traction

Having checked with my Powercab, if I short out the track output the LCD goes off as does the RED LED on the PCP panel. If I leave the output shorted out the display comes back on again for a few seconds then goes off again, the LED doesn't come back on at all. It really does seem to be a short circuit, the problem is finding it. Could you disconnect the frog wire to each Seep motor switch, doing one at a time to see if that starts to narrow down the problem. Is the track ballasted yet? If not then yes its a pain but lifting the points and checking now is way better than trying to do it once you glued the ballast down. What about disconnecting the 3 switch wires from the Seep so the point is completely isolated, by using a DVM and operating each point in turn should narrow it down, but DE-soldering the wires from a Seep motor probably upside down really isn't much fun! Cheers Ian

A couple of screen shots showing open circuit and short circuit on DVM. You don't want the short circuit reading of 0.1ohm if so you will need to start narrowing down the layout to pin point exactly where the short is occurring. Just to give you an indication, hopefully not teaching you how to suck eggs, but its the only way to be sure to find out what is happening, it's then going to be disconnecting wires one by one, although it could still be a point that's shorting out. Have you double checked every connection on the seep frog switch that the rail connections haven't been swapped over, either at the point motor or where the feed is coming from. lots to check! Cheers Ian

As has been said disconnect everything from the layout, so it's just the track connected to the bus. Connect a DVM to where you connect the feed from the Powercab and see what readings you get or put it on continuity alarm and see if it rings. If no ringing check the resistance reading as it could be high enough for no ring but low enough for a short circuit. Operate all the points while DVM is connected to see if that changes anything, either ringing or resistance value. I take it the points are all on their own separate feed? Cheers Ian

How have you connected the droppers back to the Powercab? Are you using a DCC bus and connected the dropper wires to this? It does sound like a short circuit, but as you say where, the RED led on the powercab PCP panel is showing that there is voltage going to the track so thats good, getting hot is not! If possible I would be tempted to remove dropper wires and start trying to narrow down where the possible fault could be, it might even be a loose connection on the points when you've linked the rails across. Cheers Ian

You could try reinstalling the firmware. What version was it on at the minute? The latest is V1.44 as of April 2017 https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/downloads/view/index/cat/9/ There may be a gremlin in there, reinstalling the firmware might cure the problem. Cheers Ian

Apologies for dragging this back up, but did the stocks ever get made? I didn't see any further information about ordering one. Cheers Ian

You can just use the RJ12 6P6C connector each end. Just don't connect up pins 1,5 & 6 as pins 1 & 6 are track power(although I didn't measure any voltage from the PCP on these two pins best to leave them off) Pin 5 is the +12v output so we don't want this either. Connecting the rest should give you the two data cables on pins 3 & 4 with a ground on pin 2. I have no idea which way the data cables should be connected I'm assuming it will be as per the diagram so Pin 3 is -RS-485 and pin 4 is +RS-485 if you have no short circuit but the points don't operate then you could try swapping these two round, but try it as is and see what happens. Cheers Ian

I think that wire should be fine, Digitrains made some up for me and it's just standard flat cable, but grey instead of white. To me it looks like the only reason it's failing is the +12v on pin 5 from the NCE PCP panel going straight into the ground on the SMD84 RJ12 socket. Once the 12v is removed it shouldn't short out, if it works and sends signals is a completely different issue though! Cheers Ian

My PowerCab has run a couple of SMD82's (just using the DCC track bus for power) both having all outputs connected and still running 2 N-gauge locos. so it should be OK. Turn on the ammeter in the Powercab and see what current is being drawn. I connected all 8 points up then set a macro to fire all 8 while I watched the current draw on the Powercab, it wasn't too much but each point is fired after a second delay while the capacitors recharge for the CDU. I found it to be the most reliable accessory decoder I've used and the ability to have switches as well as DCC control the points made it ideal. I've just checked and there is 13.4v DC coming out of the PCP RJ12 connector on pins 2 and 5. You could as a test, cut the RJ12 lead in half and connect the wires into a choc block terminal strip so one side with the RJ12 connector would plug into the SMD84 the other into the RJ12 port on the PCP panel. That way you can just isolate individual wires and see what works, would be a good test. Cheers Ian

I understand what you've done BUT, 4 core wire will still be connecting ground to ground and +12v into the ground connection on the RJ12 connector of the SMD84, hence why I said use only 3 wire connection so no chance of any unwanted voltages, just make sure it is ground to ground and then are the data signals the correct way round. At least it still all works when you go back to standard DCC control, so no damage to the functionality of the board! Cheers Ian

