It won't stop!

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JHansen

Member
Here's the situation, a Walther's Berkshire 2-8-4 with a MRC DCC w/sound added. Sounds great. Runs fine forward and reverse. Will not stop when speed is reduced to zero. The speed will reduce right down to Step 1 and that's as slow as it goes. I can stop it by reversing direction or hitting the "emergency stop" button. I have reprogrammed several times and can't correct the problem. Any ideas?

Thanks,
John
 
If you have the means to talk reliably to your decoder via your DCC system, try programming CV29 with a value of "34". That should kill the tendency to respond to any bits of track voltage that the decoder senses is only DC voltage. At the moment, I suspect it has a value of "38" which makes it a dual mode decoder capable of sensing and using either type of trac power. You want to disable the dual nature and make it strictly DCC sensitive.

-Crandell
 
Crandell,
Thanks for the tip but it didn't work. I did discover another strange thing though. I have a NCE Power Cab system. If I bring the speed down using the DEC FAST button the loco will stop at zero. If I bring the speed down with the normal throttle buttons the loco continues to move at Step 0 until I hit the DEC FAST. Then the loco stops. Another thing is that the loco refuses to creep at Step 1. It moves out at what I would expect the speed to be at Step 5 or so. I know the answer is here somewhere but danged if I know where.

John
 


Okay, the CV29 thing is an obvious first step. Now we need to figure on a complete factory default reset because I suspect something is amiss in your speed table or in your CV 5-6 settings that is confusing the decoder. We can fiddle with CV2 next, or what is called V-Start.

1. Do a reset, and don't forget to get a hold of the engine on its default address of '03' once done.

2. Set your address to the desired one.

3. Set CV2 to a value that just gets the engine underway. Note that a warm engine (used 5 minutes or more) will respond to the decoder's CV2 setting more easily than it will when stone cold. So, you may want to live with a hesitating cold engine, but enjoy the better behaviour of a warm engine...your choice when to do CV2. But, you have your throttle zeroed, engine acquired, enter CV2, and then assign a value of half the default...whatever that is. Or try 15. Exit, assign the first speed step on the throttle, and see if the engine begins to nudge forward. If it does, great! If not, add another 10, so 25....and so on until you get it buding on speed step 1.

4. Now take the engine up to speed and then zero the throttle in a non-lightening fast manner...say over two full seconds. What happens?

-Crandell
 
Tried everything you said. It still moves at Step 1 unless I decrease the speed with the DEC FAST or the thumbwheel. It's like it thinks there is a speed step below zero. BTW, the default value of CV2 is 0. I can't get less than that can I?

Thanks again,
John
 
atry adjusting the speed steps 14-28-128 and see if that changes it...can you swap a decoder to see if it still does it? My Tsunami decoders do this sometimes on Digitrax layouts....
 
Trent,
I tried resetting the speed steps down to 14 but it didn't make a difference. I believe the decoder is hard wired so I can't change it out but I have another loco with DCC and sound that works perfectly on my layout. I know it's not my DCC system. It has to be something screwy in the MRC decoder. As of now, everything works except that I have to push one extra button to get the loco to stop completely. I may just live with that.

Thanks for the help,
John
 
Before you give up, try calling MRC at 732-225-2100. It's very possible they can talk you through the problem you're having. It is strange the decoder worked fine with one DCC system, and is giving trouble on a different brand. Usually, they work or they don't. The Digitrax system it was originally used on puts out about 12.5 volts, the NCE system may be putting out more.
Another thought is taking it to your local LHS, and see if they have a DCC demo layout, and try it on that. If it works there, hopefully with a different-than-NCE system, and it worked previously, it may well be a glitch in your system.
Troubleshooting by long distance is tough.
 
I'll call MRC but the track record for my NCE system to date is good. I first ran a Walther's 2-8-8-2 with Quantum DCC/sound with zero problems. That was followed by an Athern FP45 with Sound Traxx Tsunami DCC/sound and zero problems. Then there was the Bachmann J-Class with aftermarket Lok Sound DCC/sound and again zero problems. Now there is the Walther's Berkshire 2-8-4 with aftermarket DCC/sound by MRC that just doesn't work correctly. I'd say the evidence is that the problem is the MRC decoder and not the NCE DCC system. The bad press that MRC has gotten may well be deserved.

