility issue at play here.
I have had a few older Digitrax and NCE decoders that lost their programming after the locos they were in sat on the shelf without running for a couple of years. In those cases, I had to re-program them to get them to run.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org