hoovernut Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I have a problem witht the handset loss of connection with the base station. When i turn on the handset the signal drops out and after a full reboot of both pieces it last for maybe 1-2 mins then cuts out. I am aware that certain lights, television and other such items can interfer but it is being used in a room with no other electrical items turned on. I have spoken to two other people from my model club and they have bith had problems with one being sent back to the surplier. Have any one else had any problems and or offer any advice. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
owentherail Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Ive been having same problem, Bachmann say its the lights!! so im buying a gaugemaster. owen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovernut Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 I thought that the lights may affect it but i did not have any on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
owentherail Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 ive been in my local shop when people have been in complaining about dynamis, (and there has been a few) even voltage to house was wrong and worked ok with a extention lead from garage!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifeflyer10 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Hi I have been advised that fluorescent lights can affect the infra red between command station and handset. So maybe a change of lighting? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paudie30 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I have the exact same problem. Mine worked fine for about a year and a half and now the signal keeps dropping. It comes back in fits and starts but i annoying. Def thinking of changing controller. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmax Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I had a similar problem recently with my Dynamis. I came back from a fortnights holiday abroad to find that my Dynamis Controller wouldn't operate any locos at all, despite it having worked perfectly for 18 months or more. I have more than one handset (there are more than 40 locos on the layout & I don't want to spend time re-entering data), and none of the handsets would operate a loco. The symptom I had was that the light on the infra red receiver flickered green rapidly when switched on, and didn't settle down to a static green display as normal. On a hunch, I borrowed another Dynamis set from a mate who lives 2 miles away. I wired this one into my layout and guess what........it didn't work either, but showed exactly the same symptons. I then took MY OWN Dynamis to his house........and it worked!!! Thus I knew at this point that the fault was the location where it was being used, not the equipment itself. The next step I took (a bit desperate I know!) was to phone Western Power who supply our electricity. They turned up very promptly, and the guy, like me, assumed that there was maybe a voltage drop to our property, or even a dirty supply. Much to my disappointment his readings were normal, so I was almost back to square one. Next, I decided to unplug appliances from their sockets - fridge, TV, lights, clocks, switched off central heating etc etc - to no avail. However the following day, continuing on this theme, I found the culprit. I had kept the Dynamis switched on as each appliance was disconnected and as soon as I switched off the PC, the green receiver light on the Dynamis steadied. I tested it and found it worked perfectly. I should point out that the PC doesen't operate from the same room as the model railway. Further investigation though, showed that it was NOT the computer that was affecting the infra-red, but the Belkin WIRELESS ROUTER we were using. This has now been permanently disconnected and the Dynamis is back to working fine. The only unsolved part of the puzzle is - why did the Dynamis work fine for 18 months, then suddenly become susceptible to the router. Anyway, I hope this helps. Best Regards Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisWV10 Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Found this thread whilst looking for ideas with a similar problem. No changes in environment at all but suddenly signal was going up and down and dropping after 2 years of trouble free use. Tried the usual solutions - new batteries (3 sets!), checked controller id (0), factory reset (deleted 40 locos!) and dropped an email to Bachmann (waiting for response). I also have a Belkin router so thought "what the heck, I'll try it" and lo! Dynamis works again. BUT! Turning the router back on, doesn't bring back the same problem which makes me wonder if there's something else causing interference. However, all is working again (for now) but I'll be saving my pennies for a new system I think. (Need to find another job first tho!) Only thing is .. I LIKE my dynamis. It does everything I want - runs 4 locos simultaneously, 40 loco database not limited to a 2 loco stack, trigger/latch functions for sound locos and it's not a console. It has a large, clear display free of hieroglyphics and it didn't cost the earth. Decisions! Dec isions! at least I can play trains again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I had a Dynamis for a week, same problems, so I sold it. Now I have a Prodigy 2 with wires and its great, had one of the first Prodigy a few years back and should never have sold it. Andy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyMoggs Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Presumably the same problem would occur if a neighbour had a belkin router and you might then have trouble convincing them to turn it off. I've got a Dynamis. I've just come back from two weeks holiday. Guess what! Can I ask, when you guys have had problems, what did the handset display? Mine behaves as though I'm entering random commands, from both the joystick and the buttons. I've tried new batteries but to no avail. Guess what I'm going to try this evening? Sorry kids, no Xbox Live 'til I've sorted it. My router is BT not Belkin, but it must operate at the same frequency so as to be compatible with all the other kit it's expected to speak to. I'm also suspicious as routers use radio waves, not infrared. Any thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCCmad Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 my dynamis stopped working on Mill Lane T.M.D at our exhibition in Bakewell on the Friday of setting up. After a hour it came back so dont know what was happening then. The only thing was that the signal was dropping out but on mill lane we have 2 sensors and the base station and we thought it was the lighting too. works fine else wear even out side . Connor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted August 18, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 18, 2011 My router is BT not Belkin, but it must operate at the same frequency so as to be compatible with all the other kit it's expected to speak to. I'm also suspicious as routers use radio waves, not infrared. Any thoughts? As you say, wireless routers use RF not infra-red so they shouldn't really directly affect the Dynamis. I did wonder if the Dynamis had poor RF immunity, but I really don't think it could be so poor as to be affected by wifi from another room. So maybe