Hi all: I hope someone can help me with a problem I’m having with my Digitrax system. Here’s the details. Digitrax radio super chief, DCS 100,DB 150, power supplies: Loys Toys Fuel Tank, DCC Magna Force, 2 rev. loops, 1 wye : Psx-AR, Loys ARSC, MRC auto rev. Here’ the problem. When I have the scale switch set to HO (13.7 v) everything works fine until I get to the rev. loop with the PSX-AR (replaced a Power Shield), both the DCS-100 and the DB 150 trips. But, if I have the scale switch set to N, everything works fine. The voltage with N, 11.2v (measured with RRamp meter. Ops sw. #18 is closed (setting trip time to 1/2 sec). I’m not sure if it’s a Digitrax problem, or a Tonys (DCC Spec.) problem. Anyone have any ideas?
I’m having trouble seeing how both the DCS-100 and DB 150 trip. I am figuring you are using the DB 150 as a second booster, but only one of the other should be powering that loop. I’d check to see what’s going on there, I’m suspecting a wiring problem.
Hi Jeff: Sorry, my bad. The DB 150 powered side is OK. And since I can still run trains with the system set to N, It’s not that big a deal. It just bugs me that I can’t figure out why It won’t run when set to HO. I did originally have a problem when I first set up the booster, apparantly there is a mix-up in the plug. After switching the buss wires it worked like it was supposed to.
Do you have a picture of how this is wired ? Is the DB150 powering a portion of the layout outside of the reversing loop and the DCS100 is powering the PSX-AR and the reversing section or something similar ? Does it matter which way you enter the reversing section ? Have you verified that the rail sync leads on your Loconet bus are not flipped or not connected somwehere between the DCS100 and the DB150 (been there, did that, caused this type of problem). Depending upon how your Loconet is wired, remember that the front connectors on a UP panel don’t have rail sync leads. Lastly, what is the trip current setting on your PSX-AR ? If it is too high then the booster will kick out before the PSX-AR.
DJ-
How recently did you get the PSX-AR? Tony’s/DCC Specialties reports problems with one recent batch of PSXes (they aren’t clear whether it’s specific to just PSX-1s through PSX-4s or to PSX-ARs), where some of them won’t trip before a Digitrax command station or booster does.
Details can be found at http://www.tonystrains.com/tonystips/2008/050108.htm. You might want to contact them to help determine whether this is the cause of what you’re seeing.
Hi: Both Jeffs and Fritz, thanks for your replies. I have checked Tony’s site and their forum. What they are experiencing isn’t the same problem I have. I just sent an e-mail to Tony’s describing my problem. Tonite, I ran trains over the booster half of my layout with the booster set at HO, without any problem. I have a wye on the DCS-100 half with an MRC AR with no problem, (command station set on HO). What I just can’t understand is why that side works perfectly on the N setting, but not on the HO setting. It seems to me that neither would work if there’s a wiring problem. I’ll see what the response is from Tony’s. Note: The trip current on the PSX-AR is:3.81 Amps.
Here’s a quick suggestion to rule out issues between the boosters. Take the wires off the output of the DB150 and temporarily run them over and connect them in parallel to the DCS100 outputs. Thus the entire layout will be powered off of one booster. If everything works then you know the issue is between the boosters. At that point I’d look for a Loconet wiring issue with the rail sync pins or a polarity reversal on the booster outputs to the rails.
Hi Jeff: That’s a great idea, I’ll try that tonite. Mean while, I received an answer from Tony’s. “Enable the week system boost”. Any one know what this is referring to? I don’t recall seeing anything like that in the Digitrax literature. BTW, when I first got the booster, the polarity on the connector( A and B) were reversed. I believe this is a known problem with the DB-150. I think some one on this forum told how to check this. I did and switched the polarity and everything was good to go. I’ve even thought of switching the outputs of the DCS-100 and the booster. Thanks for your reply.
I looked through the Digitrax manuals and can’t find anything on this term either.
Too many cooks in kitchen. Take one booster off the layout. One should be the Command Station only. Any additional boosters need to be “Wired” just so to deny it command authority and turn it into a simple juice box slaved to the master command station.
In fact why are we using two sources of electricity and command information? One should be plenty in a layout.
Cut down the wiring until just the minimum necessary to run the layout and ONE reverser or toggle switch for the return loop.
Check your entire power bus to all of your track make sure that one rail is one wire and the other rail is the other wire all the way through the entire layout.
That reversing loop is a fly in the soup. Something needs to be done about it.
perhaps it’s an option on the psxar thingy and not the digitrax stuff??
Hi Last Chance: Thanks for your reply. To answer your questions: My layout measures approx. 15x36 ft., not counting staging at each end. Right now, I have 8 locos on the layout, all with sound. I believe it’s good practice to divide the layout into separate power sections, so a short in one section doesn’t shut down the whole layout. I’d like to divide it up into even more separate sections. Anyway, the wiring for the half with the DCS-100 is at the minimum to run the layout. As i said before, It runs fine when the scale switch is set to N, but not when it’s set to HO. The booster half has no problem at all. I have sent an e-mail to Digitrax describing my problem and relaying Tony’s answer to see if they have a clue to what he means. I, too believe it has something to do with Tony’s ARs. I’m awaiting Dave at Digitrax’s reply. Note: The tip about the reversed terminals (A&B) on the DB-150 is on Digitrax’s web site.
Hi locoworks: I, too believe it has something to do with Tony’s ARs. The Loy’s Toys rev. works perfectly. Here’s another strange thing. I was on Digitrax’s web site, and I clicked on their e-mail link, and whamo!, I had 18 blank IE Explorer e-mail pages displayed, one on top of another. Very strange. I called Digitrax and told the girl who answered about it and she gave me Dave at Digitrax web address. I would have talked to Dave directly but his line was busy.
Maybe if he read his PSX-AR manuel he would find his answer. I found the answer on the web in 30 seconds.
Grampy,
Do you have a ground (actually a “common”) connection between the DCS100 and the DB150?
It should be about the same gauge as your main buss, roughly #12 or #14.
(This is separate from the ground or common in the LocoNet cable)
HTH,
Steve
Hi Up North: Thanks for your reply. I just got the PSX-AR on Friday. And, we were away for the weekend. I really only had time to do the quick start on the unit. Thank you so much for pointing that out. I’ll try that jumper tonite. Well, I installed the jumper, a loco will enter the loop with the same polarity as the main, but coming out of the loop, command station trips, just like before. Back to the drawing board.
How is the Loconet connection between the DCS100 and the DB150 ? Are there intermediate connection points ? You didn’t say whether you tried my suggestion of raking the outputs off the DB150 and connecting them to the DCS100 and run the entire layout of of one booster to see if that fixes things ? It will tell us more about where the problem is or isn’t. If you have intermediate Loconect connections I’d try a cable from the front of the DB150 to the frint of the DCS100 and see what happens.
Hi Jeff: Here’s the last thing I tried tonite. I think this is what you were suggesting. I switched the DCS-100 to the power district with the Loy’s AR. The DB-150 now has the PSX-AR in its power district. I successfully ran a loco from one end to the other (both scale switches set to HO) without tripping the booster or command station. Yea! I’d like to thank everyone for their helpful suggestions. I still don’t know why that was happening, but I think I will let it stay like this , as long as everything is working. BTW, I did learn something else tonite. 7 locos with sound is the max. number to have in one of my power districts, and be able to have the command station restart.