BromsMods

Bournemouth Model Railway Centre, which produced the Traintronics range of accessories, closed down last year as far as I know so I guess Traintronics parts are no longer being produced. See https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2019-04-17/model-railway-enthusiast-shutting-up-shop-half-a-century-since-opening/

I have just had a closer look at the photograph of your layout and I am just wondering what the black blobs are which appear alongside the track in various places. Are these Hornby power connectors by any chance?

In that case you definitely need to install some circuit breakers, not only to help with fault finding but also to help protect the considerable investment you have already made, not least of which is the command station.

Can I suggest that, before you go any further with problem finding on the layout, you connect the PowerPro to a completely separate piece of track, not attached to the layout and then try controlling a loco? This will rule out any problem with the PowerPro, provided you have made the required connections correctly.

See https://clarahost.clara.net/www.bromsgrovemodels.co.uk/decoderinstallation4mm.htm#hornbydies This has links to guides which provide some clearer photos of the wiring for a non DCC ready Class 43 HST

This is a Zimo decoder MX633P22, I think. If you want a copy of the manual you can download it from https://clarahost.clara.net/www.bromsgrovemodels.co.uk/Zimo_manuals.htm

I recently bought the WiFiTrax direct from Australia - the Digitrains price is better than I got mine for. I use mine with a PowerPro system and the TCS UWT-100 throttle and it works very well but I could also use it with a smartphone or tablet with WiThrottle (the basic version is a free download) installed or with a computer running WiThrottle through DecoderPro.

Perhaps I should have added that TCS have taken the decision to only sell their products direct to customers rather than going through retail outlets. This means that prices should be lower, at least in the short term.

I hope that most users of DCC are now familiar with Train Control Systems (TCS) from the US who have primarily been producing decoders for about 20 years. Their products were one of my main lines when I ran Bromsgrove Models and I worked with them to produce the well known DP2X-UK plugin decoder. TCS started producing the WOWSound range of decoders for US steam and diesel locos about 8 years ago and are soon to release a UK steam loco version. They have also just released their UWT-100 WiFi throttle which will work with most makes of DCC command station and are hoping to release their own command station later this year. In order to increase focus on the UK market they have set up a UK office/distribution centre to speed up the processing of orders and not only can you order online but I am now able to take telephone orders. In order to place online orders you will need to Log In (or Register if you don't have an account). Details are available at https://tcsdcc.com

Why not check your wiring against the installation guides at https://clarahost.clara.net/www.bromsgrovemodels.co.uk/decoderinstallation4mm.htm#hornbydies

An update to the TCS UK ordering process. I am now able to take orders by phone (074973 89826) Mon-Thu 10am-4pm here in the UK and process card or PayPal payments directly, which might save some time if you don't want to go through the online ordering process.

TCS is now selling direct and has set up a UK distribution office. There are lots of stay-alive, decoders and other items in stock here in the UK. The only issue at the moment is that you have to order online from the US. The KA2 is currently £16.52. You will need to Log In to their online shop (or Register if you don't already have an account) at https://tcsdcc.com/Zen/. You should then see both prices in £ and the option to add items to your shopping basket. Once the US passes the order to me I will ship within 1 or 2 days provided I have the items in stock. Orders within the UK over £100 are carriage free. For any issues see contact information at the bottom of their home page at https://tcsdcc.com.

Just to clarify, are you using solenoid point motors and addresses in the range 1 to 8? Have you also been using the "Smart" programming functionality?

In that case I have a feeling that the first paragraph relates specifically to TCS decoders as CVs 250-252 are probably used by different decoder manufacturers for different purposes. Was the Zimo decoder not supplied with a capacitor?

It is possible that the MX634 is not compatible with the KA2. Have you followed the notes concerning use of the KA2 with non-TCS decoders? Not all DCC decoders are Keep Alive® ready. TCS decoders use software to enable and disable KeepAlive, so if your decoder does not support Keep Alive®, it may not work. Keep Alive® supported code for TCS decoders was implemented fully by November 2012. If the date code in your decoder is before this date, Keep Alive® may never enable. CV's 250, 251, and 252 read as the month, day, and year of manufacturing. If you would like to attach a Keep Alive® unit to a non-TCS decoder, you need to connect the wires across the output of the bridge rectifier on the decoder. You will need to consult your decoder manufacturer for a schematic or wiring diagram.

I'm sorry if anyone has been trying to access the TCS website during the last couple of days but the problems with accessibility have now been fixed. Can I suggest that those of you in the UK wishing to purchase products from the TCS online shop either Register or Log In before you start to purchase? That way it will ensure that products are shown with the correct price in £ rather than $.

Just a thought - have you tried disconnecting the radio transmitter and just using tethered throttles? How many throttles do you have (radio/tethered)? I'm just trying to eliminate radio interference which might be causing corruption.

