NCE Powercab and a rolling road?

[Stormbringer]

Hi all,

        How many of you use a rolling road to set up your dcc locos? I have just purchased an NCE Powercab and have tried to connect it to a Hornby rolling road but for some reason it won't read the chip and comes up.with "Can not read Cv" yet when I put the loco on a dcc layout it works perfectly. 

       2 other loco's have been tried with the same results.

 

     Tia

          Pete

[Nigelcliffe]

I suggest breaking the problem down to find what is wrong.

 

a - can you read the locos in question on a different system ?  (There are a few decoders around which don't read at all).

b - if you connect the PowerCab directly to a short piece of track does it work to drive locos ?  

c - having doing ( b ), can you now read the loco on that short piece of track with the PowerCab ?   If you can't, the most likely is a mistake in operating the PowerCab, though a device fault is always a possibility. 

d -  now re-introduce the rolling road and try to run a loco on it, and then read the loco.   

[RedgateModels]

Also how are you connecting the rolling road to the powercab, have you got an Auto-SW in place or are you using some kind of manual switching for the programming track?

[RAF96]

As standard the RR has a live fixed track and live rollers. If using the track part or track and rollers for programming then you should be OK but if using rollers only then adding weight or a firm press to the loco may be necessary as the DCC signal has to pass across the roller bearings and any lube.

 

I successfully use a Hornby RR without the fixed track (many sets of rollers only) for dual programming and running via a DPDT switch. I have a small ‘heavy’ bag that I place on top of a loco during programming.

[dasatcopthorne]

2 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

Also how are you connecting the rolling road to the powercab, have you got an Auto-SW in place or are you using some kind of manual switching for the programming track?

 

With the Power Cab and as long as you are using a stand alone section of track, use the Cab in Programing Track mode. No Switch required.

PRESS Prog/Esc Key, then press the 4 key, then press ENTER. You are now in Program Track mode.

 

Dave.

 

[RedgateModels]

1 minute ago, dasatcopthorne said:

 

With the Power Cab and as long as you are using a stand alone section of track, use the Cab in Programing Track mode. No Switch required.

PRESS Prog/Esc Key, then press the 4 key, then press ENTER. You are now in Program Track mode.

 

Dave.

 

 

Thanks for the lesson, wonder how I have got on over the last 10 years ..... 

 

but the OP has not said how he has connected the rolling road to the powercab, or even if he is using programming track mode.

[Stormbringer]

Folks,

     Thank you for your help and assistance it is much appreciated. This is my first venture into DCC (and sound). As I am limited for space I thought it would be easier to use a rolling road rather than an oval of track. The loco in question is a Hornby Crosti 9f with TTS sound installed by myself. It has worked perfectly much to my surprise on a club layout using Digitrax Equipment. 

       I only got the Powercab yesterday and decided to plug it into my Hornby rolling road, when first switched on I got sound for around 30 seconds then nothing. Trying to get it to read the chip wouldn't work either.

   I took the loco to the club last night and it worked perfectly.

      What I have done today is use thicker wire from the circuit board to the track and plug it into a short length of track taken from a train set, the loco then worked perfectly so I am wondering if in fact it is the rolling road that is the problem.

    Being a DCC newbie all I have done is plug one wire into each contact on the track. I do have another rolling road here that is similar to the Ten Commandments one, the problem I have with that is that on Dc it takes more power to start a loco than the Hornby one so I don't know how well it would work on DCC.

 

   All the best

          Pete

[Phil S]

Does the rolling road come with an interference suppression capacitor fitted by Hornby ???  If so - remove it for dcc use !!!!!! I don't recall one on mine, but that was bought many yearsago).

As the 9F ALSO has tender pickups - on both rails - it does not need the rolling wheelsets to provde power - only to let the loco wheels revolve -

Do you have a meter to check that (with no power applied) there is no resistance from the controller to the rolling road on each wire) and that WITH power - the voltage across the track measures the same as at the controller (whatever your meter shows -it may not  be te correct value with dcc,but they shouldstillshow the SAMEvalue - on the  AC Voltage range.

Does it work in NON-programming mode - ie so you can leave it test running for half an hour ???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RedgateModels]

Couple of other things to consider @Stormbringer

 

How old is the rolling road? the very early ones were intended for the live steam locos and did not have the rollers powered. Secondly if it is a new one, so will have powered rollers, make sure they are tightened up as they will not make reliable contact with the internal power bus bars is left loose

 

[RedgateModels]

Here's my set-up for home use

 

 

Although I have now modified it with an internal Auto-SW which meant a switch and socket arrangement so I could also use the rolling road "on the main" for running in etc

Edited July 20, 2022 by RedgateModels

[Stormbringer]

To be honest I don't know how old the rolling road is, I bought it second hand. I have added 2 more sets of rollers so it now has 5.

  By "on the main" do you mean running in on dc before installing decoder?

 

     At the moment I'm quite happy with the section of track for programming. I have so far (I hope) changed forward and reverse as when first put on the track in dcc the loco went backwards first off when power was applied and turned the volume up on the whistle functions.

 

Also turning the power to notch 2 makes the loco move off slowly and smoothly.

 

Pete

[RedgateModels]

3 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:

To be honest I don't know how old the rolling road is, I bought it second hand. I have added 2 more sets of rollers so it now has 5.

  By "on the main" do you mean running in on dc before installing decoder?

 

No - "on the main means" normal running operation under DCC - you can do certain programming options but things like reading CVs needs setting the Powercab into "programming track" mode. 

 

Do you have a manual for the Powercab? it's a bit hard going at times but worth persevering 

 

Quote

At the moment I'm quite happy with the section of track for programming. I have so far (I hope) changed forward and reverse as when first put on the track in dcc the loco went backwards first off when power was applied and turned the volume up on the whistle functions.

 

8 pin decoder? you probably plugged it in the wrong way round, easy to do. As long as you don't use any lighting functions then altering CV29 as you probably have done is easier than taking the loco apart to change the plug position

[Stormbringer]

Yes I do have a manual for the Powercab which probably a good thing.

 

Although I checked for pin 1 when installing the chip it is entirely possible that I got it wrong although the loco has no lights fitted.

 

  Pete