hello everyone and Happy Fathers day,
I have a Digitrax DH163PS. I have put address 03 in, put the Loco on the programming track, tried to re-program address and is coming up with DNR and Busy. The Loco is an Athearn CF7. Have re-set decoder to CV08, have re-set Zephyr to factory default. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
For starters, have you run the loco on address 3 to make sure that’s the address?
Yes, I have ran it on address 03, tried to re-program different address. When I try to write new address, it goes back to 03.
Some decoders cannot be programed on a programming track. You may need a booster for the programming track, especally if they are sound decoders. My club has the Super Cheif and an Empire Builder. We have to program locos on the Empire Builder as the Super Cheif just won’t do it.
I have the zephyr starter set, the manual states to put the loco on the prog. track in the page mode.
I have a similar problem with an Atlas N-scale GP38-2 wit factory installed decoder. I tried to program it with my Zephyr DCS50 but it returns ‘no decoder’ when I try to read its variables on the programming track. I bought the locomotive about 1 month ago. It works fine when I address it with 03. I used the same Zephyr command station to prgram other locomotives and didn’t have any problems with it.
–
Nick
Does the Zephyr have the option ot program in ops mode? If so try that. Most decoders work fine programming on the main.
Absolutely. I just did some programing today. And was going to suggest trying OPS programing to change the address.
On the Zephyr, just toggle though the various programing modes until it shows OPS.
Now this I’m not sure if this is something to worry about, but I take all of my other DCC equipped locos off of the main when I do OPS programing. I don’t want to mess with locos that I do not want to program.
Is the decoder installed properly? Is the program track hooked up properly? Are the loco wheels clean? Is the program track clean? All of these can cause the DNR response - the Zephyr is not seeing the decoder acknowledge the program commands. Also make sure the program track is wired correctly - the teminals for the program track are not next to one another ont he back of the Zephyr, there is PGM A, then a ground, then PGM B - there shoudl be an empty space between the two wires goign to the program track.
FInally, what address are you trying to set it to? If 127 or less, is the display sayign AD2 before you key it in? Or if the number is 128 or greater, is it saying AD4? You can’t program a long address in when the system is expecting a short address, it will just revert to whatever it had before. There is a difference int he value for CV29 to distinguish a long and short address, the Zephyr sets this automatically based on the AD2/AD4 display.
–Randy
I second what SWChief said
I’m not sure about the Digitrax ones, but I know with some decoders you have to change CV29 from the factory default to a different no. to allow it to use long (4 digit) addresses.
“DNR” means “Did Not Read” which usually means your system isn’t reading the decoder at all…usually indicating something was installed improperly or there’s a short etc. Can you change any other CV’s?? Try changing say CV 3 and 4 (momentum). If they accept the change, then it might be the address problem I mentioned in the first paragraph. If you still get “DNR” it may mean the decoder isn’t connected right.
Sounds a lot like problems i’m having with my Zephyr:
No swayin, I don’t think this is a Zephyr problem, to me you both have a problem between the rails and the decoder. Take a look at page 22 of the Z manual for a problem solving approach or do what rinker advised in his post above.
Will do, thanks!
Hey Guys thanks everyone for the help, I double checked everything but still get dnr or busy. Tried Ops programming but still get dnr or busy .Reset the command station back to factory settings OpSw 39 to closed ,but it will not stay in command station mode. Called Digitrax they told me to send it to them that it sounded like a short in the Zephyr. I have had it around 4 years with maybe 8 hours run time on it, buying a house and building the layout I really have not used it very much .I wonder if that could have caused the problem? Again thanks for all the help everyone
Ops Mode cannot read, it’s write-only.
Was your program track part of your layout, such that a train with metal wheels or a loco oculd have crossed gaps and conencted the track power to the program track terminals? This is about the only thing that might blow out the program track outputs - that or connecting power of some sort, such as a DC power pack.
–Randy
I just tried the operations mode programming, tried to change the deceleration rate but nothing changed. I did not get a busy or DNR error. Programming track is seperate from layout.
Hey Randy ,just tried OPS mode again for deceleration rate and it worked ,tried to change loco address to 80 ad2 but it goes back to 03 when I hit the exit button
You got something to change so you’re on the right track. It’ll take a Digitrax person to help you from here but sounds like you’re close. Also try the digitraxx web site for tech support.
In OPS mode try writing CV1=80 and CV29=6 and see if this produce any results.