program loco addresses ??? Help

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

Hi guys,

I will be pleased with any and all help I can get.

To jump into DCC at my budget level on my small new-to-HO layout I bought the Bachmann EZ Command DCC system “kit”- that is it came with the basic EZ Command and a Bachmann 0-6-0 “DCC On Board” loco with it.

To change from the factory set address of 3, I followed the directions with the EZ command and changed the 0-6-0’s address to #1 (of 10), the first of what I hope to be a few steamers. Fine and dandy. Worked like a charm. Runs like a dream compared to the same 0-6-0 on DC.

Today I bought a (new sealed in package) Bachmann “DCC On Board” FT-A unit (B&O) loco item # 60112 at a show. I tried to program from the factory address of 3 to ANY OTHER address number following the same directions, but it doesn’t work.

Mind you, the loco runs fine and dandy on the address of 3, but I can’t change it to another number.

To FURTHER complicate matters, out of curiosity and to determine if there was a fault with the FT-A, I tried to REPROGRAM the 0-6-0 from #1 to ANY OTHER address number, following the directions on doing that according to the manual. This failed. I tried to default reset it to #3 according to the directions. THis, too, failed.

The 0-6-0 runs fine on its #1 address, and the FT-A runs fine on address#3. They run at the same time on the same layout fine and dandy.

BUT, SO, what is wrong? Am I doing something wrong? WHAT am I doing wrong? Or is the EZ Command controller at fault, rather than the locos? Or is there now a problem with the locos? Am I loco? (I will be if I don’t solve this problem, and will question my sanity for opting for DCC)

{I have another (Athearn) loco that I have yet to get the plug-n-play decoder in (the jumper board won’t come loose easily to place in the decoder and I don’t want to break anything) that I will want to use so I can’t just settle to run the Bachmann FT-A on #3 all the time&

2

JW? Tstage? You guys know MY answer…

David B

3

Which would be what?

[:)] Lemme guess, that Bachmann and anything remotely like it is crap?

That would be real helpful.[:slight_smile:]

4

Sounds to me like you’re doing something wrong. Press and hold down the locos address button, press the stop button and release both buttons. The stop LED will be flashing rapidly. Press and release the new address button. The stop LED will be flashing slowly now. Press and release the stop button. The loco should now run on the new address.

5

Thanks Jeff, that is the instructions. And that is where the problem starts. Done to point of LED flashing rapidly, but after pressing new address button, the LED never flashes slowly, NOR does the loco “move slightly” like its supposed to to signify new address.

Neither loco takes a new address following those instructions. The 0-6-0 DID take a new address when I first got it, following those instructions.

???

-G

6

Tell exactly how you are doing this. What button(s) are you pressing and when.

7

I’m not familiar with the E-Z Command, but with many (most?) other DCC systems that sure sounds like the symptoms of dirty wheels and/or track not making good contact. I’d thoroughly clean both track and wheels and try it again.

Steve

8

Hi Jeff, THANKS!

Previously you wrote" ‘Sounds to me like you’re doing something wrong. Press and hold down the locos address button, {[edit THEN]} press the stop button and release both buttons. The stop LED will be flashing rapidly. Press and release the new address button. The stop LED will be flashing slowly now. Press and release the stop button. The loco should now run on the new address.’"

That is, apparently, the key. The Bachmann instructions reads this way: press button 3 AND the “Stop” button >>>>>at the same time<<<<<<, then release them together.

Your instructions, Jeff, pressing one first then the stop button - on BOTH locos -WORKS! [swg]

I tried your method several times Jeff, and it works. THeir instructions of pressing BOTH AT SAME TIME DOES NOT WORK. Apparently, I got lucky the first time when I changed the 0-6-0.

THANKS JEFF!!!

9

You’re welcome. I thought it was something like that. I had the very same problem early on until I worked it out. If you watch the DVD you’ll see exactly how to do it.

10

BTW go ahead and yank that dummy plug from the Athearn unit. If it’s really hard to get out, the worst you could do is bend one of the pins on the eight-pin plug part of the dummy plug…and you’re just going to throw that away anyway, so it doesn’t matter. When you plug in the new decoder, make sure you get it lined up the right way around. If it’s plugged in wrong (i.e. spun around 180 degrees from the way it should be) the engine will still move (it will go forward when you tell it to go backwards, and vice versa) and the lights won’t work. All you need to do then is remove the decoder and spin it around the right way. But always better to do it right the first time!! [:)]

11

Thanks.

I will try that. Just haven’t yet had the nerve to yank and destroy. But I guess what have I got to loose???

I don’t want to be running a DCC quick-plug equiped loco only on DC on a DCC layout!

TY

-G