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A new day, a new attitude. After breakfast and checking out the internet and decided to tackle my DCC short problem. I turned out track power and the Tony's Trains Circuit Breaker showed a short and track power was dead. Since yesterday I removed the existing Circuit Breaker and replaced it with another. Like I said yesterday, I had the train working correctly and then I turned off the power, went to dinner and came down stairs, and started reconnecting hanging power lines. Turned on train power and I had a short. Fast forward to today...I returned to the layout and sure enough I had a short light and no track power. I kept the power on and went under the layout and ONLY checked the wires this time. That took about 30 minutes or so. Everything looked OK. I went over to my DB150 control area and I turned off a rocker switch the supplies power from the DB150 to the track and turned it back on. The Short Circuit light was off. I went to my throttle and ran and train around my layout and I was amazed. I want to repeat I did NOT do anything to the wires.
I think I have read somewhere that someone had a problem with the DB150 that had an intermittent short inside and it did exactly what I am experiencing. I was questioning my sanity for quite awhile yesterday and was depressed this morning about my memory. But has anyone ever heard of this situation? Of course Digitrax doesn't make the DB150 anymore and doesn't repair them either. I still have wires to connect (Many) and since I am strongly thinking this might be the problem, I guess I should buy the latest DB210 and replace my DB150 with it
I turned the layout power off for lunch, came back after about an hour, turned the layout power on, ran the train around a few times and the train quit and I looked under the layout and sure enough I had a short. I turned off the track power and turned it back on and it beeped somewhere between 8 and 10 times...If I have a physical short in the wiring, it should not start at all, correct?
Intermittent electrical problems are the toughest and most aggravating to solve. Sounds to me you have an internal problem with your power supply. If it is an older, out-of-production/out-of-support, it might be time to get a new one. Not what you want to hear or spend money on, but might be cheaper than paying a shrink to listen to your frustrations with this beast.
Something you could try to rule out the DCC system, short of borrowing another DB, is to hook up a DC power pack and DC loco and run something.
That is if you have either?
Another thought, I don’t recall you saying which brand of switches (turnouts) you are using but does it make a difference if any are thrown one way or another?
Intermittent electrical problems are the toughest and most aggravating to solve. Sounds to me you have an internal problem with your power supply. If it is an older, out-of-production/out-of-support, it might be time to get a new one. Not what you want to hear or spend money on, but might be cheaper than paying a shrink to listen to your frustrations with this beast.
Something you could try, short of borrowing another DB, is to hook up a DC power pack and DC loco and run something.
That is if you have either?
Another thought, I don’t recall you saying which brand of switches (turnouts) you are using but does it make a difference if any are thrown one way or another?
After the train ran for about 30 minutes this afternoon, it stopped running and a short displayed. I turned off power to the layout and hooked up an old Bachmann power pack and a DC engine. It ran fine until it came to a section with insulated track connectors. I moved it further on and re-hooked up the transformer and it continued running. So one of this forum said in part one that a short is a short and a DC can't run on a shorted track. I unhooked the DC and turned the layout back on an even switched to another DCC engine than I was using and it is running fine, just in case the first engine was drawing to many amps and overheated something. I have an DCC track amp meter somewhere and I will hook it up to the track and see how much amps I am pulling...can't me to much an Athern SW1500.
Sounds like you’re doing everything you should be doing.
Maddening isn’t it?
I once had a short I couldn’t find, it turned out that a gap had closed on a Peco switch just enough to cause it.
I connected a DCC Specialities RRampMeter up to the track and with a train running I am running 14.5 volts at 0.05 amps...almost nothing. All indicators point to a new power supply, the DB210
Hey just a thought, have you got a track plan or drawing you could post?
You know, showing turnouts, insulated joiners, feeder points, etc.
