No output on Digitrax Config A - B terminals

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

I am using a Digitrax DB150 as a command station. There is no output from the Config A - B terminals. I understand these terminals are lower in amperage to protect mobile decoders when programming and should be connected to an isolated programming track which is what I have done. However, no power of any kind is present. Measured with a vom meter. Nada.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Dennis

2

Dennis,

The DB150 does NOT have an output for a dedicated programming track. Config A is wired to Ground to make it a non-command station booster. IIRC, Config B is to configure the booster for auto-reversing…

Here is the link to the manual:

http://www.digitrax.com/static/apps/products/command-stations-boosters/db150/documents/SuperEmpireBuilderXtra.pdf

Jim

3

Thanks Jim, after I posted the message I did some more digging and discovered that exact thing. I also discovered that the DB 150 is much less shall we say “talented” than the DCS100. I ordered a DCS 100 today because I’m not so good at programming the decoders with JMRI without the command station having the ability to let me read the decoder in JMRI.

I know, one can use the throttle to program but the simpler the better. I’d rather have simpler and not worry about the extra $$$$. The DB150 I’ll use as a booster because I’ll have it so I’ll use it. Does that make sense??

Regards

Dennis

4

Dennis,

A lot of folks buy a Empire Builder ‘starter set’ because it is far cheaper than buying a DB150 booster and an extra throttle. The DB150 is sort of left over from the previous Digitrax technology. Even the DCS50/51 Zephyr series has a separate program track output, and it has a ‘Blast Mode’ for sending program track commands to the main line if needed. And like a lot of new products, updates to the firmware can be down-loaded off the Internet and sent to the Zephyr via the computer interface.

Being able to fully read/write via JMRI is the only way to program engines.

Jim

5

A pr3 would have been much cheaper. David B

6

I have a DB150 for my command station. I like it because I haven’t met a decoder I couldn’t program. I also have a PR3 set up as a stand alone programmer hooked up to my computer. I use Decoder Pro with it for programming decoders. I even take my DB150 to my friends house to reset his decoders if he has trouble. His system can read decoders, but it doesn’t always work. Joe

7

I find t Read back overrated. That may be because I started with a Digitrax Big Boy system with no read back. When decoder didn’t work, you just reprogram it. Once you have read a CV and found it to have the wrong value you have to program the correct value. I skip the read part because I already knew it didn’t work and just write the CV. And as already posted, Empire Builder will program anything out there because it uses full power to program.

Martin Myers