If the DB150 unit shuts down occasionally due to a track short circuit: 1. Correct the short circuit condition and the booster will resume normal operation. 2. Turning off the booster when a short occurs is not necessary since it will re-start automatically when the short is cleared. If the DB150 unit shuts down frequently: 1. Move the DB150 so that the heat sink has a flow of cool air. 2. Place the DB150 out of direct radiant heat like sunshine or a room heater. 3. Try direct cooling by using a small fan to blow air onto the heat ...
I have a Broadway Limited Import diesel locomotive equipped with factory DCC and Sound. Every time I turn on my Digitrax Zephyr DCS50 the engine starts to short out. It begins to slow down and then jerks a little and sometimes it stops completely. My Zephyr shows a line of flickering zeros across the dial and the engine decoder number even flickers on and off at times. I have checked all terminal connections and for foreign matter on the track but have not had any success in solving the problem.I have taken all cars off the track to make sure ...
I have a DCS100. I do not understand why my DT400's speed increases (all the way up to 99) sometimes when I plug it in. Also, sometimes the Loco number (when selected when this is taking place) will increase too. There is no control enabled when this is taking place. If I plug in a DT100 it operates normally. One of the buttons on the DT400 may be stuck, leading to this behavior. Take a look at the control panel of the DT400 and you will probably see this stuck button since it will not be in a fully returned ...
Q: Can I loop LocoNet? Is there any benefit to doing so? A: LocoNet should NOT be looped back on itself. The design of LocoNet allows branching in different directions, but LocoNet must not be set up as a loop or ring topology.
Most intermittent operation faults on all layouts, not only DCC ones, are caused by bad electrical connections and poor wheel pickups on locomotives. Poor electrical contact causes problems with sound decoder operation in particular. Sound decoder installations usually include a capacitor to store energy to keep the sound going when the decoder briefly loses electrical contact. When the track is dirty or corroded, it can't transmit the electricity and DCC signal needed to run locomotives. When the locomotive pick ups are dirty or corroded, they can't pick up the signal from the track. Check your track cleanliness and quality of wheel pickups ...
1. Disconnect the wire harness from the LT1.2. Plug one end of the LocoNet cable being tested into the LT1.3. Connect the other end to the cable into on of the LocoNet ports on your DCS50. Make sure the Track Status Indicator Dot is lit.4. All four LEDs on the LT1 will light if the cable is good. LEDs may not all be the same brightness, this is normal. NOTE: Only three LEDs will light if the Track Status Indicator Dot is not lit.5. If any of the LEDs fail to light, recrimp the plugs on the LocoNet cable and ...
Problems occurring on most auto reversing sections are a result of improper wiring or gapping. Digitrax auto reversing units such as the PM42 or AR1 require a "hard" short which means there must be good current flow to both sides of the gaps, on the reversing section side and on the "normal" side. Our experience has been that over 90% of reversing section problems are a result of improper wiring or improper gaps. Another 5% is a result of improperly wired or configured auto reversing units. It is poor practice to put the gaps immediately behind a switch (turnout in ...
Loco is running fine, then suddenly slows down, stops for a few moments, then starts up again to its original speed. This happens repeatedly and randomly (not at the same locations). Wheels, track are clean, doesn't seem to be a problem with other locos. Running HO using the Zephyr with Digitrax decoders. You did the right thing to make sure that the track and wheels are clean; that is one of the most common sources of problems with model trains, DCC or otherwise. What is probably happening is that the locomotive has been selected by two throttles. You are operating ...
Q: Can two sections of a single PM42 be configured to perform both the task of a circuit breaker and also automatic reverse section control for a single reverse loop? The PM42 can be configured so that one section of the PM42 is used for circuit breaker operation, feeding into another section of the same PM42 which is configured for automatic reverse section control. In the field, this configuration has been found to be unreliable in some layout configurations. If you are having problems getting this to work in your setting, we recommend using an AR1 to handle the automatic reversing secion. The ...