Hi, Randy!
I probably did not use the meter right. I'm "electrically challenged". Still can't understand why electricity doesn't leak from an outlet if nothing's plugged in the holes! Knuckle-draggin' contractor by trade.I pay guys for stuff like that.
South Penn above who asked if I could program one engine jogged my (poor) memory about the event 5-6 years ago when this same thing happened.
At least I'll be forced to neaten up my admittedly messy wire job. So that's a plus.
Thanks for your and everyone else's help, Randy! I now have go-to guys for DCC questions when I district off the layout.
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Hmm, weird that you are getting 0 volts from the power supply. Is it an AC or DC power supply, and is your meter on the proper setting? If it works, then everything must be ok, but the constantly flashing power indicator is not normal.
Everythign got programmerd? Well, you DO have a DB150 - so if you accidently went into program mode and didn;t take all your locos off the track, you probably programmed every one of them. Somethign that can help is the DCC Auto-Switch from NCE. It is for systems without a seperate program track - and it effectively give you one, by automatically disconnecting the main track and routing power to a seperate set of terminals you connect to an isoated track section to be the program track. It's made for the PowerCab but works fine with a DB150.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SUCCESS!!!!!!
Evidently , somehow ALL my engines lost their addresses. I reprogrammed 4 of them. they are RESPONDING as usual!!
This happened once before, reason unknown.
Only 33 to go. And rehook 10 UP's.LOL!!!
Thank you all for your help and suggestions!! I am truly grateful!
Sir. At the risk of over-simplifying, when you measure the voltage what settings do you have your multi-meter set? You need to measure AC voltage. If you set the MM to DC voltage is will read close to zero. This is the same for measuring the output of the power supply and out of the DB150.
SouthPenn Saronatery; If you ever find out how all your engines got the same address, please post it. The same thing happened to me and when I ask Digitrax for help, all they said was send your equipment to us with money. I now have a NCE system. Can you program any of your engines?
Saronatery; If you ever find out how all your engines got the same address, please post it. The same thing happened to me and when I ask Digitrax for help, all they said was send your equipment to us with money. I now have a NCE system.
Can you program any of your engines?
That'll be next, try to reprogram one engine. I'm gonna have a couple refreshments first.
And no, never did figure out what happened.
Ok, I am plugged directly into DB150. None of the UP's are connected in any way. There are hook-up wires from DB to track. Power supply hooked up normally.
Power up went normally with the associated beep(s).All indicator lights on DB150 and DT400 are normal.
Still no luck.
WTF am I doing wrong?
I'm really getting PO'd. Everything runs great for 12 some years and then nothing. Sheesh!
rrinker WHatever you do, do not accidently set the multimeter to amps and then connect the probes across the track. You'll just blow the fuse. Also try with everything except the power supply disconnected from the DB150. Just power in, no loconet cabes, no wires to the track. Plug the DT right in to one of the front panel jacks. THere is no battery inside the DB150. Only the DCS100/200 have an internal battery for backup. --Randy
WHatever you do, do not accidently set the multimeter to amps and then connect the probes across the track. You'll just blow the fuse.
Also try with everything except the power supply disconnected from the DB150. Just power in, no loconet cabes, no wires to the track. Plug the DT right in to one of the front panel jacks.
THere is no battery inside the DB150. Only the DCS100/200 have an internal battery for backup.
Did the second. No luck.
Checked power supply. Reading was 0.00 to 0.25.
Then I missed with the probes checking a 3rd time and got some pretty sparks. At least it was unhooked from the DB150.
4th time showed 0.00.
Fried power supply? All the indicator lights on the UP's and the DT400 work?
BD, that was track voltage. Point18.
I'll check the power supply now.
saronaterryAmps are between 16-18. Volts at .18.
Randy suggested measuring track voltage and power supply. Which are these numbers?
If the power supply is only putting out .18 V, it's not going to run nuthin'
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Unhooked all 10 UP's one at a time. No joy.
I am now plugged directly into the DB. UP's still unhooked. No joy.
Tried 4 different engines. Got another 3 beep purge alert while getting frustrated.
Crap.
I think Randy is right! What should volt reading be?
Randy?
Hornblower, I'll try that right now! Thanks!!
Amps are between 16-18. Volts at .18.
Pulled all but one of the 37 engines. Don't tell SWMBO I have that many, please.Put one back on . No joy. While I was dicking around pulling engines off layout, got the 3 beep "address purge".
All throttles but the DT are unplugged.
Couldn't find a battery access type panel on the DT or the DB150.
I'm getting worried a trip to Florida is in my future. Although I think I bought this in like '95 or '96, so a pretty good run!!
