my dcc loco wont respond????

[joed2323]

I tried out my brand new athern genesis sd70 a few weeks ago on a test track just to make sure it worked, it was awesome, everything worked.

i just about have my layout wired up so i pulled my sd70 out hooked up my nce power cab, and my loco just sits there??? doesnt respond to anything i do.

Im not sure if somehow i was pressing buttons and numbers before i unpugged my loco last time i tried it, and i couldnt figure out how to turn it off so i just pulled it off the track, was that a bad idea??

I tried selecting loco number, and entering 3 as its suppose to be factory setting?? Im not sure how or if the setting got changed, but it shouldnt have??

Im starting to freak out here guys wtf did i do...

I can not figure out how to make my loco turn on???

darn newbies always pressing buttons

 

[markdeimling]

does the sound turn on when its on the track?

The does the panel on the NCE have the red light on?

Did you assign a new number by programming it? Most Tsunamis can not have the road number set on a basic NCE system, not enough power to program it. The basic system can program almost all the functions except the road number of the tsunami. I have seen this problem where it is stuck in a middle area, needs to be put on a programming track and use the recovery function in the NCE power cab menu. This should work without a booster. It will reset all the functions.

Look on page 48 of the manual below and it will show you how to use the recovery.

http://www.ncedcc.com/pdf/Power Cab Manual 1-25-06.pdf

 

[markdeimling]

Reread your post, hit the select loco button, then press 3, then enter. This will select the engines default number of 3. The red emergency stop button will turn the tsunami engine off when it is stopped. Hitting the throttle will turn it back on.

 

[joed2323]

no sound, no lights, no nothing... ahhh

i will try the recovery

of course my power cab lights up all that works just no engine vroom vroom

 

[joed2323]

page 48 shows, tells me nothing about recovery.
Im assuming i need to go thru those steps to get to the recovery option

 

[joed2323]

When i turn my power cab on
It says cab address 02

Then next screen it says loco 003 then the time
Fwd. L1

Then i try select/loco enter 3 and still nothing. What gives?

 

[markdeimling]

the cab address is the actual address of the NCE controller, it comes into play when you have multiple controllers on the same system.

What is being displayed is correct for selecting the engine.

Are you using the black flat, 6 wire cable from the right side of the panel to the controller? If you are using the 4 wire coiled wire it will not turn the track power on. Also the red light on the panel will light up. The controller will turn on with both cables but only the flat cable will turn track power on.

 

[joed2323]

Yes. Im using the flat wire plugged into left port, red light comes on

Are you telling me im plugging it into wrong port?
The red light is on bottom not om top. Unless i have it flipped upside down

 

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Have you tried using 03? That's default address. Believe it has to be a two digit number.

 

[markdeimling]

Sounds like a stuck decoder, try the recovery on page 48 of the manual. The loco will lurch forward a bunch when it is resetting it so make sure it does not go off the track. Also make sure there are no other engine on the track. You will have to go into the programming track menu. It should only take a minute or so. Then it should respond to the stock 3 address.

 

[joed2323]

I hope so
Thanks mark. I will give it a shot in a lil while. Only have this one loco. It better work. Costed me enough.

Does a stuck decoder happen often or ever..

I had to take a break from my layout. Hope i can get train going for my sons sake, he woukd be bummed

 

[markdeimling]

i had a friends tsunami do it when he was trying to program it and lost power in the middle of the programming. usually decoders will lose the light function after a short circuit on the track. but those are easy because programing cv8 to 8 fixes the issue.

so i would say its pretty rare, but can happen. I hear you about having to take a break.

 

[joed2323]

Ok mark. You lost me when you said cv8 to 8.
What does that mean? Im still tryinf to figure out whay cv's are and understand them. Thats my big issue with dcc decoders and consists and words im unfamiliar with

If i knew what half this stuff means i probably would of had my problem fixed by now

 

[joed2323]

ok.

i tried preprograming and my controller tells me it can not read cv

wtf. i only used this brand new loco for like 10 minutes when i opened it from box.


now what should i do?

 

[Motley]

CV 8 means to reset the decoder back to defaults.

I take it you didn't try that yet?

Select Programming on the main on your throttle.

Enter the locos address.

Select CV programming.

Enter the number 8 for the CV.

Then enter the number 8 for the value.

Once that is done, it sets the locos address to 3. if it successfully reset the decoder, then you can select loco number 3. And then see if it works.

 

[joed2323]

i tried that, unless i did it wrong, its telling me it can not read my cv

whats my locos address?? im assuming its 3, but its not reading my cv??

wow i feel really stupid right now

 

[Motley]

Calm down. Really this stuff happens. I've had to reset decoders before. Sometimes they just go wacky.

OK, first, when you were able to operate your loco, use that address. If that doesn't work, try 3 also.

You don't want to read the CVs. You're doing something wrong.

Put the loco on the main track.

Select "Programming on the Main" And hit enter

Select the locos address the last time it worked, the cab number probably.

OK, now select CV. It will prompt you for the CV number. Enter 8, and hit enter.

Now it will prompt you for another number. Enter 8 again, and hit enter.

If this doesn't work, try it using the loco address of 3.

Then finally, the loco will now be address of 3. Select the loco 3 and start it.

 

[joed2323]

Thanks motley


But ive tried the number 8 for the cv num and 8 for the value i hit enter and it just keeps repeating those 2 steps over and over.

When it worked or ran that one time it was running of the number 3 or factory setting

 

[Motley]

Hmm, well if it won't reset back to defaults, it could be a bad decoder.

I would contact Athearn tech support by phone, don't rely on email, and see what they say.

 

[Motley]

Sorry, but I forgot to tell you, you have to power cycle the NCE system.

So power cycle it, unplug from the wall.

Then go through the CV 8 as before. Only once.

Then power cycle the NCE system again.

Then try loco 3 and it should work.