Just a quick public thanks to Nate at the Digitrax tech support desk. Long story short ( no pun intended), I couldn't get the DCS100 command station to add power to the rails, and one of my new PSX breakers showed a dim short light even without powered add. I just didn't know what was going on. I even went around the PSX breakers to just the DCS100 direct to the layout but couldn't add power. I was dumbfounded. I removed every loco from the rails and no solution. I then removed every rolling stock from the layout. So I called Digitrax tech support and spoke to Nate, who walked me through trying to find the problem, then the solution. Eventually we (really mostly he) determined one of the UP-5 Loconet panels had failed and was shorting Rail A and Rail B (you can wire them to track power to get a visual LED indicating power on and internally it failed making the short). I could be working this problem for weeks and never would have thought that was the problem. Bottom line, Nate was patient, knowledgeable, professional, personable - and saved the day. I know in life we tend to complain when things/companies fail us. I just thought I would express my thanks when people stepped up.
Tophias:
THanks for sharing the information. It could be a big help in finding a phantom short and prevent a lot of headaches. We don't often think of quiet devices like the UP5 as causing trouble.
Joe
Joe, I should have also mentioned, not to just comment on Digitrax tech help, more about the issue itself. Obviously the main symptom was a short. What I didn't recognize until later into the evaluation was the track status LED on the UP-5 was green and not amber And the track status LED on the DCS100 was amber (as if normally on). If the loconet cable was removed from the DCS100 it went out (but not on the UP-5's). So if either LED status light looks adnormal and clears when he Loconet cable is removed then that maybe your problem. The fix was simple- disconnect the track power wires from the back of the UP-5's and all was normal. The UP-5's are still good for throttle tethering, just no status LED. In fact, Nate says Digitrax now recommends NOT connecting track power wires to UP-5's so as to eliminate this and other issues to the Loconet. Hope this helps.
It's interesting that Digitrax now recommends not using the UP-5 Leds. I wonder if they will eliminate them from further production.
He didn't say, just that they now recommend not adding to anything that can degrade the Loconet. Makes sense I guess.
I thought there was somehting a while back on the Digitrax Yahoo group that some UP5's got built with oen of the protection diodes backwards or something. That would definitely cause a problem - but only if the track power wires were hooked up. Each of the three power sources (Loconet cable, track power, the power jack on the side) are fed in via diodes which keeps one power source from feeding back to the other. Failure of one of these diodes, in a shorted state, or one of them being backwards, would cause strange issues feeding voltage in where it shouldn't.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Well count me as one of the unfortunate people who got a defective UP5. No biggie really, having the LED lit was more eye candy than an actual tool. Just as easy to look at my throttle. I guess I originally hooked up the track wires only because I could and it was kind of neat to see the lights. The good thing is all my UP5's still work with the Loconet.
Tophias I guess I originally hooked up the track wires only because I could and it was kind of neat to see the lights.
You've got me thinking about my own UP5s and UR-92 & 93s! I probably have 2 dozen scattered around the layout with all of them wired to the track for the "power" indicator. Maybe it is time to disconnect the track feeders.
Sometimes my Digitrax system has unexplained behavior and this would be one more possible cause to eliminate.
Thanks for the heads-up, Ed
P.S. I have never had to talk with Digitrax Tech. directly but the knowledge base is sure handy and anytime I've sent items in for repair or upgrade they have always performed well.
I've spoke with Nate on several occassions. And like you said, he was very patient and thorough and helpful. And the problem, as it turned out, wasn't even with Digitrax, it was with another company's product (the loco).
Yeah, it's always good to deal with real people who know their products and use their products. I can't stand it when I call some customer service group and speak with people from another country who are clueless about their product and don't understand my problem. Sorry for the mini-rant, but I think it's important to acknowledge companies that serve us as properly.