John
 
With everything you've tried, I suspect the MRC decoder is on the fritz. I'd still call MRC, since they deal with problems all the time, and may have run into this before. If it turns out to be the decoder, I suggest you just learn to live with unorthodox stop method and use this as a lesson as to why buying MRC sound decoders is a bad idea. :(
 


As Terry (BNSF971) said, it's interesting that it ran on one system and not another. He should know because he is the guy who installed the decoder and from whom I got the loco. It's about a 40 mile drive round trip to my LHS but I may go there today and try the loco on their test track. They use a Zephyr. If it becomes obedient on their track I can assume there is some conflict with my NCE system. If it displays the same bad behaviour I'll know it is the decoder. I'll report back.

Thanks,
John
 
As Terry (BNSF971) said, it's interesting that it ran on one system and not another. He should know because he is the guy who installed the decoder and from whom I got the loco. It's about a 40 mile drive round trip to my LHS but I may go there today and try the loco on their test track. They use a Zephyr. If it becomes obedient on their track I can assume there is some conflict with my NCE system. If it displays the same bad behaviour I'll know it is the decoder. I'll report back.

Thanks,
John
Yes, my system is a Zephyr, so we'll know if it's a conflict or a wonky (that's a technical term) decoder.
 
It isn't my system, it's the decoder. Even screwier on another system. It's also back to stopping and restarting for no apparent reason on my layout. I did a check with my Bachmann that has a Lok Sound decoder to be sure, again, that I don't have a track/system problem. That Bachmann J-Class will creep with glacial slowness and I let it do so completely around the layout. I figure that if there are any weak spots in the signals from the tracks, that will find them. No problem whatsoever except for trying to stay awake. I was watching the headlight for any sign of flickering. There was none. I parked the J and killed power to its spur before powering up the Berks spur and bringing it back onto the main. It will NOT do anything resembling creeping. When I have the start voltage set high enough to make it move at Step 1 it will speed up to what would be about 10-15 mph in the prototype.

I tried to call MRC but got no answer. Literally. No voicemail. Nothing. I'll try again on Monday.

John
 
*bashes head on keyboard in frustration*
MRC should be able to talk you through getting the decoder to stop. The only thing I did this time (a long story) is changed the cv of the chuff starting point so it wouldn't start chuffing before the locomotive started moving. Since that's the only thing I changed, maybe that cv should be changed back. I think it was set to "0", and I changed it to "1" or "2".
 
Terry, The chuffing still starts before the loco moves unless unless I have the start voltage set high enough that the loco lurches ahead quickly at speed step 1. I also had both locos on the main this morning. The Bachmann J Class ran fine. The Berkshire would suddenly stop for no reason and then start again like it is resetting itself. I'm going to call MRC tomorrow. If they can't help this loco will spend most of its time sitting on a siding as a visual rather than an operational part of the layout. That is, if I can control my urge to take a large hammer to it!

John
 
Hi all,
I spent some time on the phone Monday with Frank the decoder tech from MRC. He took me twice through the CV settings and the problem was still there. The second time on the main the loco stopped suddenly at speed step 4, sat there for a few seconds, and then started back up again. I didn't touch the controls while this was happening. Frank's final suggestion was that I send the decoder back for repair.

To date I have operated a loco with Quantum DCC/Sound, one with Tsunami, one with Lok Sound, and one with MRC. Only the MRC has been a problem. Need I add that this will be the last MRC equipped loco I own?

Thanks to all who tried to help. I thought you should know that even the MRC tech couldn't solve the problem long distance.

John
 
MRC sound decoders are great for entertaining kittens. You know...you wiggle the decoder and the wires flop around....keeps cats entertained for hours. Much more fun that trying to figure out why so many of them fail once you own them.

:mad:
 
Frank's final suggestion was that I send the decoder back for repair.
Bummer, that was my first guess when I saw the thread. I had an MRC decoder that I measured 0.5 volts leaking through the power output transistor to the motor when it is off. So I am guessing yours is leaking just a bit more. They did not use quality electronic parts. Believe it or not when I was a kid this would have been considered typical "made in Japan" junk electronics.
 
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How about..... deleting the locomotive out of a consist? Sometimes you can have a loco in a consist and not know it. Just a stab in the dark! good luck!
 




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