I just connected my NCE Power Cab and I can’t get the FUNCTION 8 key to work. Where is it located on the key pad?
I have a Digitrax Decoder SDN 144PS installed in my Diesel Engine but can’t get the sound to work. The Digitrax instructions say to check the F8 function (MUTE OFF). Any suggestions. Art
Its the #8 on the key pad. After powering it up just press the 8 key once.
Pete
Thanks PETE for you speedy reply. I did push the #8 key pad but still NO SOUND. Am I missing a CV some were? I might just call NCE tomorrow morning and see if they can help. ART
Press it once for off, and then again for on.
If that doesn’t help, I don’t think the problem is with the NCE unit. Try resetting the decoder to the factory settings. Then the sound should come on when the loco is on the track. That is the way all of my sound decoders work. However, I don’t have any Digitrax decoders so I can’t speak for them. If I was going to call anybody, I would call Digitrax.
However, if you installed the decoder yourself, all bets are off.
After you press the 8 button try F1 or F2 for bell or horn.
After that do as gandydancer noted and try resetting the decoder by setting CV8 to 8.
Here’s a link to the instructions for reference
Before resetting the decoder, try entering the locomotive number and see if the sound comes on – you have to have the loco selected for some sound decoders to work.
Select the locomotive’s number and see if it runs in both forward and reverse directions, and if you can turn the lights on and off. If the sound hasn’t started working, press the ‘8’ key once. If it still doesn’t come on, then something may not be properly wired. Double check your speaker connections.
I will try the above suggestions later today and POST what happens. Thanks again to all who offered answers to my problem. ART
OK , Problem solved…
Reset CV8 to 008 and I have sound and the function keys WORK including key 8 (mute on/off) I also set the following CV’s: CV 11 to 00, CV58 to 15, CV141 to 64. The BIG thing is CV11. I was also trying the Horn while the engine was stopped. If the engine is stopped with CV11 @06 then the sound does not come on. So now I get to reprogram all the CV’s that I lost. {;0( I will probably be back with more DCC newby questions. Thanks for ALL the help. It is greatly appreciated… ART
Good Luck with it. Once you get the hang of it you’ll wonder how you ever ran without it.
I think we all have had something similar happen. But once you get savvy with DCC and learn a few key CV’s and you get the hang of installing the decoders you can up and running a new loco in no time. I find my biggest time in a DCC install and set up is figuring out how to get the shell off and on since every loco seems do it differently
CV 11 should not have any effect on the sound. According to the NMRA DCC Standards CV 11 is the Packet timeout value (in 1/2 second increments) and is the time the decoder will wait before braking to a stop after running into a section of track with DC power.
According to the NMRA, the recommended function of CV11 is for packet timeout; however, it is not mandatory, so manufacturers are free to use CV11 as they wish. On Digitrax sound decoders it is used to set the sound timeout. Digitrax sound decoders normally only make sound when they see packets addressed to them. When they stop seeing packets addressed to them they will shut down after the timeout. On Digitrax systems, as long as a loco is selected on a throttle the command station will continue to send packets to that locomotive. This works quite well in my opinion, select a loco and it starts up, dispatch it from the throttle and it shuts down. Some DCC systems will stop sending packets to an address that has been stopped, even if it is still selected on the throttle. Setting CV11 to 0 disables the sound timeout so that the loco will still produce sound even when it is not seeing packets addressed to it.