Paul Smith

I've used an old 'scope to look at the signal on the tracks, you can see the traces on my thread You can see some ringing and a voltage drop but without a modern fast digital 'scope you'll struggle to see anything else. Regards Paul

I think I've got to the bottom of the problem. With thanks to @HLT 0109 and @Edward I've tried my Powwercab on different layouts and they seem to behave roughly the same. All trains slow a bit when multiples are running but my Bachmann type 25 is painfully slow. I put my oscilloscope across the rails and can see the bipolar DCC waveform giving approx 27v peak to peak under no load, when I run a train it drops by about 2 volts and the edges of the trace become quite noisy. The voltage drop is probably inconsequential for most trains but not my type 25. I'll go to Trains4U in Peterborough and try a different make of decoder. I've attached a couple of images that show the trace with no load and with a train running.

Thanks Edward that's very near but a fellow member in St Neots contacted me and I'm going to see him today. If I have no joy I'll come back to you. Thanks again Paul

You're right Nik, I've just ordered a RJ12 cable from Ebay that is supposed to work with NCE equipment. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks Paul

The voltage is being measured at the panel that the Powercab connects to. I think the cable is a standard network cable, I'll borrow one from my router and test it in my system

Neither Hattons or NCE want to know. I'm told that if I get 13.6v with nothing running then the Powercab is fine and it's an issue with my locos or track. They have advised comparing the results with another Powercab either on my layout or a different layout with the same trains. They also tried to sell me a booster!

Track impedance is zero, it does sound like a panel, cable or handset issue. I'm trying to find someone near me in the Peterborough area with a Powercab that I can try to determine the cause.

As per my previous post I have a problem with my Powercab voltage and would like to plug it into a different layout to measure the voltage out under a load, I can bring my own train all I need is a different layout. Thanks Paul

Is there anyone anywhere near South Lincolnshire with a Powercab setup that I could plug mine into to see if it the unit?

I've used the built in amp meter on the Powercab and it reads:- No train = 0.01, 1 train = 0.21, 2 trains = 0.49 and 3 trains 0.64

I initially suspected the PSU but I've measured it at the panel and it remains at 13.8vdc at all times so it seems ok?

Thanks for you reply Dave, I'm using an ordinary meter which I know isn't accurate but I would have thought that it's proportionate and it's dropping each time I run another train. I'm comparing the speed to DC and I can just about live with the slower speed if I'm only running one train. The problem is that as I add more trains they are reduced to a crawl. Paul

Hello, new member here who has been lurking for a while but now wishes to be part of the community. I've been building my first largish layout for a while now which is DDC using the NCE Powercab system. My problem is that the trains run too slow which seems to be discussed on here a fair bit, with my system though I have good track voltage with no trains running but it drops significantly as I run trains. All the measurements below were taken from the rear of the panel and correspond with the measurements I see around the layout so I am confident it's not due to a voltage drop across the track wiring. No train = 13.6v 0.01A 1 train = 12.2v 0.21A 2 trains = 10.9v 0.49A 3 trains = 10.2v 0.64A I am using the supplied 13.8v 1.5A psu which remains constant at 13.8v all the time Any thoughts? Paul