I hooked up a second DS64 to my layout and the two of them started going crazy so I unplugged one and discounted the track feed. I tried to change the turnout IDs using a NCE PowerCab.
I got confused applying Digitrax terms to NCE and I don’t know what I did, but now DS64 is running an endless loop of throwing each turnout one at a time. First it goes through each turnout one by one turning each ON and then back through still one at a time turning them OFF. Then about 30 seconds later it starts the cycle over again.
I’ve tried resetting the factory defaults and I also changed the board ID without any improvement.
Is it possible that somehow during my confusion over the terms, that I might have started a macro in the PowerCab itself?
Do you by any chance have anything hooked up to the switch inputs? If they’re connected to normally closed switches I can see a problem.
Also when you set the address for the outputs you do all 4 the same time. I beleive you hold the ID button down until the green light flashes. Then you send a switch command to each of the 4 address’ you’ll be using. The green light will flash faster with each address and command entered and stop after the last one.
I don’t have anything connected to the input although I connected wires to each input to be connected to pushbuttons sometime in the future, but the opposite end is unconnected to anything.
One thing I should mention is that as I was trying to program the outputs by pressing the ID button, is that I could never get the light to stop flashing and I think that’s when things started acting up. I turn off all the power trying to get the flashing to stop but it came right back on when I turned on the power. That’s when I started trying to reset it with the ops button.
Once the light starts flashing you program each of the 4 outputs. You must program all of them. When you are done the last one the flashing stops and the outputs should respond to the programmed address.
I’ll give it another try, but the more fool with this, the more I think it’s the PowerCab. I’ve been trying to find a reset in the PowerCab and haven’t been successful
FUnny thing, just helped a friend set up the first two DS64’s that I’ve ever touched. FOr one thign, the manual is alittle off witht he timings for holdign the buttons, at least the version that came with his. 10 seconds for the board ID change? It was a LOT more than 10 seconds untilt he fast blink turned into a slow blink and I could let go of the button. 3 seconds on the ID button to set it in address mode? It was definitely more than that.
The only one that seemed as described is pressing the Ops button to get into OpSw mode to configure it. Try another reset first, hold the Ops button until the Ops and ID LEDs start alternating. Dial up switch 7 and set it to Normal (or is it reverse?). Remove power and reconnect the DS64.
If you are using TOrtoise type motors, you have to repeat this procedure using switch address 1 to set the mode of the DS64 for stall motors. Press the Ops button again untilt he LEDs stop alternating.
Now hold down ID until the ID LED starts to flash slowly. The next switch address you use on your throttle will the address stored for output #1 and the LED will flash a little faster. Then do the address for output #2, the LED flashes faster still, etc, until after the 4th address it goes back to the ‘heartbeat’ blink. When you select each switch address, it doesn’t matter if you hit the normal or reverse option, either one works for this, the DS64 is just looking for any switch command on the desired address.
Thanks Randy. I’ve been working on this problem all day and I’m growing tired. I may have better luck tomorrow.
I thought I was getting some place while trying to reset the PowerCab because when I was in the programming mode the turnouts stopped switching on their own. Only after I finally figured out how to reset the NCE system and went back to normal did the turnouts start up again.
Oh and I did go back and reset the ID address. I wish they gave an example because I don’t know what number to put in so I used “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” for the last output. I’m pretty sure it worked because the blinking green light stopped.
Well, there’s on the order of 2048 numbers you can use…
I like to avoid using 1 for anything, since some devices default to 1. You should come up with a scheme and keep it recorded in your layout documentation (your what? Yes, you should write down configuration items about your layout, draw wiring diagrams, etc. because 5 years from now you’ll never remember everything you did or why you did it). If no one town or location has more than 10 turnouts, you could use 2-digit addresses and make each town a different first digit - so for example SOuthtown would have turnouts with addresses 10,11,12, and 13. Nextown would be 20,21,22, etc. Or follow a common prototype method and number them based on the milepost.
Do you still have another DS64 hooked up and if so, do you have a Loconet connection between them? The reason I ask is if you somehow accidentally programmed routes on the other DS64 it could be triggering the new one through the Loconet connection.
There’s an option switch on the DS64 that can be set two ways. You can set the DS64 to throw all switches at power up to the position they were in when the system was powered down. Or you can set it to only throw the switches on your command after power up. Did you set this Opt SW?
As randy noted you have to hold the ID button down longer than they say in the manual. Just hold it until you see the green light flash slow. With the NCE power Cab you of course use aux commands which is the same as switch commands. There is no loconet used in this instance since it’s NCE.
Also Johnny B, are you using torti’s or twin coil switch machines. There is a setting in the DS64 for each, as well as different wiring.
I sure hope you’re not using Peco or other kind of twin coil switch machines. There is a known issue with the combination of NCE and twin coil switch machines on DS64s, automatcially throwing switches on power up.
How do I know this? I had problems with all 6 of the DS64s, and I have Peco switch machines and NCE PHP. I finally got rid of them and installed NCE switch-ITs, and everything works very well now.
Robert you found me. I was getting anxious anyone would be able to help me, so I posted on a couple of forums. That way I wouldn’t miss anybody that might have a solution.
Well anyway you probably already know the answer to your question, but for the benefit of everybody else, I never had both DS64s powered up at the same time.
So I guess now that I know for sure that it is the PowerCab itself that’s doing it, I probably need to start a new thread about the Crazy PowerCab so that the NCE experts will take notice. [swg]
I’m going to search around to see if I can find any other posts about starting resetting the PowerCab defaults.
Thanks, I keep reading that the PowerCab is supposed to reset, but it’s just not ending the constant switching of the turnouts. I’m at my ends wit about this. I have a Zephyr on its way and I was really hoping that it would have showed up today, because that would end any doubts that I might have about the PowerCab.
There is one other thing that’s been a problem all along and that’s the 6 wire cord connector. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before, but I noticed that it sometimes causes my PowerCab to restart depending on which side I have plugged into the throttle and I’ve been flipping it around to prevent that from happening. I’m now wondering if a loose wire or wires in the connecter are shorting. I don’t have an extra cable to check it out right now and I might have to order one just to find out.
Anyway I’m just about to send a message to the NCE support people and see if they can help me.
I did try to set OPSW 6 to closed and it didn’t work. And I tried it on all 6 of the DS64s I had. When I called Digitrax they said it was an issue with their program code, and there was no fix.
What DCC system, and switch machines are you using?