Jump to content
 

New Powercab issues


meatloaf
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just got a preowned powercab. It was new and unused and the bags were sealed. 

 

Im having problems getting it working. 

 

Ive installed it as per the manual, but i notice my panel is different to the one in the manual. 

 

The handset seems to start up ok and it goes to the normal screen but it wont let me press any buttons at all

 

Its not connected to the track at this point so theres deffo no shorts or anything like that

 

What am i missing? Do i have the wrong panel?

20201227_142955.jpg

20201227_143218.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

If it is all connected correctly as in your photos then the red LED should be alight. As the display is lit then power is getting through to the Powercab.

 

In my experience the lack of a red light has been caused by either a faulty cable/plug  or a dodgy socket, I've had one of each over some 8-10 years of use including some intensive exhibition use. So in my experience rare

 

Have you tried wiggling the cable and the plugs in the sockets, are there any kinks in the cable, the wires inside are small and don't like being kinked.

 

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

 

Yes I think you're right; the Panel displayed in the photo is a UTP with 4 outputs instead of the Power Panel which has 3.  The UTP comes without an LED fitted but  you can fit them afterwards.   It is used to connect cab bus around the layout.

 

If you look at  the top photo carefully you can see the difference between the diagram & the actual panel.  

 

Edited by Edward
to clarify the statement
Link to post
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Edward said:

 

Yes I think you're right; the Panel displayed in the photo is a UTP with 4 outputs instead of the Power Panel which has 3.  The UTP comes without an LED fitted but  you can fit them afterwards.   It is used to connect cab bus around the layout.

 

If you look at  the top photo carefully you can see the difference between the diagram & the actual panel.  

 

 

They must have changed them at some point in the past.

From the NCE site.....

 

PCP_Pic.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, Edward said:

 

Yes I think you're right; the Panel displayed in the photo is a UTP with 4 outputs instead of the Power Panel which has 3.  The UTP comes without an LED fitted but  you can fit them afterwards.   It is used to connect cab bus around the layout.

 

If you look at  the top photo carefully you can see the difference between the diagram & the actual panel.  

 

The part in the photo has power input (at top)  the UTP does not. RRR is correct.

Chris

Edited by Gilbert
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Gilbert said:

The part in the photo has power input (at top)  the UTP does not. RRR is correct.

Chris

 

Also the PCP has a track power output (feeding the track power that comes from the PowerCab handset).

The UTP doesn't have this as it's purely a Cab Bus interface.

 

 

.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

The red LED doesn't seem to be illuminated in the two pictures - i would expect it to be glowing in the pictures - but the screen display on the cab looks like it normally does.

 

Was the other cable you tried a 6 way cable?

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, johnb said:

If it is all connected correctly as in your photos then the red LED should be alight.  As the display is lit then power is getting through to the Powercab.....

 

 

I don't own one of these, but I believe that's incorrect.

If the red light is glowing, that indicates that the PowerCab is supplying track power to the PCP, not that the PowerCab is receiving power.

 

 

23 minutes ago, Ray H said:

The red LED doesn't seem to be illuminated in the two pictures ......

 

If power is getting to the PowerCab and its display is alive, but the red light on the PCP is not glowing, then either the PowerCab is not producing a DCC track supply, or there's a fault in the sockets, plugs, cables or the PCP itself.

 

 

.

Link to post
Share on other sites

In the end i ended up returning it to the seller.

 

It was obviously new as the cable and power plug were bagged and sealed. 

 

The instructions said it didnt need to be connected to the track for the light to come on - in fact they recommend not connecting the track to elimiate the possibilty of a short causing issues.

 

I tried everyting to no avail sadly

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

In an effort to be helpful I feel I rushed into making suggestions without reading the original post carefully enough!  But glad to see a very practical answer has been decided on.  

And useful facts learnt!  Also from the guys at Digitrains found that both kinds of Panels can be used as junction boxes for the NCE Cab bus .(  At least if you have a 5 amp system).

 

A happy New Year to everyone .

