Bachman EZ Command problems


C

chadmichaels

Member
I'm back, now here's my latest problem. As im getting ready to build my layout, this got my dad wanting to dig out his. We dug it out and got it up, its from the late 70's early 80's. After a couple weeks we got the inside track working but not the outside. My dad wanted a cheap beginning dcc controller he went with the Bachman ez command. We hooked it up today and these are the probelms we ran into.

1. all but one of his dc locos dont run right, the one that does runs fine forward but is really slow in reverse. also the only way to stop these is by pushing the emergency stop button. the spinning dial stops them also but then they hum really loud as they are setting there.

2. My dcc ready loco runs ok but again hums really loud when it stops. then my loco will not run in reverse. we have the number 10 button for analog pressed. what are we doing wrong?

Chad
 
I haven't had any experience with the system but I can tell you that dc engines hum when on a dcc system and don't leave them on the track for more than 10 minutes as it can burn out the motor. If you don't have any plans to add decoders to the engines most people I know will wire a siding where they can drive it on and turn of power to the siding with a switch.
 
Chad,

When I first got back in the hobby, I picked up a Bachmann DCC system and like you found none of my DC locos would run with the controller set at 10 even though the instructions said they would. Locos with decoders ran ok. If you want to run both DC and DCC, I would get a DC controller (you can pick them up cheap on ebay) and put a double pole switch on your track feeder so that you can select either power supply. I would only put one type of loco on the track at a time though to avoid damaging them. Hope this helps.

Bob
 
Bob,

that helps a little, but my concern is my ready to run atheran loco it says dcc ready. I dont have a decoder yet in it. I put it on my dads layout last night when it was dc and it ran fine. today we hooked up the dcc controler the unit ran ok forward but would not run at all in reverse. And yes we have the number 10 button pushed for analog operation. why wont my loco run in reverse?

Chad
 
Chad,

DCC ready only means that it has a place to plug a decoder in. It won't operate on DCC until the decoder is installed. I would not get too excited about your loco not running in reverse until you can run it with a straight DC power pack or with a DCC decoder. I'm betting your motor is fine. To change direction on a DC motor you reverse polarity, ie. swap positive and negative. I think the Bachmann controller is not changing the polarity.

Bob
 
DCC ready means different things for different models from different manufacturers. You're on your own when it comes to actually figuring out how "DCC Ready" a given model, even a given edition/run of a model, really is. There is no standardized, industry-wide, definition for the term.

What it means for purposes of the user-installer is this: the motor may/may not be isolated from the frame. There may/may not be room for a decoder, or a decoder and speaker. There may/may not be a circuit board with a 8/9 pin connector. Yes, that's right..it may have a connector, and it may be 8 pins, and it may be 9 pins.

Are you gettin a warm and fuzzy feeling about the term? :confused:

-Crandell
 
The Bachmann EZ-Command will run one - and one only - DC engine. If you have more than one DC engine on the track, it will cause no end of problems, including frying motors. All DC engines left standing on a DCC powered layout will hum because the motors are get a highly modified form of 14 volt AC current. 12 volt DC motors don't like this for any extended period of time. As long as the engine is running, it's not too big an issue but, the longer the engine is left standing, the closer you are to losing the motor.

As far as DC engines not running right on a DCC layout, you will have problems depending on the brand of engine and type of motor. I have several older Athearn's that I haven't yet converted that run fine on the E-Z Command system. I have a P2K SD-7 that run fine forward but only crawls in reverse. It a matter of how each motor handles the modified AC current. DC motors look for changes in polarity to run forward or backwards. The 14 volt AC power never changes polarity so they DCC controller tries to trick the DC motor into thinking it's getting DC voltage and simulates changes in polarity. Some motors are easier to fool than others. :) The newer the engine, especially if it has a DCC plug, the worse it will run on DC, since the manufacturer has optimized the motor for DCC current.
 
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