Clean wheels and track

[Nomad]

Hi everyone , I just put this as a reply, but I thought I should also start a thread on this.

If you are using a programming track with a resistor in the circuit, make sure your loco's wheels and the programming track are clean ! One piece of gunk in the right spot, and the decoder will not recieve the programming signal. Believe me, I learned the hard way with an Athearn S-12.
I know it's a simple thing, But I didn't see anything about it in the instructions, and it took me about an hour to figure out why the decoder wouldn 't program.ops:

Loren

 

[Woodie]

One thing I also found, is that (well NCE D13SR decoders anyway, using NCE Pro DCC system) will not READ CVs on the programming track unless there is a load across the grey/orange wires. i.e. the motor is connected. Tried to reset a few decoders that i'd uninstalled (replaced with Sountraxx sound decoders). i.e. red and black straight to the track, and nup. No go. Thought I'd blown them up somehow. Joined the orange and grey together, and twas fine. Wouldn't recommend doing that "on the main" though, specially if you turn the throttle up!!! hamr hamr

 

[boppa]

for safetys sake woodie- wander down to tandy and pick up a 5w resistor around 25 - 30 ohms and use that instead of shorting the wires
keeps the smoke in the decoder( that value is only good if rail voltage is 18v or less and decoder is rated at 1 amp...)

 

[baldwinjl]

for safetys sake woodie- wander down to tandy and pick up a 5w resistor around 25 - 30 ohms and use that instead of shorting the wires
keeps the smoke in the decoder( that value is only good if rail voltage is 18v or less and decoder is rated at 1 amp...)

You definitely want a load there, keep that smoke in.

The way the systems reads back the CVs is by sensing the load on the system change with little pulses to the motor. That's why the orange and grey can't just be hanging.

Jeff