Before sending your Digitrax Command Station/Booster in for repair try these simple steps to see if you can “bring it back from the dead” and save a possible trip to the repair shop and a repair charge.

If you find that you do need to send an item in for repair, click here For Digitrax Repair Procedures and Information

Nothing is responding

If there are NO LEDs lit on the front panel of the Command Station/Booster:

1. Check the power supply to the unit to make sure that it has not been knocked loose in the power socket and that the socket is powered.
2. Check the connections from the power supply to Track A and Track B connections on the front of the unit making sure that they are firmly attached.
3. Swap out the power supply if there are still no lights.
4. If these steps do not correct the problem, send the unit in for repair.

If some of the LEDs on the front panel of the unit are lit:

1. Check your throttle’s TRACK STATUS Indicator to see if the track power is turned off at the throttle. If the TRACK STATUS LED or DOT is not on, you will need to turn power on at the throttle. To turn power on with the DT300 press the STOP and Y/+ keys. To turn power on with the DT400 press the POWER and Y/+ key.

No Power or Intermittent Operation

The majority of intermittent operation problems can be traced to bad connections on the layout or poor/noisy wheel pickups on locomotives. The DCC digital packet communication strategy performs exceptionally well in a less than perfect environment, and will often mask bad connections until they are really impossible to work with!

1. Clean the track and wheel pickups of your locomotives.
2. Check for the adequate track power around the layout with the “quarter trick.” Take a quarter or screwdriver blade and go around your layout creating electrical short circuits across the rails every 3-6 feet. Your command station will beep and shut down as each short circuit you create is detected (Zephyr shows a blinking display instead of a sound). When the short circuit is removed, the booster will return to normal operation. If this does not happen, then you need to add more track feeders so that the signal/power is adequate all over the layout
3. Check your LocoNet cables with the LT1 tester to be sure you don’t have any cables that were made incorrectly. See your starter set manual for how to do this.
4. Check your locomotives for problems with their mechanical drive train and make sure you have free movement of the locomotive wheel sets. This is especially important with inexpensive locomotives.


Troubleshooting Command Station/Booster Shutdowns

If the Command Station/Booster unit shuts down frequently:

1. Move the unit so that the heat sink has a flow of cool air.
2. Place the unit out of direct radiant heat like sunshine or a room heater.

2. Try direct cooling by using a small fan to blow air onto the heat sink.
3. Lower the track load current by running fewer locomotives or setting up additional power districts and adding more boosters to provide more power for the layout.

5. Reduce the input voltage from the transformer.

Troubleshooting Layout Wiring

Often we find that customers who believe they have problems with their Digitrax equipment actually have problems with their layout wiring. Installing Digitrax, or any other command control system, on your layout will not fix problems with layout wiring. Layout wiring can be very complex. We see many examples of layouts that have “grown over the years” where wiring was added and changed creating some very interesting electrical systems.

If you suspect that layout wiring might be a problem, we recommend that you disconnect the Digitrax equipment from the layout and test it on a small section of track not connected to the layout to confirm that the problem is not with your Digitrax equipment.

If you find that there is a problem with your Digitrax equipment, please send it in for repair.

If you find that your Digitrax equipment is working fine, then it is time to de-bug the layout.

Observe the problem carefully and methodically.

Does it occur with both DC and DCC operation? If so, check track wiring.

Is it occurring everywhere on the layout or in one particular area?

With your Digitrax system hooked up, use the quarter trick described above. You may not have enough feeders or your power supply may not be adequate. Use your LT1 to test the LocoNet cables attached to the booster in the problem area.

Does it only occur with certain locomotives?

Check the locomotives for mechanical problems and for damaged decoders. If you programmed the decoders just before the problem started, go back and re-program them in case you entered values by mistake that are causing the problem.

Does it only occur with certain throttles, boosters or other equipment?

If the problem happens with just one piece of equipment, then you may need to have it repaired. Check the RJ12 LocoNet jacks to be sure the pins are not mis-aligned.

Does it occur only when plugged into a certain LocoNet jack?

Check the wiring to that jack, particularly if you are using telco type jacks that you wired yourself. Use your LT1 to test the LocoNet cable you are using in that area of the layout.

Have you recently changed anything in your layout wiring?

If so, try disabling the change to see if they layout will run without the “upgrade.” You may need to de-bug the upgraded wiring.

Have you changed any of the Command Station/Booster or Throttle option settings?

If so, go back and re-set them to the default values and check to see if the layout will run.

Have you recently installed additional boosters on your layout?

If so, check to be certain that these boosters are set up properly as boosters. If more than one command station is operating on your layout, you may experience unexpected operation when the decoders are taking commands from two different sources (command stations.)

If you find that you do need to send an item in for repair, click here For Digitrax Repair Procedures and Information