Michaelaface

yes, sorry, the log I've posted is all that happens when I attempt the firmware recovery

(irrelevant)

Hey was wondering if anyone could help me out with an issue I've just run into with my DR5000 I went to update the firmware on my DR5000 and got a message saying it had failed "error - failed to set memory unit" and now when I turn the unit on both the red and green LEDs are lit and nothing appears to work, the computer registers a usb connection but the unit no longer connects to the software I've tried resetting it but nothing seems to happen, I can't get any response out of unit at all now, as soon as power is connected both LEDs are on and nothing happens thanks Michaela

I've used a drop of superglue, based on the advice above and from gaugemaster, so far its working fine

I got this speaker to fit by using a dremel to cut the weight in half and by cutting a slot in the mounting plastic for the Hornby speaker

looking good so far, re that tunnel portal, I'm sure I've seen a thread on here where someone makes a similar one, as to how to make one I'd say design it to scale on graph paper/computer program, and build the 3D shape out with layers of mounting card, and use embossed plastic/scribed DAS clay to get the stone texture

has anyone got a definite solution to this problem yet? I've just purchased a bunch of these solenoids and discovered this problem, and would rather not see any money go to waste on them

there is an LED on the unit that says when the command is being executed, not sure if it says on for the duration of the pulse though, I have tried changing the pulse time, but to no noticeable effect yeah I've decided I can't be bothered messing about with it any more and have just ordered the DCC concepts one

Ahh I see, bloody model trains, guess investing in the newly in stock DCC concepts solenoid decoders it is then

re my choice of solenoid decoder, I bought it after it was recommended in this thread it's firing all solenoids successfully and has done for 2 years though? I recently the fiddle yard of my layout, and there are some places where only surface mounted solenoids will fit, which is why I have some peco PL-11s, now it throws these fine as well, it just they get incredibly hot, and one has melted

aha that's my video, I'll be making another soon of the TTS A4 vs your ESU A4

hey everyone, I'm currently wiring up my layout for DCC automation, and in my initial tests (literally 1-2 throws of a point) I'm noticing that my peco pl-11 point motors, which are connected to a Digikeijs DR4018 are getting incredibly hot, and one unit has failed completely, its internal components melted, and this is with barely any use has anyone had any issues like this before? I've had a search but can't find anything similar to the issues I'm having, I'm not entirely sure which part of the chain is causing the problem here, and I'm a little hesitant to go via trial and error in case I damage any more point motors the failure occurred when switching the point via rocrail on my PC, however I tested another point using the Z21 app on my phone and noticed a considerable amount of heat was still being generated Would changing the pulse times on the relevant apps solve the problems? or changing the pulse duration on the DR4018? (7.3 in the manual, although it's a little confusing) or would a different type of solenoid be ideal? I have gaugemaster PM4s and a PM20 also connected and they don't seem to have any issues thanks Michaela

will the Britannia project be available on the D&H decoders as well? as the preview video mentions them, either way looking forward to that one

I guess for anyone seeing this and looking for an answer, I went ahead and gave it a shot and I can confirm my work to be a success, lesson learned is I really need to invest in some heat shrink, I also didn't wire in the LED for the firebox flicker, as the LED I chose to use doesnt seem to have been the best, also included a video showing everything running fine

I feel like I'm missing something really obvious here, but if I wanted to fit lights to a steam loco with a 21 pin decoder where do I solder the wires? directly to the pin connections on the locos pcb board or what? there doesn't appear to be any clear solder tabs on said board for lights/aux connections, just motor, pickups and stay alive, there's no documentation on the wiring with the loco, and I can't find anything on the Bachmann website I have had a search looking for the answer for this, and I either can't find an answer or I'm searching for the wrong thing, so rather than potentially making a mess thought I'd ask here first the loco in question is a Bachmann J11 and the lighting is the DCC concepts loco lamps and an LED for firebox flicker

hello RMweb, regular visitor but infrequent poster here Basically I'm looking for advice on how to get that "worked but clean" look, I'll post my efforts below, but I was wondering how everyone goes about sealing matte paint/powders etc over a gloss finish with out losing the gloss sheen (if that makes sense) at the moment my locos just have matte paint on top of the gloss layer and that's it, is there a trick to doing this or would it be a case of just being really careful not to get matte varnish on places I want to look gloss hopefully that makes sense, here are my current best efforts at trying to achieve this

