Tricky

Hi all, I have newly acquired the above stuff and with help from Jintyman have installed it in my 7mm Midland 0-6-0. My problems are purely operational ones as I am a complete novice! First up is how do I reduce the sound volume? I understand F27 and F28 are what I need to change but I have no idea how to access these functions. Second up, is there an Idiot’s Guide to be found anywhere as the Powercab instructions booklet is very hard to follow! Many thanks in advance...

In other news (because all this DCC stuff gets a bit heavy-weight after a while) I’ve made some more progress on the baseboard, adding stiffening ribs and so on. Over the weekend, if I’m allowed, I hope to start to tackle the main boards making up the backscene, sidescene (new word I’ve just made up) and proscenium arch. The lesson I learned from Bristol will be to make all of this removable , thus avoiding the whole lot weighing a ton.

So here’s an update on the current state of play (pun intended...). Jintyman very kindly has dug me out of my particular hole and wired up the loco for me, including replacing the stay-alive capacitor and speakers and has done a wonderful job- thanks! This evening I popped it on the tracks and yes it works! After a fashion. There is obviously a knack to operating and it’s very different to DC - obviously. Is it my imagination or does it respond better when the sound is on?! Without sound I can’t seem to get it to stop in time and keep having to press the Emergency Stop button to prevent it falling off the end of the test track! With sound, it coasts nicely and has a delightful brake-squeal as it comes to rest. There are also numerous buttons on the Powercab relating to increase, decrease, momentum etc but the instruction manual might as well be in Chinese for all the use it is. At the moment I can’t even work out how to decrease the sound volume! There’s another thing - I somehow managed to start off the sound of a scraping coal shovel and a blower I think but once started I can’t stop them! I know, I know, I can hear the sniggering from the back row as a novice tries to grapple with technology that is now old hat to most of you but to me it is totally baffling. Is there an Idiot’s Guide somewhere for this combo of decoder and control system...?

Many congrats on the new grandson - and I agree, best leave the ladies to their shopping...! Good work on the loco, I wish my metal work was half as good as this.

And here it is with a layer or two of Edwardian East London smog.

I have to say Precision Weathered Wood is my favourite colour at the moment!! Sad, I know, but it is proving such an all-round useful colour. Not only for (heavily) weathered wood but all-round grimy washes, tarmac, roofing felt etc etc.

Did a bit of sign writing yesterday. The original depot used to stand on Vine Street, near Farringdon. Just a bit of weathering to tone down the brightness. O’s and S’s are tricky!

MX696

I got a large ‘slug’ capacitor as supplied with the decoder but also supplied another tiny one - looks like 4 tiny batteries connected together. The ‘slug’ has rigid wire connectors but the tiny one has the blue and black wires. Must confess I’m still unsure where to stick the wires!!! These are my options... Or maybe I send the whole lot to Digitrains and get them to install it?!

Hi Lez, thanks for the replies (and no doubt your patience!). What sort of values should I start with?

Getting a bit frustrated...! I’ve programmed the chip to the loco number rather than 3, and I can tell something is happening because the loco ‘jitters’ for want of a better term when I’m doing it. Having done that, it doesn’t move! Argh! I had to try several times though as it kept coming up cannot read cv.

Just trying to get to grips with the DCC gubbins I’ve bought. The stay alive capacitor has two wires, black and blue. Which is positive and which is negative? Any help gratefully received. My scalp is getting sore from all the head scratching...!

In other news, the first sod has been cut so to speak. A solid start made on the baseboard this evening. At the moment just positioning three main ribs so that the change in levels can be assessed. Here I hope you can see the line dropping gently towards the flour mill and the lower bit which will be water. This is the current view from beneath. Nothing is glued at the moment, just screwed so if I need to cut bits away for wiring and/or point control I can remove ribs to do so. The front fascia will be added once the back is built up, very similar to Bristol.

Very interesting....I have just phoned Digitrains and placed an order for an NCE Powercab, decoder with sound file and stay alive capacitor. They were telling me about a customer they had just had in, whose symptoms sound remarkably similar to yours...!!! As you (and they) say, the standard decoder will handle it. Looking forward to their package turning up and getting going...

It is running off the Gaugemaster controller at 12V now that it’s 2 rail.

I used to use Rotring drawing pens in a previous life before the advent of Autocad so I imagine I will get on with them, as I think they operate in a similar fashion.

I suppose it’s long winded due to having to wait for the next bog entry...?! A fascinating read as usual. I was idly thinking myself about getting one of these pens - yet again Dave you are leading me astray!

Still not sure I’m on the right track (ha ha) but I get a reading across the leads of 0.7 and across the motor terminals of 5.6, so working the sums through assuming 12V = 2.4 amps. This sounds quite a lot...?

Just finished this war memorial; the beautifully detailed soldier is from Modelu. The rest is scratchbuilt using laser mdf and mountboard. Really pleased with the stone detailing, a base coat of enamel and then pencil mortar lines and colouring using my favoured watercolour blendable pencils. Very satisfying to see the tones develop in a very gentle and controlled fashion.

Just in case anyone was concerned about the outcome with my GW four plank, here it is... With what is (hopefully) the correct signage...!

Hi Phil, Thanks for this. I'm a bit thick, but how do I measure the motor current? I've read somewhere that measuring the stall current involves stopping the loco dead in its tracks. I f this is the case, how do I go about that - i.e. step by step? I'm sure this will indeed be useful to others to know. Thanks, Richard

On another matter, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned here or elsewhere that I intend dipping my toe into DCC. I’ve been talking to a potential supplier who just needs me to tell him the stall current of the motor in my 0-6-0 which I will be converting. I have one of these: ....but I’m a bit baffled as to how to wire it and use it! Any (positive..ha ha) suggestions? Bearing in mind my electrical knowledge is mostly confined to straightforward household wiring, this is unfamiliar territory!

FWIW I tend to use mountboard now for straightforward sound-looking brickwork. Easy to cut and glue, soft to scribe. For more decrepit brickwork I would revert to DAS where more texture can be incorporated. Having said that, I’m going to experiment with engraving brickwork on to mountboard with my laser. Although I suspect it might look too uniform and lifeless. The main advantage to using the laser over styrene sheets for example however is the ability to create the correct queen closers into English and Flemish bond external corners and window and door openings plus brick arches and other architectural features. Although if I’m going to draw an example patch of the two main bonds, I could incorporate some variation into my Autocad drawing from the start and then copy and paste as required. A bit long-winded but an interesting concept and one which I might do some R&D for the buildings on Tewks...

Hi Pete, What an absolute delight to read through this thread. Love the 'feel' you have incorporated into everything, especially the buildings of course which are exceptional. Your patience is clearly rewarded by being able to produce such beautiful work. It all looks effortless and natural which is a real skill in itself. Hats off to you sir! Richard

FWIW I tend to use mountboard now for straightforward sound-looking brickwork. Easy to cut and glue, soft to scribe. For more decrepit brickwork I would revert to DAS where more texture can be incorporated. Having said that, I’m going to experiment with engraving brickwork on to mountboard with my laser. Although I suspect it might look too uniform and lifeless. The main advantage to using the laser over styrene sheets for example however is the ability to create the correct queen closers into English and Flemish bond external corners and window and door openings plus brick arches and other architectural features. Although if I’m going to draw an example patch of the two main bonds, I could incorporate some variation into my Autocad drawing from the start and then copy and paste as required. A bit long-winded but an interesting concept and one which I might do some R&D for the buildings on Tewks...