The serial bus ( the two RJ12 connectors)on the SMD84 is for Loconet. From SMD 84 instructions:- 2.1 Control via LocoNet- Digitrax Users The SMD84 comes from the factory ready to use by control from DCC commands. To control the SMD84 via LocoNet, it must be enabled. Connect the SMD84 track power terminals to the programming track and program CV29 with a value of 48. The SMD84 is now ready to be controlled via LocoNet. The SMD84 should be connected to track power for proper CDU operation The RJ12 connectors on the Power Panel (PCP) of the Powercab are for linking other panels or connecting other NCE cabs. You will get power down the cable if using the 6 core wire(6P6C), hence the need to use the correct cable on the left hand port to plug the PowerCab into as it needs power as well. Reading the SMD84 manual again it does look like you can use the RJ12 connectors for the bus. In the table on page 7 it does give the required set up to use with NCE, so setting a CV value of 24, although in the description it does say:- Provides separate bus for bus enabled accessory devices. (This comment is what concerns me as to if it will work correctly) Allows devices to receive turnout commands from the track (DCC commands) (As per normal use which is what you don't want) you might need to change the wiring in the RJ12 connectors though:- 6 WIRE CAB BUS CABLE WITH RJ-12 CONNECTORS Pin # Color Description Pin 1 ....... White .............. Power to track Pin 2 ....... Black ............... Ground Pin 3 ....... Red ................... - RS-485 Pin 4 ....... Green ............... + RS-485 Pin 5 ....... Yellow ............. +12 volts Pin 6 ....... Blue ................. Power to track The above was taken from the PowerCab manual, I would chop the plug off one end of the cable you've made up that goes into the PCP panel and reconnect another RJ12 connector but only use Pins 2, 3 & 4 that way no track power or +12volts can be sent down the wires to the other RJ12 connector. Hopefully you haven't damaged the SMD84 by sending +12v to it, not sure if you would have sent track voltage as well though, need to dig mine out and double check what voltages are actually present on the other RJ12 ports( not the one that the PowerCab plugs into) Any particular reason not to want to run the solenoids from the DCC bus? The SMD84 has a built in CDU so doesn't take too much current out of the equation. Cheers Ian

From the PowerCab manual it says:- Cabs: 2 maximum plus USB Interface and/or Mini Panel Using the SB5 the manual says:- Maximum number of cabs (throttles): 6 - Cab Addresses MUST be in the range of 2 through 7 Plus USB, AIU, Mini Panel accessories in address range of 8 through 10 So maybe this is the issue with addressing everything correctly. Cheers Ian

I had the same issue. Found there was a break in one wire to the point motor, so an easy fix. Id50 has stated something I also had, try connecting the new point motor to decoder one, but leave the point motor hanging, that is don't connect it to the actual point itself and operate it then. It could be just the point with the over centre spring being a little too stiff for it to move, as decoder 2 is operating both motors correctly I would guess everything is free though but worth checking. If using the toggle switch to operate the point then it wouldn't be an addressing issue, which only leaves the accessory decoder itself, and seeing how many others have experienced a similar issue it might be on its way back to DCC concepts, at least they are in the UK now as well! Cheers Ian

I gave up with the LS150 using the seep point motors they just take too much current, and the instructions on the LS150 do say max 16v ac 3amps. Just one Seep can take 4amps to operate. You may have better luck using the low power Peco type point motors, in the end I just used a different accessory decoder which had onboard CDU Cheers Ian

All of my layouts have been small and simple using set track and have been taken to exhibitions for the children to play with. I was taken with Bachmann's Railway Children train pack and it gave me the idea to build Oakworth station. I'm only going to include the level crossing at the left hand side all the way to the end of the sidings on the right hand side. It wont be very wide, just a strip of grass at the front up to the main line then extending towards the back up to the back of the car park. The thing is, having roughly measured it out using google maps it works out to be about 3m long, in OO, possibly a little more, it will be approx 450mm front to back. I plan on using code 75 Electrofrog points....all two of them!! Never used code 75 so will make a nice change. The question is do I make it a bit shorter in length to make it more manageable and will allow me to put all baseboards together to build it, or do I just keep it as close to the correct length scaled from google maps? There is a funny bit of point work after the goods shed, I've used a single slip to replicate how it seems to work. I've scaled off google maps and hopefully if I've got it right everything should be in about the right place, with the sidings the correct distance apart. That layout would 3.5m or 11.5feet long!!! OK not that long compared to some layouts but it is when you don't have that sort of room available. I'm just wondering if it would still look OK to shrink it all down further, or if it will just ruin the look of it. I'm not after super fine scale perfectly replicated, just a feel for the station and goods yard, I just don't want to condense it down too much and it looks completely wrong. I need some pictures of the shed side that's away from the tracks, not seen that side of it and haven't manage to find a photo yet. Any thoughts most welcome. Cheers Ian

Thanks, so pressing the non lit button turns the point and turns off the light in the other button. It's just confusing having two switches both with 3 wires, when I've used momentary push buttons I've linked the common of both switches together and the red wire goes to one push button the green goes to the other, press one button to operate the point in one direction, press the other button to move the point back. Only 3 wires for both switches. This looks like its 6 wires for two switches. Thanks for the clarification. Cheers Ian

