I’ve got a problem w/my DB150. When I hook the unit up to the track, the offline light comes on. When I remove the A wire, it goes into ready status and the power light stays on. But, when I connect the A wire, it beeps 4 times then goes off line and the status light goes off and the power light blinks. I’ve also attempted to connect some wires to each rail using alligator clamps then connect the B wire then the A wire. The DB150 goes off line even using this method. I’ve looked for shorts and have checked to make sure that the DB150 is cool using a fan and even placed the DB150 out in the open. With no success. I’ve even checked for shorts and checked the wiring.
You must have a short…period. If we can assume the DB 150 is operating to specs, then when you connect the A wire, the DB 150 detects current shorting between the two rails, or between the two connectors in the plug on the front of the DB 150. Are your wires stranded or mono-filament? Have you tried removing the plug into which all the wires are connected, the terminal plug? Try removing and reinstalling it. Inspect for small stray filaments that may be bridging the posts or bare wire ends. Inspect your tracks for debris that might be shorting, including at turnouts. Lastly, is it at all possible that there is something under your tracks that is bridging the rails, something not noticed and inadvertently left behind? All it would take is a hair of wire.
I haven’t mentioned crossed feeders or gaps between turnouts that should have been cut.
A short will make the unit behave like that, you wont believe what generates a short temper… uhh… circut these days.
Are you able to activate track power at all? Be no good to run anything if you cannot get one peice of clear track to run something on. Even if it is a 6 inch section of atlas sectional track.
I wonder if the battery inside the 150 has gone bad?
Probably not- the DB150 doesn’t have a battery. It’s the DCS100 and DCS200 (from the Chief sets) which have a battery (they need it to preserve their greater amount of memory when turned off).
Is this DB150 your only command station/booster, or is it an add-on booster to another DB150 or a DCS100? If the latter - there are some that are known to be wired backwards so the Rail A terminal is really the Rail B and vice-versa. However, this would not show up simply by connected the wire to the track unless you haven’t gapped both rails between the section powered by this booster and your other one. With properly gapped tracks it would sow up when you tried to cross the boundary with a loco or anything with metal wheels that could bridge the gap.