Jammer Thanks everyone for replies, I've just spent an entire day methodically working through the possibilites with each loco, and indeed the short addresses were in some cases not as I'd thought I'd set. Only one loco on layout at a time. However, now occasionally the loco being programmed would 'bolt' after re-addressing - full power being suddenly and mysteriously sent to the track. In the end I switched everything off, deleted the z21 app (original one), downloaded the latest revised app version and rebuilt the loco roster from scratch. SUCCESS AT LAST! Everything working properly.I think that maybe the phone/router wifi link may have been dodgy at some point in the earlier setting up. The stupid phone had kept trying to drop the connection in favour of my home broadband router. Or even multiple instances of the app running, causing confusion - can that happen? I've just started a new layout after a couple of years without one (sob), and expected all my previous gear to just work as before. Can two years in (dry) storage upset electronic stuff - wouldn't have thought so? The sony experia smartphone has now also got 'Stamina Mode' turned off, since I read somewhere if that's turned on and the battery is low then the phone decides what background tasks are important and what to ignore. Anyways, thanks again folks, onwards and upwards!
Thanks everyone for replies, I've just spent an entire day methodically working through the possibilites with each loco, and indeed the short addresses were in some cases not as I'd thought I'd set. Only one loco on layout at a time. However, now occasionally the loco being programmed would 'bolt' after re-addressing - full power being suddenly and mysteriously sent to the track. In the end I switched everything off, deleted the z21 app (original one), downloaded the latest revised app version and rebuilt the loco roster from scratch. SUCCESS AT LAST! Everything working properly.I think that maybe the phone/router wifi link may have been dodgy at some point in the earlier setting up. The stupid phone had kept trying to drop the connection in favour of my home broadband router. Or even multiple instances of the app running, causing confusion - can that happen?
I've just started a new layout after a couple of years without one (sob), and expected all my previous gear to just work as before. Can two years in (dry) storage upset electronic stuff - wouldn't have thought so?
The sony experia smartphone has now also got 'Stamina Mode' turned off, since I read somewhere if that's turned on and the battery is low then the phone decides what background tasks are important and what to ignore.
Anyways, thanks again folks, onwards and upwards!
Simon
I have used the Z21 system for years without issue.
However, at my local model railway club a number of members have had various issues. One of the members had an issue that sounds similar to yours. He had used the "add (+)" button to include each individual loco to the layout roster,
However, he thought that changing the default address of 3 on the "add loco" screen would change the loco address - it doesn't, the loco already has to be addressed before adding to the roster.
Do all your locos appear in the selection menu on the bottom of the screen?
Trevor
My z21 has never given a problem like this (I control it mainly with a Samsung tablet, but the z21 app also runs on a small Android music player I have as well).
What I'd suggest:
First, if you don't have a programming track, clear all the engines off the layout.
Then put ONE engine back on the layout.
Go to the z21 programming page.
Read the loco address to see what it is.
I would give it a new number, or re-program the existing one back in.
I would then repeat this for each loco.
Give each loco either a 4-digit or 3-digit number (even if the locos have only 1 or 2 digit numbers on them). When you do this, z21 seems to address/program "all the bits" for that particular address.
That ALL the locos move at once sounds almost as if they were all in "a consist" together? (odd as that may seem)
Are you using a programming track? I would take all of the locos off, program them one by one, read the address back one by one, add them one by one on the layout, and see what happens after each one is added to the layout. I would not DC-enable the locos.
PS: I looked at the Z21 system on the Roco website... Nice!
wjstix Jammer CV29 is not saying 'use extended addresses'. Just a shot in the dark, but I know with some of my decoders, the long or 'extended' (four digit) address will change when I program the new address, but the short (two digit) address stays "03". Maybe your system is sending out a signal addressing engine "03" and all your engines are responding to it, even if they each have different long addresses?
Jammer CV29 is not saying 'use extended addresses'.
Just a shot in the dark, but I know with some of my decoders, the long or 'extended' (four digit) address will change when I program the new address, but the short (two digit) address stays "03". Maybe your system is sending out a signal addressing engine "03" and all your engines are responding to it, even if they each have different long addresses?
Interesting! You can program most decoders to have "any" short address AND "any" long address. What then happens is you tell the decoder which of the two to pick.
However. IF all the short addresses stayed at "3", then perhaps you could have sent out a signal to ALL the decoders to change to using short address.
This is easy to check using CV29. Here's an EXCELLENT place to plug your CV29 value in, and get a list of what's what:
http://www.2mm.org.uk/articles/cv29%20calculator.htm
The description of the actions of the locos fits, to me, them all being consisted together. You can control the lights individually, but not the speed--sound familiar?
Ed
Just a shot in the dark, but I know with some of my decoders, the long or 'extended' (four digit) address will change when I program the new address, but the short (two digit) address stays "03". Maybe your system is sending out a signal addressing engine "03" and all your engines are responding to it, even if they each have different long addresses? Maybe try changing one engine's short address to say "04" and then see if it responds with the others or not.
This has got to be some basic setup issue that I'm just not aware of - using Z21 + android phone for control. Essentially what's happening is that when I attempt to run any loco, all the locos on the layout start running. The controls for the intended loco operate every other loco at the same time. Any attempt to adjust any of them effects them all. I've checked addresses (using primary only) and they all read differently and as should be. I can read/write CV values and there's no apparent conflicts. CV29 is not saying 'use extended addresses'.
The address stuff must be working at some level because turning loco lights on and off works perfectly on an individual basis - but as the soon as I get any loco to move they all join in. Chaos!
What am I overlooking here? Or maybe the phone cannot send the correct signal or simply that the Z21 has given up the ghost...?