Terry
At a recent ops session, a somewhat similar situation occurred to the Digitrax system where one power district went down during the session and strange things occurred in other power districts. Low track voltage when the system would power up and shorting the tracks seemed to be at least trying to function normally. Eventually, we tracked the problem down to a UP5 throttle panel that had gone bad (even with red/orange LED lit). Fortunately, the bad panel was the first in line from the command station so we found it fairly quick. We disconnected the UP5 from track power, the power supply and the loconet. The loconet cable was then extended to the second UP5 panel in line and the whole layout came back up operating normally. You might try isolating each UP5 on your layout to see if you have a similarly bad unit.
Hornblower
Hi guys!
Back from another day at the salt mine!
Have a multitester. Results to follow, after the Golden Retriever does his stuff!
I will pull all engines and try just one. I'm wondering if something happened to reset ALL my engine addresses. It has happened before.
No on the 2 throttle addresses, checked that.
I'll try unplugging all throttles. Might have done that last night. Had a few attitude adjustments in me.
I'lll check the battery if there is one. That's inside the DB 150 somewhere? I will look.
No on engines. Moved them ALL by hand.
No reversing loops. One HUGE circle.
That was my thought ,too. I will try.
More investigation results coming.........
Is there a posibility that two throttles have the same locomotive address in them?
Unplug all throttles and see if the quarter test works everywhere.
Your system seems old enough to have a battery in the DB150. Maybe it died?
Is there an engine sitting just at the right spot on a switch to short that area out?
Is there an engine sitting on the gap of a revering zone?
Before ripping into the track, remove all locomotives from the track. A decoder might have died. Put one locomtive back on and try to run it. If it doesn't run try another locomotive. If it doesn't run, start looking else where.
There is a memory chip in the DT150 (thats what the battery is for) It might be full. Check Digitrax web site on how to clear the memory. Probably unplugging the unit and removing the battery.
Thanks, guys!
At least that'll give me a start. I'm off to work, so I'll start checking/ following up on your suggestions.
Thanks again!
saronaterryTonight as I was switching the yard I got 1 beep and nothing runs.
saronaterryTried the quarter test. Get the beeps and station shuts down as normal with the exception of the yard area.
saronaterryThere are no districts
I don't have a Digitrax system, but I see a few things that lead me to think something happened with the yard area.
Since your layout is large enough for districts, it might be time to start installing them and in the meantime implement a "divide and conquer" strategy to solve the problem. Get some insulated joiners or cut some gaps to isolate the yard tracks from the rest of the layout. You will need to isolate the track power bus as well, and make sure the bus is fully isolated by checking every feeder. Hopefully, your track bus maps well to your track plan, but you may have to snip a few feeders.
If the problem is in the yard, once you isolate it the rest of the layout will run. Then, it's time to remove every car and inspect every inch of track to find that truck screw that's fallen off or whatever. You might even find a loose wire when you're checking the feeders below.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If by "the light on the left is blinking fast" you mean the green power LED - your power supply may have failed. Or something in the output drive of the command station has failed. Take a meter and measure the track voltage -- I'll be it's very low. Test the power supply, if it's OK then the DB150 needs a vacation to Florida.
No.
DT400 says 9.0v at power up. Unplug DT400, plug back in it says13.1, then12.0.
If that helps anybody.
Does it work if you remove that engine?
Photos:
This is parked on the section that passed quarter test. no lights or movement
No stuck buttons. No trains in the positive quarter test areas. Thanks for your help.
Please keep the thoughts coming.It's gotta be something stupid! Ha!
Also check the throttles to make sure you do not have a stuck button. Do the trains run in areas where the quarter test works?
It's on and power dot is solid. I use the DT400 for power up and off only. Normal operations are with UT1, 2 and 4 throttles. I prefer them. Like I stated above, it was working fine and then it was like someone unplugged the whole layout. Switcher still has headlights but won't move. Cannot access any of the 30+ engines. Wife says UP panel track status lights are orange as are the command station status lights.( I'm color blind.LOL!)Throttle lights are green.
All indicators are normal.
Thank you for your input. I'll keep working on it !
On the right side of the dt400 screen there is a little black dot. It should be lit solid. If it is flashing you must press the power button and the Y button to get it lit solid again. Sometines it takes several tries.
Hi, all.
Diitrax Empire Builder system on a very large basement layout. It has operated flawlessly for over 12 years. Tonight as I was switching the yard I got 1 beep and nothing runs. Went over to the command station and the power on light on the left side was blinking very fast.
Ok.
Shut the system down in the usual manner, unplugged it from the wall. Waited what seemed like a LIFETIME. Plugged it in, power up the usual way and get the single beep as usual.Use DT400 to power track. All UP panels and command station show power.
Cannot access any engine, change lights etc. Nothing.
Tried the quarter test. Get the beeps and station shuts down as normal with the exception of the yard area.
Where is my problem? There are no districts, only the one DB150. I assume the yard and adjacent trackage to the right as quarter test does NOT result in a shutdown?
Plaese help and Thank you in advance!!