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear you have sent it back, my suggestion would have been to take the back off and make sure the eprom is plugged in. I had a experince with something similar happening to mine, and thats all that was wrong with it, it had come loose.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I have the NCE Powercab and as I understand you are able to recall either 2 or 6 locomotives numbers.

 

I have followed the instructions in the supplied NCE and it is set to 6 

 

However it only remembers two of the numbers and the last number used.

 

I’m baffled, I don’t wish to do a factory reset as that would mean re inputting all my point macros 

 

I do find the NCE User Manual poor, is there a alternative?

Link to post
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, ELTEL said:

I have the NCE Powercab and as I understand you are able to recall either 2 or 6 locomotives numbers.

 

I have followed the instructions in the supplied NCE and it is set to 6 

 

However it only remembers two of the numbers and the last number used.

 

I’m baffled, I don’t wish to do a factory reset as that would mean re inputting all my point macros 

 

I do find the NCE User Manual poor, is there a alternative?

Press PROG/ESC 6 times.  It will read SET CAB PARAMS

 

Press ENTER  It will read SHOW TRK CURRENT? ( I find that useful so I press 1 for Yes, if you don't want that just press ENTER)

 

Then it says NUMBER OF RECALLS

 

Press 6

 

Then PROG/ESC to get back to the main screen.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

That's any number up to and including six as far as I recall.

 

I run a sequence on my OO layout which utilizes several locos so the recall stack of 6 is useful. On my O gauge shunting "layout" I only use two locos and set the stack to just 2 so that I don't have to (a) scroll through a long stack and (b) key in the loco number each time I want to change it.

 

I did keep the stack at 6 and enter each loco's number alternately 3 times but that didn't always work because I'd forget to turn the speed back to zero sometimes before changing locos and then I had to scan through the stack quickly to find the moving loco's entry.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
2 minutes ago, Ray H said:

I did keep the stack at 6 and enter each loco's number alternately 3 times but that didn't always work because I'd forget to turn the speed back to zero sometimes before changing locos and then I had to scan through the stack quickly to find the moving loco's entry.

Funny you should say........ ;)

Edited by Gilbert
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
13 hours ago, cravensdmufan said:

Press PROG/ESC 6 times.  It will read SET CAB PARAMS

 

Press ENTER  It will read SHOW TRK CURRENT? ( I find that useful so I press 1 for Yes, if you don't want that just press ENTER)

 

Then it says NUMBER OF RECALLS

 

Press 6

 

Then PROG/ESC to get back to the main screen.

 

 

Hi

Now sorted, it seems my problem was that  I was not pressing the recall button before adding the next loco number in the recall list

We live and learn 

Thanks for pointing in the right direction 

Terry 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Am I right in thinking I should either have 2 red status lights or none?

 

Not getting anything out of any loco except, ironically, a 7mm Dapol 08 i bought 2nd hand for 140 quid and I didnt even know had sound until today!

 

20210111_173800.jpg.c41bcdfd5ef379f30c8655bef0572f81.jpg

 

Edited by Hal Nail
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

Am I right in thinking I should either have 2 red status lights or none?

 

Not getting anything out of any loco except, ironically, a 7mm Dapol 08 i bought 2nd hand for 140 quid and I didnt even know had sound until today!

 

20210111_173800.jpg.c41bcdfd5ef379f30c8655bef0572f81.jpg

 

 

Does the cable in the left hand 'control bus' socket connect to the right hand 'control bus? socket. It should. The right hand Status should not be on.

Check that the two 'track' wires are fully in the screw socket and that the inner clamp in on wire and not on the plastic sheaving.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
10 minutes ago, dasatcopthorne said:

 

Does the cable in the left hand 'control bus' socket connect to the right hand 'control bus? socket. It should. The right hand Status should not be on.

Check that the two 'track' wires are fully in the screw socket and that the inner clamp in on wire and not on the plasti8c sheaving.

Thanks. Yes that control bus wire is plugged in correctly and it has all worked fine before today. A couple of locos which have had home conversions will move very slowly so some power is getting through but I'm getting nothing at all from my factory dcc locos. I suspect I've got a damaged cable somewhere. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...