Hello everyone, this is my first post here! I am excited to share the model railroading hobby with my 8 and 6 year old sons, and have dug out alot of my old HO DC trains from when I was a kid. After realizing the work involved with getting them running, we switched to DCC with new track, and the NCE PowerCab. We purchased a Bachmann DCC 2-8-0 locomotive, but it does not seem to work well. Upon trying to get it started, it hums quite loudly, and the powercab must be advanced to at least speed 16 to get it moving. It struggles to go into reverse even more, and this is without any cars behind it. I am using 14awg for the bus, and my meter set to AC 200 reads between 16-17v (high I know, but I understand with the sine wave, this is not an accurate number?). Does it appear that I have a faulty train, and I should send it back as it was bought online? I have not found a dealer in my area that stocks DCC, so local was not an option. I appreciate any help, as I have re-assigned the locomotive to different addresses, and tried everything that I can think of. I do not have another DCC engine I can test on my layout unfortunately. Thank you, and I cannot wait to get started with this great hobby once again!
I have the NCE Power Cab. My multimeter reads 13.6 vac. Not all meters will read the same. That agrees with my Scope.
You need a meter that measures the RMS value or a RRampmeter. I was lucky.
The DC power pack is 13.9 vdc.
Try a decoder reset. CV8, enter 8. Cycle track power. Lights should flash sixteeen times and loco run on address 3.
You can check the Bachmann site for returns or repairs. There are forums also with company reps.
I believe it has the EZ Command decoder. When you do a reset, the Power cab should tell you the decoder ID.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
You don;t ALSO have the DC power pack connected to the track, do you? Someone did that earlier, that will cause no end to problems. Only one, either DC or DCC, can be connected to the track at a time, even if one is unplugged.
--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 have to agree with Randy. Do you have any other power pack attached to the layout? I have never had my Power Cab work like yours.
The hum is normal for Bachmann DCC equiped engines from my experience. It comes from the decoder they use. You will have to replace the decoder to get rid of it. I can't advise on your high start 'values' except to perhaps suggest setting the start CV to a higher value. That should be programmable on that decoder.
CN Charlie
There are no other power packs attached. Just a test track with the Power Cab wired using 14awg bus lines, with 18awg feeders. I am trying to determine if things are normal, or if the locomotive or my power cab is experiencing any problems. They were both purchased new, and unfortunately I do not have another DCC engine to try out without purchasing another.
Someone else recently had a hum because part of the drive train was broken.
If you still have a DC powerpack, you could set up a piece of test track, or totally disconnect the DCC and see how it runs.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I have a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 with DCC & sound, and it runs perfect, no hum. I wonder what loco he bought?
I also picked up a couple of Bachmann diesels, GP35's in the blue box with the clear window, kind of their low end version, and they don't run bad either.
Mike.
My You Tube
I'm wondering it either the drive is bound somehow, or if there's even a decoder installed.....or installed correctly. The hum makes me wonder if it's merely the effect on the drive mechanism of the square wave current imparted by DCC.
I have 2 bachmann spectrum steamers and a 44 tonner. None of them hum loud enough to complain about. The 44 tonner does lose it's decoder mind from time to time and needs to be reset periodically.
You can adjust CV2 on the decoder to make it start sooner. Increasing the amount in CV2 - it's default is zero normally - increases the amount of power to the motor at the start.
Some year ago I put a Digitrax DZ125 decoder into a two motor Bachmann 44 ton. It started at about speed step one after fine tunning the CV's. No hum. A gear cracked eventually.
I have heard of issues with the EZ Command Bachmann decoder even in the Bachmann forums.
I would recomend a better decoder, even a DZ126PS would plug in easily. An upgrade from the DZ125.
TCS has great decoders.
There are certainly better decoders, but it should not come out of the box in a non-functional state nor should you have to fiddle with CV settings just to get it move.
Well the OP mentioned that after making some wiring adjustments on the layout, the engine ran much better, so apparently there was a problem with the track and wiring, not the engine itself. He says it starts to move at speed step 12 (I assume out of 128), which isn't bad but he can use CV2 to get it to start sooner if he wants.
I would mention to the OP that new engines often are 'stiff' out of the box. Doing a break-in run - say 15 continuous minutes or so forward followed by 15 minutes in reverse at about 2/3rds full throttle, can do a lot to make a new engine run better.