I have five older BLI steam engines with QSI decoders in them
MOst of them have set for awhile ( not used) and three still run fine but two of them suddenly just
won't power up and run.
'When last used they were fine.
I'm confused, as I have an NCE DCC system and they won't program "on the main"
Why would they just quit working? They have been stored in a cool dry place.
When put away, they were working fine.
Another of the three that still run, the sound is suddenly weak.Any ideas
Thx
The K4Kid
You might try to run them on DC and see if they respond, most of the BLI decoders are dual mode and should run. If not, see if analog has been turned off. I don't know the CV's for this but it is in the manual. Also, just a thought is to clean the wheels in case they have oxidized while in storage.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Thanks Bob,
I'll give it a try!
It's not the BLI loco, it is the QSI decoder.
This happens to me at the start of every "season" when I return to my layout in the Fall after a summer of golf.
The QSI decoders that are in diesel consists sit still until I manually clear the consist addresses in CV19.
Rich
Alton Junction
I've had continual problems with QSI decoders losing their address or refusing to wake up from a shutdown, after a few months of inactivity.
The simplest cure seems to be to reprogram the address and reset CV29, as well as CV19 if the locomotive had been part of a consist.
I have a few engines with QSI decoders, and they all work fine. Of course, I don't leave my trains for months at a time, and I never, never play golf.
I will, though, give everyone a suggestion. When you program a decoder, write down the settings. I keep a spreadsheet of all the changes I make, just in case I have to do a dreaded factory reset.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley When you program a decoder, write down the settings. I keep a spreadsheet of all the changes I make, just in case I have to do a dreaded factory reset.
When you program a decoder, write down the settings. I keep a spreadsheet of all the changes I make, just in case I have to do a dreaded factory reset.
Thanks for the replies fellas!
Well I didn't intend to leave mine set for so long.
But my other hobbies are flying full scale vintage airplanes ( I own and fly a 1946 Ercoupe) and I also build and fly RC airplanes.
I am planning on retiring in the near future, so I will have more tyime for all my interests.
My layout is sill a work in progress. Planning on expanding it It now is on 3 special built tables, each 6 feet by 8 feet, and all joined together for a total of 6 feet wide by 24 feet long with two main lines.
I have other steam engines I need to put decoders in.I have about 25 steam engines and only 2 diesels of the early 50's era as my layout is themed around a mid 1940's to mid 1950's era in Pennsylvania RR theme as both my Dad and my Uncle worked for the PRR years ago as did my Grandfather on my Mom's side of the family out of Ft Wayne,Indiana
Locally the Ft Wayne Railroad Historical Society has Nickel Plate "765" Berkshire steam engine based and housed a short distance from where I live now.
What a joy to see it run!There are video clips of it on You Tube.
TheK4Kid
I have several Paragon steamers from BLI, and a Lionel HO Challenger, all with older QSI decoders. I have placed all of them on the layout after a number of years without power to them and have never had a problem acquiring the address and moving the loco. Not once. About the only thing I could think of that would make programming fade after a few months is magnetism nearby, or ionizing radiation, EMP-type emissions.
selector I have several Paragon steamers from BLI, and a Lionel HO Challenger, all with older QSI decoders. I have placed all of them on the layout after a number of years without power to them and have never had a problem acquiring the address and moving the loco. Not once. About the only thing I could think of that would make programming fade after a few months is magnetism nearby, or ionizing radiation, EMP-type emissions.
Mine were sitting on the layout and the tracks remained powered.
Perhaps that makes a difference.
Could be, Rich. However, in my early history, my Lionel Challenger would sit for many days powered and not have any trouble when I re-acquired it. Same for my Paragon Niagara and J1 2-10-4, my Platinum Pennsy K4s, and my Paragon Hudson, my first ever purchase in HO. I would even park some of them inside a mining spur tunnel for several months at a time. I would hear the steam let-off every time I powered up the layout, but only on the ones I hadn't bothered to put into the double-press "F9" coma. The comatose ones would stay silent until I did the double-press of "F6". Even so, many weeks later, they'd come back and be ready to run.
I haven't run a couple of my early Paragons in nearly two years as of today. Tomorrow, I'll find a couple of them and power them up to see how they do and report back. I may be disappointed, but so far I wouldn't anticipate that result.
Update: yesterday I took my older Atlas Master Gold series FM H24-66 Trainmaster with its older QSI and placed it on the layout. It hasn't seen power in about 15 months. I applied power to the rails, acquired its address, and it immediately powered up with start-up sequence for the prime mover. I blew the horn, rang the bell, and moved it about 50 scale feet. Worked like a hot damn.
Mine set off the layout unpowered.
NO EMF or maganetic power anywhere near them