DCC Ineptness

[Chris Chewter]

I knew there was a discussion on golden DCC mistakes on the old RMWEB. I think many people posted about suffering short circuits only to find a steel ruler across the rails, and fitting chips back to front, but last month I suffered what must be the golden piece of DCC ineptness, and thought it would be fun to share (Even if it makes me look really stupid!)

 

One of Bachmann Prairies didn't appear to be working. Without a DCC chip, on the main, the AC voltage would make that typical buzzing to the motor. However she wasn't buzzing anymore. I feared that I must have left the track power on overnight and burnt the motor out. (In my defence, a sound logic!) I didn't fancy fitting a new motor myself, so off it troggled to Barwell be fixed by the experts.

 

Bachmann called up with the prognosis, only to confirm that there was, in fact, a chip fitted inside . The loco was responding to DC power, so the motor was given a clean bill of health. It then dawned on me that I fitted the chip, and got half way through programming the four digit code. Set the four digit number, but didn't set CV29. So the loco naturally wasn't responding to anything on DCC.

 

I felt really stupid on the phone. Luckily the chap from Bachmann was very professional and dealt with it in a matter of fact way, rather than making me feel like a total numpty !

 

With CV29 corrected, she's running perfectly now, and normal service has been resumed!

[Ron Solly]

Set the four digit number, but didn't set CV29. So the loco naturally wasn't responding to anything on DCC.

 

Now that is unusual because as far as I am aware CV29 is only used if you are changing defaults. If programming a 4 digit code & not completing the process , loco should have run on default code 3. I can only asume that you took the loco off the programming track/process & did not test it then.

 

What type of DCC system are you using?

[cromptonnut]

Not strictly DCC only, but I had a loco that kept derailing at a particular point. So I thought I'd put my head down on the baseboard, sideways, and look to see exactly what spot was causing the problem, and whether it was a front wheel jumping the rail, bogie binding or whatever.

 

Invariably, the set would trip out almost immediately I put my head down on the board.

 

It took me about 5 minutes (and much resetting) before i realised that the problem was actually the fact I was resting my metal framed glasses across both rails.

 

 

[Chris Chewter]

Metal framed glasses - Now that makes a change from a steel ruler!

 

The command station I use is a ZTC 511 - so therefore if you set a four digit number, you have to manually alter CV29 - Do other command stations do this automatically? I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case as ZTC stations have many many idiosyncrasies!

[Tony_S]

Metal framed glasses - Now that makes a change from a steel ruler!

 

The command station I use is a ZTC 511 - so therefore if you set a four digit number, you have to manually alter CV29 - Do other command stations do this automatically? I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case as ZTC stations have many many idiosyncrasies!

 

All the dcc controllers I have do so automatically (including the Bachmann Dynamis).

 

Tony