A few days ago, I picked up a Bachman HO 3-truck shay. I ran it on its old Analog decoder for a while, then I switched it with a TCS WOW101 Steam decoder that I had tucked away in a spare parts bin. I switched on my Digitrax DCS210 and DT500 throttle, and I navigated to Address 3 (Default). I used a few functions, but nothing happened. The idling sounds were playing, but I could do nothing. After thinking for a minute, I realized that I had forgotten the address all together. I thought ‘Oh, big whoop. I’ll just reset’. I hit the “LOCO RESET” key to reset it back to 3, but nothing happened. shut off and turned it on again, and nothing. My guess is that its address is not 3. Is there any way I can rescue this ‘mystery address’?
What is the “reset key”? I’m assuming that you put the loco with the new decoder on a programming track and started programming from scratch? If you did that it would not matter what the existing decoder address is.
It’s not new. I had it buried in a parts bin, as mentioned in the first post. Before, I had used it on about 2 other locomotives. The reset key is found on the DCS210, and its purpose is to wipe any decoder on the track to factory state, which it failed to do, oddly.
I was just reading the manual on the DCS210, and it seems that reset button is more for releasing locos in a consist, or if your getting a “slot full” error.
I would go to the TCS site, find out how to reset the decoder you have back to factory defaults, and follow that procedure.
Using your Digitrax throttle: Enter programming track mode, pick CV 8, enter a value of 2, press ENTER, and cycle power. You should then be able to operate your loco on address 3. You don’t need to know the previous address to do that…
The reset button on the DCS210 clears the command station, it does not reset any decoders.
If you don’t know the address, simply put the loco on the program track and set whatever address you want. You do not need to know the old address to program a new one on the program track.
Yes, I realize it is not “new”. It is “new” to the loco. Anyway, I’m not sure why you are adverse to putting the darn thing on a programming track and starting fresh.
And, FYI, just went through a similar issue with a loco at the club last night. An individual had a loco that made sound but didn’t move. Since it was a steamer, it took us a couple minutes to realize that he had consisted it with another loco and had forgotten that fact. And of course he didn’t remember what that consist address was, so the loco just sat there waiting for him to try the other 9,998 addresses.
As far as that reset key goes, I’m not a Digitrax person, but I’ve been here awhile and I’ve never heard of that being used to reset a decoder. Maybe it’s something new.
Oh, right, that reminds me. Call me unprofessional, but I don’t have this “programming track”. Nor do I have a layout. Just a loop of track because I’m moving in a few weeks. Also, Tom, how does one enter programming mode?
Your loop of track will work just fine as your programming track, Grant - even a single piece of track - as long as your Digitrax system is attached to it.
I use NCE so I don’t know how to program with a Digitrax throttle. Should be in your DT500 throttle or Digitrax manual though.
Probably not possible, but can someone provide a step-by-step walkthrough? Nothing’s happening. Talk to me as if you’re talking to someone who’s just started in the hobby, because that’s pretty close to who you’re talkin’ to, lol.
The place to find all this information is in the manual for you DCC system. You will first need to look for the section on setting up a programming track. I think there is a different place on the command station to plug it in, but it really don’t know without looking at the manual. The find the manual for you decoder and find which CV you need to program and what value you need to set it at to reset the decoder. Then figure out how to program CVs on you system, found in you manual. The do everything.
Expect this to take a lot of reading. I took me quite a while to figure it out and a lot of try’s in which it didn’t work. Just persevere! You can do it!
Okay, this was said before, but I need to say it again alone so it can (hopefully) get across better.
I don’t have the address for the engine/decoder, that’s why I started this in the first place. Due to the fact that I don’t have the address and the address is lost in the other 9,982 addresses, I have no control over anything on the engine, just the outside stuff. So ANY of the TCS CV programming ain’t gonna work in this type of scenario that I’m obviously failing at explaining, lol. I can only control the DCS210, DT500, an unfinished program track, and that’s it.
…Is that better or do I have to start over?