the router is producing a small amount of mains interference at a frequency the Dynamis is particularly sensitive to. If others have fixed problems by running from a mains extension lead then that does suggest the Dynamis may be over sensitive to garbage on the mains. Although it's not a trivial exercise I'd be interested to see if running a problematic Dynamis command station from batteries rather than its own power supply fixes the problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combe Martin Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Wireless routers are 'odd' things. I dont have a Belkin ( I use a Netgear ), and I'm not using a Dynamis or any wireless DCC so I'm not affected by this problem, but it's not uncommon to lose the wireless connection between my laptop and the router. If I power off the router and switch it on again my connection is back, so I'm not surprised that resetting a Belkin in the same way also stops it from interfering with a Dynamis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 40-something Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I had the signal drop a couple of times on my dynamis, I promptly sold it and bought an NCE Powercab Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyMoggs Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Rebooted my router and hey presto, an improvement. I'm still getting the occasional, and I mean twice an hour, blip. It's almost not noticeable as it's favourite command to send on my behalf is to slow the current loco by 1 notch. Would consider a change of controller, but only when the bank manager (aka Mrs Morgan) allows. As others have said, the beauty of Dynamis was it's price and flexibility. I see on the back of the handset it says "This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation." Now I'm no legal expert, but to me it sounds as though the FCC (whose rule only really apply in the US) are saying that this unit is not suitable for sale in the US as it clearly doesn't cope with interference received. Does anyone know what the sales are like in the US for his? Time to find an american forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted August 21, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 21, 2011 That wording is standard for any electronic product sold in the USA,. it is pretty much the equivalent of the European EMC directive; there is nothing stopping Bachmann/Kader selling Dynamis in the USA, in this respect at least. (Noy checked but I assume it is UL approved as well, another mandatory USA requirement) In both cases the principle is that equipment should be able to cope with interference and not transmit any; but there are practical limits to this; pretty much every electronic device emits some level of garbage. So on both sides of the Atlantic the limits are set such that most equipment operates happily with most other equipment most of the time, but there is no guarantee of compatibility - designing equipment to be bomb-proof in this respect would add a couple of zeros to the price tag, and they wouldn't sell many. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyMoggs Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Update time! Wrapping the handheld unit in tinfoil stops all the problems. Am currently working on applying foil to the inside of the unit, sealing it with PVA to prevent any shorting problems. Obviously won't be able to cover screen but hope this will be enough to remedy the problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy81 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've also just had a similar problem with signal loss, the base unit also started slowly flashing the green LED, however fortunately I've got a spare Dynamis power supply from another base unit. Using the second power supply everything worked OK, so plugged the original back in and once again had the same problem. Next I started turning electrical devices off; Turning an electric lamp off (with an energy saving FLC bulb & electronic dimmer) appears to have fixed it! So I guess its a combination of electronic interference and a power supply that's not tolerant to interference. Guess it might be worth investing in a decent quality power supply sometime. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR1962 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) Having same issues with my starter one, had it only 6 months, was fine, now failing to send a signal to box unless I put it very close and shake it. Also engines stop at each end with no apparent reason for it, on comes the stop button symbol, reset and off we go. In a shed at bottom of garden with insulated walls and tin foil under the roof on one side which was added to try and reflect summer heat from the sun. I have strip lights and a heater. Of course extention comes from house with Talk Talk router etc etc. Gonna change to Guagemaster Prod 2 I think. Pity they have to make them look like a 1950's dc controller though??? It's 2014! Edited January 23, 2014 by GWR1962 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR1962 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 May seem a dumb question but is MRC kit the same as gaugemaster only in the USA? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokebox Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) The American company MRC were the original designers/developers of the systems and Gaugemaster sell the same, rebadged, systems under their own name. Gaugemaster offer no support for MRC badged systems and MRC offer no support for owners of Gaugemaster systems. Edited January 23, 2014 by smokebox Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crosland Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Next I started turning electrical devices off; Turning an electric lamp off (with an energy saving FLC bulb & electronic dimmer) appears to have fixed it! So I guess its a combination of electronic interference and a power supply that's not tolerant to interference. Guess it might be worth investing in a decent quality power supply sometime. You may find it's the bulb putting out infra-red light that is interfering with the Dynamis, rather than mains borne interference. Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR1962 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Off to check lighting in shed today to see if Dynamis works better, meanwhile I have been looking at some depth at the other options. Well working ok now even with the lights on. Only thing is the directional nature of the receiver, I have it one end of a 12 foot long layout and if facing the wrong way I get 0 signal pick up. It is a pity you can not use the extra signal receiver without a pro box. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR1962 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Ended up on Bachmanns own forum page, signed up for it and then could not post my grumbles because its a read only forum! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelp Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Mine worked fine for a while after I bought it, I was using it in my loft with three five foot tube lights but it started losing signal but nothing had been changed in my loft. So it was goodbye Dynamis, went down the Lenz route....end of problems. Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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