You could try making sure the daughter board inside the System Box is correctly seated on its stack connecting it to the motherboard. Remove the 4 screws on the underside of the box, slide the cover off and you will see the smaller board sitting above. Check that all of the pins are correctly connected. This can sometimes be a problem if the box is moved or knocked which moves the pins and casues an intermitteny connection.

OK. I have never used the app before but just having a quick look through it I'm guessing the following should work for Step 3. Have you set up points in the Z21 app "Track Control Settings"? If so select No.1 and press the CONFIGURATION button. Select the appropriate setting (0 or 1) for each position of the point switch. Go to the STEERING BOARD and activate point 1. If you have already tried this without success I'm afraid I can't offer any further advice at the moment but hopefully someone with more expertise in using the Z21 will be along soon to help.

Hi Will The DS64 is, by default, set up to work solenoid point motors so you need to re-program the decoder to operate slow-motion point motors, such as the Tortoise. Instructions from the manual I have say: To set up your DS64 to operate stall motor type turnouts: 1. Connect the DS64’s ‘TRKA’ and ‘TRKB’ terminals to your track. No turnouts should be connected to the DS64 at this time. 2. On the DS64 press and hold the OPS button down for about 3 seconds until the red OPS LED and green ID LED begin to blink alternately. This indicates that the DS64 is ready to change the option switches. To run the type of turnout you have chosen, you’ll need to follow step 3 to change Option Switch 1 to closed to operate a slow motion type turnout. 3. Using your DCC throttle, select Switch Address 01 and send a Closed command. This will set your DS64 to operate slow motion type turnouts. Refer to your DCC throttle’s operating guide for specific instructions for selecting switch addresses and sending switch commands. 4. Exit the set up mode by again pressing and holding the OPS button on the DS64 until the red LED stops blinking. Once you have the DS64 set up for the right type of point motor, make sure your point motors are connected correctly to the DS64. Then you can progress to programming the outputs of the DS64 but beware - you have to program all 4 outputs. Instructions are: DS64 Address Programming Your DS64 has 4 Outputs labeled 1R & 1G, 2R &2G, 3R & 3G, and 4R & 4G, which are shipped from the factory programmed as Switch Addresses 01, 02, 03, and 04 respectively. You can set the Switch Address of each of these four Outputs to any value from 01 - 2048. 1. On the DS64’s control panel, press and hold the ID button down for 3 seconds until the green LED slowly blinks on and off. This indicates that the DS64 is ready to accept address programming for the Outputs. 2. Using your DCC throttle in Switch mode, select the Switch Address you want to program for Output 1 and issue either a Closed OR Thrown command. The LEDs will start to blink faster indicating that your Output 1 is programmed to the Switch Address you selected. 3. Repeat step 2 to program the Switch Address for Output 2. The LEDs will blink faster indicating that Output 2 is programmed to the address you selected. 4. Repeat this process for Output 3 and Output 4. After Output 4 is programmed, the alternating lights will stop and you will see a single green ‘heart beat’ this is visual confirmation that all 4 Outputs have successfully been programmed to the Switch Addresses you selected. Note: To change a single Switch Address, you must program all four Switch Addresses on a particular DS64. If you make a mistake while programming, you’ll need to complete the programming cycle and then go back and start again. The DS64 does not timeout during programming so, you must program 4 switch addresses each time you enter the ID mode. Best of luck!

OK Edward. The 1.65 Addendum note that I have says: The PowerCab™ now supports cab addresses 3-5 for a total of 3 external throttles in addition addresses 8, 9 and 10 may be used for non-throttle type devices such as AIUs, Mini-Panels or USB interfaces. Regular throttles will not work on address 8, 9 or 10. The "SET CMD STATION" menu now has an option to change the power-on timeout that determines how long the ‘ProCab™’ part of the PowerCab™ will wait for cab bus activity before going into PowerCab mode. This value is in seconds (approximately) and can be in the range of 1-30. This will ensure the primary PowerCab™ has a chance to startup before the additional throttles. Factory default is 4 seconds. I hope this might clarify some of the issues you were experiencing in the original post.

Hi Edward Do you know which firmware version is in use in your main PowerCab? I would expect it to be either 1.28 or 1.65 - you will see this number when you boot the system up.

WiThrottle has a fast clock option. The programming of locos and accessories I would have expected users to have done directly via the NCE command station and throttle in use. I think the WFD-30 interface is just a way of controlling trains and accessories via wifi. However, this does leave the question of macros currently unresolved but I know this issue is still being investigated by the manufacturer.

Not that I am aware of, but they can be ordered online.

I received a response from Wifitrax overnight which states that The module is indeed CE certified to comply with Article 3 of Directive 2014/53/EU. I hope they update their documentation soon to reflect this statement.