I have a couple early BLI NW2's with QSI Quantum decoders. One the sound will come on but not move. On the other it keeps resetting everytime the power is off. I reset the decoder using CV8-8 but no help. I cleaned the test track and the wheels but no help. Are these decoders just garbage? Anyone else having these problems. If I must I'll replace with a Soundtraxx but prices have increased a whole h#ll of a lot since I was doing this a couple years ago. Thanks for any help
Strider:
On the one that keeps resetting the magnetic reed switch that is used for reset may be stuck. You could try disconnecting it and see if it helps. I seem to recall some posts in the past that mentioned this problem with QSI decoders.
Joe
I've got a few QSI decoders in engines and all are fine, even after many years. I did have one, in a Walthers engine, that just kind of lost itself and wouldn't respond. I took it to my LHS, where the proprietor had a programmer for that decoder, and after a week or so he got it to run. I don’t ķnow what he did.
My problem stemmed from a short, a defect in an Atlas crossing track.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
strider I reset the decoder using CV8-8 but no help.
I reset the decoder using CV8-8 but no help.
(1) Place the locomotive on the main track.
(2) Set CV49 to 128
(3) Set CV50 to 255
(4) Set CV56 to 113
As the decoder resets, you will hear an audible response, 3 toots or it may talk to you.
Test the locomotive using address 3.
You can then go ahead and set the long address locomotive number.
Rich
Alton Junction
striderI have a couple early BLI NW2's with QSI Quantum decoders. One the sound will come on but not move.
Have you tried running it on DC? If you try it on DC and it runs (you may need to crank it up to the full 12 volts), that means the problem is some issue with the decoder, perhaps a programming issue of some kind. If it doesn't run in DC, then it could be the motor is either not getting power, or is not working for some reason.
wjstix strider I have a couple early BLI NW2's with QSI Quantum decoders. One the sound will come on but not move. Have you tried running it on DC? If you try it on DC and it runs (you may need to crank it up to the full 12 volts), that means the problem is some issue with the decoder, perhaps a programming issue of some kind. If it doesn't run in DC, then it could be the motor is either not getting power, or is not working for some reason.
strider I have a couple early BLI NW2's with QSI Quantum decoders. One the sound will come on but not move.
Not necessairly. Only if the motor was tied directly to power. But since the decoder drives the motor, it could be a decoder issue and not run in either DCC or DC.
For the resetting issue, a picture would be helpful as I have seen different methods of resetting on those QSI decoders, from a reedswitch to a toggle switch.
If the decoder has completely failed - like it's been fried - then yes, it wouldn't work in DC. If the decoder is simply misprogrammed, the engine will still run in DC, so you'd know the motor and internal wiring is OK. Testing on DC at least could eliminate some issues.
wjstix If the decoder has completely failed - like it's been fried - then yes, it wouldn't work in DC. If the decoder is simply misprogrammed, the engine will still run in DC, so you'd know the motor and internal wiring is OK. Testing on DC at least could eliminate some issues.
Ah yes, agreed. I was going by him saying it was resetting each time it was put on the track, so DC or DCC, should not be a programming thing for that instance. But yes in general, DC is not bad to rule out programming if one doesnt want to reset the engine using the hard reset option.
richhotrain strider I reset the decoder using CV8-8 but no help. CV8=8 is not the reset for a QSI Quantum decoder. (1) Place the locomotive on the main track. (2) Set CV49 to 128 (3) Set CV50 to 255 (4) Set CV56 to 113 As the decoder resets, you will hear an audible response, 3 toots or it may talk to you. Test the locomotive using address 3. You can then go ahead and set the long address locomotive number. Rich
CV8=8 is not the reset for a QSI Quantum decoder.
Rich, I have two Atlas Gold MP15DCs with the factory Quantum QSI sound. Both were responding to headlight and horn, but would only move 1cm before cutting power and "resetting". They move in the correct direction but just this tiny distance.
