A circuit breaker on the program track won;t have an effect oooon trains running on the main track output - especially with NCE, since only one is ever possibly active at once (with Digitrax you can program on the program track while others still run trains on the main).
It won’t hurt anything, although the resistence of the breaker circuit (there is a slight voltage drop as well) may cause readback issues. It’s not in any way needed - the program track output is already limited to a very low current level. That’s why it is recommended to test a new install by first programming it on the program track - if there is a short, odds are the program track power is low enough to not fry anything. If it won’t work on the program track - do not set it on the main until you figure out why.
Free up the extra EB1 for somewhere else, or just keep it handy as a spare in case one of the others fails.
Since the NCE booster is a 5 amp booster, the circuit breakers should be set to trip lower, say 4 amps. At 8 amps, the booster will trip before the circuit breaker in the event of a short. In that instance, the entire layout will shut down instead of only the individual power district that you are trying to protect.
OK 2 improvements. 1-remove the breaker on the program tracK. That is exactly the problem I had when I tried to read a new decoder. 2-Reduce the breaker trip voltage to 7 AMPS.
My 2 BLI T-1’s just run and run and run. Have six BLI engines, all steam, and they run trouble free. Had to send one back, my fault, and they fixed it NC.
Ok something is wrong! 2 MORE BLI Locos stopped working. I moved the EB1 to 4 Vlots so short. When I tested the track voltage with a multimeter (I know wrong thing but I don’t have a DCC meter yet) it shows about 10VAC. Voltage is steady. A SS washer across the tracks trips the breaker.
One loco just runs backwards now. It was running fine until I programed volume CV’s and switched some function buttons. The horn will sound but it does not stop until I shut power. The other (JUST Repaired) ran forward until I tried to switch to reverse and then it stopped (still making sound) but cant sound horn or bell and wont move.
I’m guessing it cant be BLI must be something wrong with the Wiring or NCE. Wiring is simple a 12Ga Buss with 18Ga feeders connected with Suitcase Connectors. All sections have equal power.
Are you using the meter on AC or DC? On AC, an ordinary cheap multimeter should read close to the real track voltage. 10V is way too low for HO scale. The in-between types, like if it says “RMS” but not “True RMS”, will be the most INCORRECT - so you either want to use something pretty fancy, or else a really cheap one, like the Harbor Freight meter. I get almost exactly what the track voltage is supposed to be when measuring with the HF meter. If you are using something similar and getting only 10V, that’s a problem. Check the voltage right at the track terminals (ahead of the EB1’s) on the base unit. And then test at the output of each EB1. It shouldn’t drop from a nominal 14-15V to only 10V passing through the EB1.
Hpwever, being low, it may CONFUSE the BLI decoder, but it’s not going to fry it.
The one that won’t stop - bet you accidently set CV4 when you meant to program something else. CV4 is braking momentum, and a high value there can make the loco run for minutes after you set the speed to 0.
Have you tried resetting any of them when they ‘fail’? They might just need a reset to go back to working normally.
Yep, something is wrong. And, I agree, logically it cannot be all of your BLI locomotives. The odds are overwhelmingly against that. So, the problem is more likely with your wiring or the NCE command station or maybe neither but rather with your decoder programming procedures.
But, let’s begin with Randy’s suggestion. Have you tried resetting the decoder to factory default when things go wrong? All NCE decoders reset to factory default with CV30=2. Do this on the Programming Track and then go through the Standard Programming (Option 1) procedure on pages 58-60 of the Manual to re-establish the long address. I wonder if you are inadvertently remapping functions?
I agree with Randy that 10 volts is simply too low to operate in DCC, but your meter is probably giving you false readings. I went down and checked my system, and the voltage is a steady 13.5 volts.
OK, let’s start with some basic troubleshooting. You removed the EB1 in front of the Programming Track, so that is good. The remaining three EB1s protect the dual mainline and the two yards. All three c
Thanks Randy, really appreciate the input. I did set CV4 to 100 but they were not behaving that way. One Noel went in reverse the other stripped but diesel sound kept on.
That’s easy enough to check. Put the loco on the Programming Track and run through the Standard Programming (Option 1) procedure. If you can do that, the decoder is not fried, although that is no guarantee that one or more of the function outputs are not fried. If you get the message “Cannot Read CV”, that would not be good.
Rich, I reset the decoders in the locomotives by doing a hard reset (holding down decoder button and applying power. works after that with address 3 forward and backwards. After I finish programming it works for about 2 feet then does it’s own thing or stops.
failures all on the main. I’m afraid to try any more locos. I should be able to tell if teh EB1 is the cause by testing voltage before and after as Randy suggested correct?
Rookie to DCC here… How do I tell the version on the command astation. The NCE System is New December 2016. I wired the mainline befor I got the System then just connected to it. How long do batteries last? How do I tell if it’s good?
I removed all but three, when the Mikado failed I took all off except teh one I was working on.
New purchase could be old stock but not likely so old as to miss the latest EPROM.
When you power up, have Pro Cab throttle in hand because the message passes by somewhat quickly. It should show Version 1.5A for the radio wireless. Then press the Prog/Esc key 5 times and then press the Enter key. The latest EPROM should read March 2007.
The battery should last up to 5 years according to NCE, so if the purchase is new then the battery should be fine.
If it were me at this point, I would take all my locos off the layout and then place one problem loco on the Programming Track and key in CV30=2 and CV8=8 to reset the decoder to factory default. Then I would go through the Standard Procedure (Option 1) to reset the desired long address. Then, run the loco through its paces, going across the mainline and into and out of the yards to test each EB1 individually. I would then take that loco off the layout and repeat these procedures with the next loco.
At this stage, you will need to do some deductive reasoning and testing to eliminate potential sources of problems. Too much going on here to suggest an easy fix.
Probably, if they were going slow enough. The times I’ve had it happen, they were running down the main (not breakneck speed, but certainly not coupling speed) and the short was only there long enough to hear a “snap”, see spark if I happen to be looking for one, and hear the whistle/bell/whatever random sound turn on. Again, this would be dependent on what brand switch you have as this is primarily a Peco insulfrog problem.