I once ran a room sized layout with just a DB100 and a pair of alligator clips to start, couldn’t get simpler than that. Lol
I'm new here and I just started reading the part one thread and now part 2. This is a very interesting read. I'm pretty new to the hobby and I'm starting with DC, Tru Scale track and switches and some Pecos and Atlas switches. I'm learning DC before I attempt DCC. Learning about blocks, etc. I bought a Digitrax Zephyr just to test the 3 or 4 DCC locos I have(no sound) to see how they work. I'm fully expecting to experience the "short" scenario when I eventually convert to DCC because I'm already experiencing shorts in just seeing how to make Tru Scale crossovers work without shorting to see what I need to turn off on the 4 entry points and have the engine make it the whole way through. Fun learning, but can be frustrating. I test function on short pieces while slowly building. Just learned how to solder feeders. Thanks for your post, very helpful for us who are at the beginning stages of this awesome hobby!
I'm new here and I just started reading the part one thread and now part 2. This is a very interesting read. I'm pretty new to the hobby and I'm starting with DC, Tru Scale track and switches and some Pecos and Atlas switches. I'm learning DC before I attempt DCC. Learning about blocks, etc. I bought a Digitrax Zephyr just to test the 3 or 4 DCC locos I have(no sound) to see how they work. I'm fully expecting to experience the "short" scenario when I eventually convert to DCC because I'm already experiencing shorts in just seeing how to make Tru Scale crossovers work without shorting to see what I need to turn off on the 4 entry points and have the engine make it the whole way through. Fun learning, but can be frustrating. I test function on short pieces while slowly building. Just learned how to solder feeders. Thanks for your post, very helpful for us who are at the beginning stages of this awesome hobby!
I tried to be slow and meticulous on hooking up wires; but this layout has ran for over 20 years now. It is basically the "Pennsy Middle Division in HO Scale" by Dave Frary (Kalmbach Books). I started out in DC with block sections according to the book. I later slowly converted it to DCC (If I knew now what I knew then, I would NOT have converted to DCC). I regret DCC, I am the only one using the layout and I never run 2 locomotives at a time; and when something goes wrong, simple electric knowledge goes right out the window. Plus, I have around 12 locos with DCC and sometimes they are a pain in the arse hooking up.
Nothing is cheap in DCC, a simple MRC transformer is a lot cheaper than DCC command stations, power supplies, etc. But it does have it benefits I suppose. Bear in mind, I am a little pissed at myself for getting a short, that I cannot find. My DB150 shorted out and it dead. I have to replace that and a power supply for it and that's over $200. I am dead in the water now.
I am cutting all the leads to the track (I'm over 50 percent done) and still read continuity across the rails. I found a turnout under Joanstown that was shorting out and I ripped the frog out. The turnout under Joanstown (see photo) was a big mistake. I laid the track first and built Joanstown around it with just a small access section that I can view the two tracks underneath it. It is made with 2x4x6 blocks (50 of them) supporting a top of Joanstown with all the building on top of that. It is impossible to replace the turnout now.
Take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt, I am very upset with myself for not finding the short. I have destroyed track that I can not get to and the only thing left is to take a Dremel and cut gaps in track sections to help eliminate faulty turnouts. But, I still stand by really considering if you want to go into DCC.
I feel your pain, been there done that. I still say you’ll beat this tho!
Great looking city by the way!
I’ve heard so many people say how complicated DCC is.
In reality tho if you have a layout that’s wired for DC all that’s needed to go DCC would be replace the power supply.
*depending on your switches btw*
If you have blocks cut in (much more complicated than DCC) toggle them all to “on” and you’re done.
I had a friend that was very old school where every block was wired to a DPDT switch that got thrown in the direction the train moved around the layout. The toggles were used to reverse the train and not the power pack.
Miles and miles of wire, switches, and light bulbs! Yikes
I feel your pain, been there done that. I still say you’ll beat this tho!
Great looking city by the way!
I’ve heard so many people say how complicated DCC is.
In reality tho if you have a layout that’s wired for DC all that’s needed to go DCC would be replace the power supply.
*depending on your switches btw*
If you have blocks cut in (much more complicated than DCC) toggle them all to “on” and you’re done.
I had a friend that was very old school where every block was wired to a DPDT switch that got thrown in the direction the train moved around the layout. The toggles were used to reverse the train and not the power pack.
Miles and miles of wire, switches, and light bulbs! Yikes
Block sections and DCC are not incompatible. Properly allocated, they can provide occupancy detection. Track electrical problems are easier to isolate.