So I used your reset procedure and despite these being virtually identical locos (same road name, just 2 digits apart on road number), one spoke aloud "Reset", and the other gave 3 toots. The one that tooted now drives properly. The one that spoke "Reset" only reset to address 3 but still cuts power after moving 1cm.
What does this mean? Does the different reset responses mean my two locos have different firmware revisions or something?
Thanks for your help getting one loco working, grateful for any ideas on the second. I even tried another reset, I can also assign a 4 digit address no problem and the lights respond.
MRC Prodigy Advance 2 DCC system.
I'll add my two cents here, I bought a BLI RSD15 for a good price because the owner was having problems keeping it running. It would seem to reset CVs by itself, it would reset loco ID and sometimes the sound would come on and it would move a very slight bit and stop. I would reset it to address 3 and it would do some or all of the above. Out of frustration and considering it was several years old, I disassembled the trucks and cleaned the wheels, axles, and axle electrical contacts. I didn't find any corrosion or green crusties, but it has been running fine since then. It's been a year and I'm still amazed that the decoder was that sensitve to electrical contact. Hope this helps.
........Paul
Syclone0044 richhotrain strider I reset the decoder using CV8-8 but no help. CV8=8 is not the reset for a QSI Quantum decoder. (1) Place the locomotive on the main track. (2) Set CV49 to 128 (3) Set CV50 to 255 (4) Set CV56 to 113 As the decoder resets, you will hear an audible response, 3 toots or it may talk to you. Test the locomotive using address 3. You can then go ahead and set the long address locomotive number. Rich Rich, I have two Atlas Gold MP15DCs with the factory Quantum QSI sound. Both were responding to headlight and horn, but would only move 1cm before cutting power and "resetting". They move in the correct direction but just this tiny distance. So I used your reset procedure and despite these being virtually identical locos (same road name, just 2 digits apart on road number), one spoke aloud "Reset", and the other gave 3 toots. The one that tooted now drives properly. The one that spoke "Reset" only reset to address 3 but still cuts power after moving 1cm. What does this mean? Does the different reset responses mean my two locos have different firmware revisions or something? Thanks for your help getting one loco working, grateful for any ideas on the second. I even tried another reset, I can also assign a 4 digit address no problem and the lights respond. MRC Prodigy Advance 2 DCC system.
https://dccwiki.com/Reset_QSI_Decoder
Scroll down to Software Reset and Reviving a QSI Decoder and see if the info there helps at all.
05c50 I'll add my two cents here, I bought a BLI RSD15 for a good price because the owner was having problems keeping it running. It would seem to reset CVs by itself, it would reset loco ID and sometimes the sound would come on and it would move a very slight bit and stop. I would reset it to address 3 and it would do some or all of the above. Out of frustration and considering it was several years old, I disassembled the trucks and cleaned the wheels, axles, and axle electrical contacts. I didn't find any corrosion or green crusties, but it has been running fine since then. It's been a year and I'm still amazed that the decoder was that sensitve to electrical contact. Hope this helps. ........Paul
Surprisingly, the culprit seems to have been the loco not being operated in nearly 10 years! I had three locos doing this exact same problem of only moving 1cm, two Athearn Genesis MP15ACs, and the Atlas MP15DC I mentioned. In both cases I solved it by tediously nudging the loco a tiny amount with throttle 5, and repeating this for a solid 10 minutes. At first it didn't seem like it was doing anything but with persistence I noticed it began to roll for 10cm or so for the first time, and gradually further and further until 10-15min later and it was fully loosened up and operating almost 100% properly. I think I'll set up a little circle test track and let it run for 30 minutes to ensure it's good. When I encountered the 3rd loco I already figured out this fix, so it was much easier to solve via this method. Still hard to believe that's all it was!! I would guess brushes frozen to the commutator but all three did move that 1cm!? So I dont know! Posting this for anyone who finds this in the future via Google like I did, as this was one of the top results.