Hi Mick, In the photo below of your Dead mans lane panel at the bottom right and left you have 4 push buttons for a passing loop I believe these are momentary buttons, so press and release the point will move, press again and it will move in the other direction. So my question is, are these the 3 wire or 2 wire switches? If 3 wire do you need two switches to operate the point in both directions? Also if its the two wire type switch, when you press the button that's not lit will it automatically turn off the other switch? I could be missing something really obvious but just wanted to check. Cheers Ian

Hence why I also mentioned the Merg PTP Lite as that will greatly reduce the wiring between control panel and layout and would give the traditional feel. It is however only analogue and wouldn't work with DCC. I was thinking about the Merg Encoder which will generate the DCC signals but this would need to be on it's own accessory bus and completely separate from the loco control DCC bus. To have the best of both worlds by using DCC and push buttons on a mimic panel then I would guess the mini panel is probably the way to go. There you go Ron just for you to make it crystal clear. So PC control is a justifiable way to go IMHO. Cheers Ian

You could always go the NCE smart booster route which will increase the number of cabs available. By the time you've bought a PowerCab, Smart booster and mini panels it may be cheaper to look elsewhere. I have the PowerCab but also other control systems, I would probably use the Hornby Elite and the Railmaster software, that's because I already have them. It would probably be cheaper to use the NCE USB interface and use JMRI or Rocrail to achieve what you want at the minimum cost. Another alternative to reduce the wiring between control panel and layout is using the PTP Lite system from Merg, that system uses a twisted pair of wires between boards and then you have output boards and input boards all connected by a 4 core twisted pair cable acting as the comms. Switches and LEDs are connected to these boards and are operated accordingly. Cheers Ian

Hows about going to Bachmann Support and downloading the manuals for each decoder? http://www.Bachmann.co.uk/service/dug.php Just a thought. Cheers Ian

Hi, Railmaster will record exactly the movements and functions you want to operate and it will play these back for you when you put it into automatic operation, you can also add extra time between operations as its running if required too to fine tune everything, but if the loco wheel spins or something else happens the automatic process will still go through its timed sequence so if when you record the movement it records move train XXXX at speed step 56 for 20secs, if on the next cycle the train is not quite in the same place as when you recorded the sequence it could be in the wrong position for the next events, not good when coming up to points that you're about to change, trust me I found that out when the loco derailed as the points changed while the loco was on them, that was after two full automatic cycles. The only way to have Railmaster run automatic routes using this timed operation is after every automatic cycle slow the loco right down and let it run into the buffers at a station or siding so it has a known starting point, if not after 2 or three cycles it will be starting in a slightly different position every time. Basically there is no feedback to say where anything is, it has been promised for many years but at the moment still vaporware. It wouldn't surprise me if Bachmann now having their own similar version of Railmaster out actually get loco detectors released before Hornby!! It can be made to work, you just need to be aware of its short comings. Cheers Ian

Heads up for those that have the ACE and not aware! There is new firmware available V3.20 which adds some great features to the function operation. Can select momentary or latching for the function operation and there are presets so if you have a number of locos with the same sounds on the same function numbers you can assign those locos to a preset. Very impressive, you will need the USB interface or send the unit back for upgrading. Link to manual and the V3.20 supplement:- https://www.signatrak.co.uk/products/ace-dcc-controller-accessories/dcs2044-ace-15#product-documentation Cheers Ian

That 5 to 6 amps is very high! The original ESU power supply is 16v DC at 2.3amps. I have since tried my Hornby Select power supply with the correct adapter fitted on the end, and that works fine as does the 4amp Hornby power supply. I really like the idea of powering the Bachmann Dynamis with a Hornby power supply!!! It just seems very strange that the original ESU adapter just seems to be a common failure point, also that it can be that susceptible to poor DC or noise on the mains power. At least the Hornby power supplies are both working and powering it OK. Cheers Ian

I've managed to get a very cheap Bachmann Dynamis. It's an old one but in excellent condition. Tested it out and initially the handset didn't power up. Took it apart and cleaned the corrosion off the battery terminals. Checked all batteries and two were down so replaced the lot again, and now working fine. Then connected power supply to the base station, green LED in receiver flashing fast, only LED lit. No signal showing on handset. Read the many reports on here and tried resetting it and lights on/off then found a spare 500ma DC power supply. Plugged that in and hey ho all working great. Tried the original ESU power supply again, and tested in different sockets in the house still the same fault. Also used a filtered extension lead still the same. Tried my Maplin variable DC supply and all working fine no matter where I plugged it in or what lights were switched on. The only difference is the original ESU power supply is rated at 16v DC 2.3amps The maplin one is rated at 3 to 12 v DC at only 500ma It also looks like the Maplin one is not a switched mode type. Did anyone find a suitable working replacement power supply? Why would the original cause a problem when a cheap non SMPS work fine? Its very odd, just want to get a decent power adapter for it now. Cheers Ian