I've thought about it a lot and I think it'd just over complicate everything trying to join the two layers I like that large curved station idea, I'll have a go at working that into the plan and regarding the running, I'm happy with it so far, I much prefer to watch trains go by rather than shunt them around, and regarding the trains, on the lower section my plan was to have 2 that loop round each way, and 4 that come in and out of the terminus, and 3 each way on the upper section, which is a total of 14 trains, currently I only have enough stock for about half of that, so for me that isnt really an issue

hello rmweb, so I'm currently building my layout which is going to be on 2 levels, the lower level, which has been completed trackwork wise, is a "branch line" with a minories inspired terminus and I want the upper level to be the main line so I can run long trains, now the bit where I'm stuck is the track plan for the top level, at the moment it's just pain track with no pointwork, but I don't want to build it all and then wish I'd made it more "interesting" however the problem I'm having is I can't really get any "logical" pointwork to fit in the section so my question is, what would you do with the section in red? other things to note I plan to have a station with an island platform on the lower level on the left hand side, and although I'd prefer not to, I would have a go at building my own points

potentially daft question here, but will this power supply be suitable for powering these mentioned units? 19V 3A is what I believe is the ideal supply, but there are so many variations I don't want to get something that might cause damage https://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacement-Computer-Notebook-Adapter-Charger-x/dp/B072LX2GQS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1550173810&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=universal%2Bpower%2Bsupply%2B19v&th=1

well I've ordered one from amazon and will find out for myself, would you be able to recommend a suitable power supply for it? also I noticed in your signature that you use automation, are they reliable in that sense? I'm currently wiring my layout up for automation so I don't want anything failing on me aha

I am a big fan of Digikeijs stuff, but wasn't aware that this would be able to drive my solenoids? if this will work it'd be my first choice, it's just I've found the ESU switch pilot will occasionally fail to throw a turnout (I am running off the DCC bus though and do intend on getting a dedicated power supply for them) but in comparison to the ADS-8sx its kinda put me off a little had planned on getting a DR4018 anyway to control signals etc, so will probably give this a try I considered this one too, but it seemed to be getting similar reviews to the ESU switchpilot which put me off slightly ahh strange, the email response I got from them the other day said "Regarding availability of ADS-8sx, the people that manufacture them for us are having a few problems and this may take some time. We don't have an estimate for them yet."

Hi was just wondering if anyone knew of any good alternatives to the DCC concepts ADS-8sx, as it's currently out of stock every where and DCC concepts have an issue with their supplier and don't have a date it'll be back in stock, I've tried the ESU switchpilot but that seems to lack power, and also the gaugemaster pm10d but at £16/17 for a single unit isn't really that practical

Not sure if this has been solved yet but you can use the Z21 apps to control the dr5000 without having to connect to a computer, you have to set it up through a computer first though

Thank you for all your input its been very informative! at the moment I think for what I want to do, I'm leaning toward the Digikeijs command station and feedback controller, I think the digitrax stuff goes a little too far outside my price range I'm going to leave out the signalling for the time being because I'm not entirely sure how to go about that without the costs skyrocketing as for solenoid control I'm still not sure what to use to control them, I've been told that the lenz RS150 won't provide enough power for peco solenoids and as for software I'm leaning toward train controller bronze as that's what I've seen used and it does what I'd like to do I've also had a look at JMRI and I'm not sure if its because I had no hardware connected to it, but I just couldn't figure it out on my own at all (I tend to prefer using software I can figure out myself rather than having to read endless manuals) but the main issue is the solenoid point decoder, not sure what to go for there, Hornby's one can be found for roughly £35 and claims it can change 4 points or there's a DCC concepts one what are your thoughts?

Hello group after seeing a few layouts on youtube that featured DCC automation I have decided that it is exactly the way I want to run my model railway, I've been umming and ahhing over how to build and where to put a control panel on my layout for a while now and to be honest, controlling the lot via my PC makes so much more sense for me now I've used the basics of DCC to control my locos for the past 10 years, but never ventured further than that, the currently controller i use is the horribly dated Hornby select which needs upgrading anyway, so I have a basic grasp of whats going on however I am aware there are probably many gaps in my knowledge for anything more advanced, but so far, if I want to run automated trains I've worked out I will need the following - DCC controller with the ability to connect to wireless/computer, the popular choice seems to be the roco z21 is this right? or is there a more affordable option - Accessory decoders + solenoid driver (I have solenoid point motors already) for points and signals, now what is the best way to go about doing this? I've had a look at the stuff from megapointscontrollers and they seem pretty easy to use, and this all goes through the main DCC bus yes? - Block detection, so the video I saw made this look fairly simple using a device from DigiKeijs, but how it works in conjunction with the controller wasnt really explained and it annoys me that im not sure how this information will be received, I know it works by telling the computer which section of track current is being drawn from, but thats it, also this plugs in to the controller via phone cable type plug? - Software, I've watched loads of videos on the various softwares available and I'm fairly sure I'll be able to work out how to use everything now is there anything glaringly obvious in here that I've missed, I don't want to go buying a load of stuff and then have it not work cause some of these parts get a little pricey, but like I said, I need a new DCC controller regardless thanks Michaela