Hello,
I have just noticed a weird issue with an MRC decoder, I know not unusual on some older NIB Genesis Santa Fe F9's. Everything works great on my test track powered with an NCE Power Cab. It even let me change the horn and tweak all the motor CV's. However, when its placed on the layout powered with a digitrax Zephyr Extra and running with a DT402 throttle the 1-10 functions won't turn anything on. Aso the headlight stays on and pressing 10 won't turn it off. They run fine and the sounds all work as crappy as they sound. Including the weird Singer sewing machine sound they make at idle.
Is there in incompatibility between Digitrax and MRC sound systems?
Thanks,
Steve B
No, but what address are you ussng? Addresses from 1-127 are always short addresses with Digitrax. With NCE, they can be either, and a loco set as long address, say, 100, cannot be operated by Digitrax.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
286. I remembered that issue, in fact I think the knowledge came from you. I also noticed just playing around, my UT throtle with th address programed made the loco either take off full throttle or stop and control button have no effect. The DT402 controls all motor functions fine just wont ring bell, horn etc or tunr the light off.
Hmm, that is rather odd. Perhaps you've status edited that address on the DT402, but that wouldn't make it act up on a UT4. Which Digitrax system do you have? Perhaps a full reset of the command station is in order.
Randy,
I am using the Zephyr Extra to power the layout. My throttles are using Up5s around the layout tied together with their cables. I can reset the the Zephyr when I get home. Another odd quirk I have noticed recently is the Zephyr sometimes comes back on with track power on. Before I would turn power on with the DT402. I had assumed I just forgot to turn track power off when I shut down but yesterday I tested that theory several times and it comes on with track power or not randomly.
Thanks
I reset the Zephyr and I even used the Zephyr to call up the loco and it still performs the same way. Back at the the bench and the Powercab all 10 functions work as intended. I going to send Digitrax an email and see if they have seen this behavior before.
Is it just this loco or are all your locos acting up?
If it's just this one, I would do a decoder reset and try that.
Its just this locomotive. I reset it and it still operates the same. I wonder if it has something to do with the transponding feature in the Digitrax system not being compatable with this particular MRC decoder? I probably going to pull this out for a Economi anyway but its just the nature of it being so confusing. Never seen this in the 200 or so locos I have. What works on one system has always worked on another.
By the way I am considering upgrading my system to the Zephyr Express as three amps is definintely all the power I will need and I do love the upgrades they made to it. Particularly its USB interface and its simplifying of its use as a throttle. I am confused about other uses for the Zephyr Extra if I do this. Is there a way to incorporate the Extra into another part of the layout?
Thanks for all your help,
Do you have BDL-168's and RX-4's, or BXP-88's on your layout? If not, you have no transponding. he Zephyr (or any of the command stations, really) does nothing in relation to transponding, and only a decoder would actually put any sort of transponding signal on the rails - and then only Digitrax decoders. The other brands that say "compatible" with transponding don't generate transponding data, they simply don't interfere with the Digitrax decoders that do.
I still say reset the decoder and try it on address 3.
If you get a new Zephyr Express, your exising Zephyr Xtra can still be used as a throttle, and it can also power a seond power district. Divide the layout into two parts by gaping both rails to make 2 electrically distinct parts, and connect the track output of the Express to one side, and the output of the Xtra to the other half. If you get a short in one half, the other half will keep running.
Don't forget a wire the same size as you track bus between the GND terminals of the two Zephyrs.
Thanks for the reply and good idea about the Extra. I did reset the decoder and it did the same thing on both systems no change in behavior. Thats right I dont use transponding. I guess this loco has a ghost in it somewhere. Just a thought, when I get home I will program the MRC unit in the B unit to have a horn and see if the problem is unique to this model of decoder or just the decoder in the A unit.
Well the B unit does the same thing fine on the Power Cab test track, no horn on the digitrax layout.
Are you consisting these on NCE by any chance? How are you "setting it to have a horn" or "setting it to not have a horn"?
They are not consisted yet. I started with the A unit to get it set up using the Athearn manual that came with the set. CV 50 is for the horns 11 is to turn it off in CV 50. The power cab had no trouble with the CV set up on both units. I might try and see if the DT402 will change CV's in Ops mode on one of them.