Thanks for your replies, gentlemen.
Pete, I knew to shut off the two smoke units before set each of them on the rails for the first time, but not for the reason you state. I hadn't thought of that potential problem. Instead, I just don't want smoke, nor for the unit to burn out if I don't get to the CV change soon enough.
As for the reed switch, I did attempt to get to it after my second try with the I1sa, but I couldn't figure out how. I attempted to lift the water hatch, but it's on their really firmly. I thought I would break the hatch or my knife blade, and gave up. I attempted to lift the shell off because the exploded diagramme suggests that it can be lifted off...no screws, just like the first Hudson in the Paragon line eleven years ago. No luck, and no handy pry gaps that I could find. I'm glad the fourth try finally worked.
Randy, I knew to act before the time-out, so I pressed Y before the display reset back to whatever it would do...I forget what it turns to. It still showed the interrogative, so I thought I was in time with my Y press.
It is unnerving when a decoder seems to defy the DB150 because prior to that, plus that one intractable Tsunami two years ago, pretty sure it was the last one which went into the Stealth BLI J Class, the DB150 forcibly managed all decoders I have.
Crandell
Crandell.
Glad you were able to program these power hungry locos. I have found that switching off the smoke unit by the switch works for stubborn ones. Did your I1sa come with traction tires and a standard wheel set in the box? The last one I saw did not have the standard driver in the box and was wondering if BLI stopped sending them with the locos.
Tom.
Sound to me that your Hudson has a faulty reset reed switch. It is making contact without using the wand and resetting itself. This is a known issue with early QSI decoders.
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!
Interesting that waiting worked - because a common problem is that when the AD4=? prompt appears, if you don;t press the Y key before the display times out, CV29 never gets set. I don't have any newer BLI locos with their own decoder, they haven't made any I want (well, MAYBE another Reading T-1 - but I already have 2 of the PCM ones), but for pretty much everything else, I press Y a couple of times before finally pressing Exit, just to make SURE CV29 gets set, and I've not had any decoders fail to take an address change.
There do seem to be more issues with the Paragon 2 T-1s on the club layout than with the older Loksound ones.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
selector The first is a refurbished BLI Paragon 2 Pennsy 2-10-0 which I purchased when the price dropped to 'gotta get it now' territory. The second is a pre-order NYC Hudson, so brand new.
The first is a refurbished BLI Paragon 2 Pennsy 2-10-0 which I purchased when the price dropped to 'gotta get it now' territory. The second is a pre-order NYC Hudson, so brand new.
Well, there's you answer right there, Crandell. The troublemaker is a Pennsy and the compliant one is the NYC.
Seriously, I'm glad you resolved the addressing issue. I had to reset my QSI-equipped BLI Dreyfuss Hudson recently because it had lost it's brains after a year of not running. When I re-addressed it, it finally took after the 3rd or 4th attempt. Having done so I took it over to a friend's house last night to run and it would only run on address "3". Weird.
That's the first time I've had that issue. My other two BLI steamers (both which hadn't run in about the same amount of time) had no issues at all in that regard.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I recently acquired two locos, both Paragon 2's. They both arrived within two weeks of each other. The first is a refurbished BLI Paragon 2 Pennsy 2-10-0 which I purchased when the price dropped to 'gotta get it now' territory. The second is a pre-order NYC Hudson, so brand new.
I use a DB150 from Digitrax, which is the base station of the Super Emprie Builder...the 'clunk'. It has no programming outputs, just four or more programming 'modes'. So, there is no need for a separate programming track unless you want to isolate and power one for setting addresses and not having to lift all other locos off the rails. That is what I have, a DPST that stops power from going past it and on to the rest of the layout. When I programme a decoder, per Digitrax's instructions, I only do address changes using "Paged Mode" which would change all decoders simultaneously, not a good idea. So, I isolate the diner set-out and replenishing track that will eventually abut the loading platform end for my depot/station. It is handy, 8" from the front of my large yard module.
The DB150 has enough power, regardless of the mode selected, to programme any decoder...so far. I have had some balky Tsunamis, but Ops Mode and using the Address "00" seems to do the trick when using their address in Ops Mode doesn't. I don't know why, it's just what worked when Ops and their address wouldn't.
I got into the train room yesterday with both locos and attempted to set both of their new long addresses for the first time. Neither had been powered since receipt by me. I tried four times to set a long address in the refurbished 2-10-0, but it wouldn't respond to throttle or function commands...it remained still and silent. I undid whatever I thought may have been an error by using Ops Mode to reset the decoder, which worked. I tried again, and still no joy. I gave up, placed the Hudson on the rails, and reprogrammed the new address with no difficulty. What the.....? However, this time I waited a second longer between the prompts on the throttle display to enable the long address, Digitrax's automatic prompt for the user to configure CV29 at the same time...a nifty feature. So, I went back to the I1sa and set it on the rails once more. This time, I reset the decoder using Paged Mode, not Ops, which it seemed to take because it did its jerky shuffle, the power cut to the rails by the DB 150, I restored power, and the loco fired up with Address "03" active. From there, still in Paged Mode as I always do, I went through the address change again, but this time hesitated a second longer when the throttle display prompted me. This time, the decoder changed its address and responded with the new one in the throttle when I restored track power.
A long way of reporting what I thought was strange behaviour because I have never encountered this problem before yesterday, but also to let people know who may have some troubles with a Paragon 2 decoder and are using the DT400 series of throttles to wait until the prompts stop flashing...which is what I think I did when all is said and done. Or, the DCC Powers That Be decided they'd screwed with me enought and to let me have some success...not sure.
Persistence really does pay off, but not without modifications. As Einstein, said, insanity is when you repeat the same processes and expect different results.