jukebox Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 My NCE Powercab appears to be exhibiting an intermittent fault, and I was hoping someone wiser than me on matters digital may have some advice. Over the past few weeks, it has refused to work intermittently on my under construction layout, but now seems not to be working at all. The setup there is an SB3a running through a PSX3 via a control bus to three wallplates around the layout, all powered by a DCCconcepts PS-5 14.5V DC power supply. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63300-stockrington-trackbed-marches-on/?p=1103312 Off layout, the handset works fine on it's own in program mode to identify and set addresses on a programming track, but when taken out of that mode returned to regular operation, does not seem to work at all. Plugged into the layout bus, it also now is not controlling any chipped locos. The power supply is providing 15.4V clean, and all the LEDs that should light up, are (on the PSX and plug panels). When I trip the PSX by shorting the rails, it protects, then resets as designed. Has anyone else had a similar problem - and if so, is there a simple, logical way to test the unit is the problem? Cheers Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted March 21, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2016 Have you tried using the throttle in non-programming track mode on your programming track to see if the locos respond there? That would help to narrow the problem down to either the controller or the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Have you tried using the throttle in non-programming track mode on your programming track to see if the locos respond there? That would help to narrow the problem down to either the controller or the layout. Hi Ray Yes - that was what I was trying to explain I did when I said "when taken out of that mode returned to regular operation, does not seem to work at all" I've tried it on it's own as a Cab Throttle on the test track, and with the SB3a as a throttle there, to try and figure if it was the PowerCab or the SB3a giving me grief. It has been working fine on the layout - up until the last six weeks - and there's been no change to the trackwork in that window, it's all been carpentry. From what I can tell from the Yahoo Groups NCE forum, there is small sample of random funexplained ailures of this kind. Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold traction Posted March 21, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2016 Agree with Ray, You still have the standard PowerCab system as you can use that to program on a test bench away from the layout, instead of going into program mode see if you can run a loco on it. It obviously works for program mode, so see if it will work as a standard PowerCab. If that works it proves the PowerCab throttle is OK. Also when using the PowerCab on your test track you will be using the 6core flat cable from the Cab to the power panel, you would only be using the 4 core cable when connecting it to the SB3a, so you need to make sure that cable is OK. You haven't said but is the Cab plugged directly into the SB3a or a wall plate? Plug it directly into the SB3a and see what you can control then, if OK you've proved the PowerCab and SB3a is OK and the cable from the Cab to the SB3a. If not first try a different cable from Cab to SB3a it could just be a poor cable. If all that's OK then plug a wall plate in to the SB3a one at a time with it's interconnecting cable and plug the cab into the wall plate. Doing this you do realise, as soon as you unplug everything and plug it back in a poor contact maybe disturbed enough to start working again and you will not know what you did to solve it!!(Guess How I know that) All we've done so far with this little lot is to narrow down what is causing the fault, intermittent to me from experience is usually a bad connection, broken wire in a cable somewhere or bad contact in one of the wall plates. On the machines I work on I've had really odd faults, removing the EEPROMS and putting them back in cured it, maybe try that in the handset? Cheers Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Okay, so I spent this evening methodically working through the issue. I started with the programming track issue. Tried the same loco I used yesterday. Yep, can code, cant run. But as it's one I've not run on the layout, and bought second hand, it struck me "what if the chip in that loco is a dud?". Swapped it for a loco I chipped myself - bingo, working. So the Powercab was working stand alone. Went upstairs, and tried the unit in all the sockets. Nothing. Then I tried shorting the track, to test the PSX. It didn't react. I the followed the DCC bus back from the cabs, looking for something abnormal (damage, broken cable) and eventually got to the six pin connector I use to take the DCC buses from the PSX to the layout - and it was not quite pushed in properly, and had been dislodged by a drop sheet I had above it to protect from the woodwork going on. Re-plugged it, all works fine. Nothing wrong with the Powercab in the end. I'd been tripped up by a dud Hornby chip in a second hand loco I had yet to run on the layout - because it wasn't working, it seemed like the Powercab was dead. Once I knew it was working stand alone, it was just a matter of chasing down where the signal wasn't getting to the layout tracks. A good result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 One failure is usually easy to find by a methodical "try one thing at a time" approach Two simultaneous ones - much more difficult! Happy ending:) Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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