Bachmann 108 trailer car

[unsoundmove]

Hi - I have fitted power car of Bachmann Class 108 DMU with Lenz gold decoder no problem. However, when fitting a further decoder (I tried various ones, so decoder is not the problem) to the trailer car, so as to be able to control the lighting, I get 'error 02' message on programming track. I can't see any sign of short circuits, and wheels & programming track are clean. Am I doing something silly ?!

 

Pat

[10000]

You may need a motor connected to allow programming.

I tried many of the suggestions that can be found on the web to program without a motor and non worked, so I programmed the decoder for the trailing car in the powered car then transferred it to the trailer car.

[smokebox]

I just put both the powered and unpowered cars on the programming track at the same time.

[SRman]

Ditto what smokebox said! You can fine-tune the powered decoder later on its own, after setting up both to start with.

[Nigelcliffe]

Hi - I have fitted power car of Bachmann Class 108 DMU with Lenz gold decoder no problem. However, when fitting a further decoder (I tried various ones, so decoder is not the problem) to the trailer car, so as to be able to control the lighting, I get 'error 02' message on programming track. I can't see any sign of short circuits, and wheels & programming track are clean. Am I doing something silly ?!

 

There is no acknowledge pulse coming back from the decoder to command station. The acknowledge is used by the command station to tell that the instruction has been accepted by the decoder. It is also used when reading values from a decoder. The command station says "error no decoder detected" due to lack of acknowledge pulse.

 

There is no pulse is because the lights are insufficient load on the decoder to cause the pulse to be generated by the decoder. A motor would be enough load, this is why people suggest putting the decoder in a unit with a motor, doing the programming, then swapping back.

 

Or, having another device on the programming track (the motor car with decoder) means that other device can send the acknowledge pulse back to the command station. And assume that both devices accept the same programming instructions.

 

 

The decoder in the trailer car will (almost certainly, subject to pickups being clean) be accepting the programming instructions without sending back the acknowledge pulse. Otherwise, it could not accept the instructions when stood on the track alongside the power car as some have suggested.

 

 

 

(btw, there is no point in spending money on Lenz Gold chips over Lenz Silver unless you are also fitting the Power-1 module or a Susi sound chip (unlikely given lack of UK prototypes!). The motor control and lighting outputs of the Silver is identical to the Gold. It spending Lenz Gold money, then Zimo are better chips in my opinion. ).

 

 

- Nigel

[unsoundmove]

Thank you 10000, smokebox, SRMan and Nigel. True gentlemen - thanks for the advice.

 

Pat