Continuation of my effort to have a running locomotive

S

Sarah Winfield

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I have now set up my locomotive on a cushion, upside down with my EZ Command controller attached to the skids. Unfortunately nothing is happening when I turn the power output knob.

Question 1) please. By attaching the controller output wires to only the skids should the locomotive wheels turn when I apply some power?
Question 2) please. I have a volt meter, set to 10v which when I remove the wires from the locomotive skids and connect them to the meter and turn the controller's knob I have no reading.
Question 3) please. I understand I have to programme the DCC module to the controller. Is this an easy process please?
Question 4) please. I do have the instructions for the controller though I can't make much sense of them. Has a member this same controller and who might help me please

Please ask any further questions.

Many thanks,

Sarah Winfield
 
Sarah, have you got an ordinary DC powerpack/controller that you could use for testing at this stage, rather than trying to use your Bachmann DCC system?
The answer to your question (1) should be YES if you are using a simple DC controller, but NOT NECESSARILY if you're using a DCC setup, because the loco's decoder will only respond if the controller is set to the same loco address as the decoder.....

Jon.
 
Question 2 is a strange one, I thought DCC gave voltage all the time but a traditional DC transformer varied the voltage as you turned the knob. Could we have a duff controller here?
 
Sarah,
From memory the EZ has the ability to read the Chip Number, you will need this to be able to run the Loco. So look at the Manual and how to read the Chip Number . Follow the Instructions on how to do this. When you get that number (quite possibly 3) you then need to look at the intructions on how to Use that Number to drive a Loco. That is in the Basics at the begining of the Manual if my memory serves me well. Sorry cant be more specific, I sold my EZ some time back. 2 or 3 reads are necesarry to get to grips with any DCC System.

On a more basic level each Chipped Loco is programmed to have a Number, your LGB Chip will be between 1 and 21 (or 22). You have to use whatever number the Chip has been programmed to to be to drive the Loco.

Hope this helps a bit.
JonD
 
Does your DCC chip look like the one on page 7 of this manual?
http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/Manuals/le230.pdf

If so I suggest you remove all the wires from the DCC chip after making a note of which goes where.
Then connect (simply twisting together should suffice) the wire that went to terminal M1 to that from G1. Also connect the M2 wire to that from G2.
The loco should then run when powered from your analogue control.
 
pugwash said:
Question 2 is a strange one, I thought DCC gave voltage all the time but a traditional DC transformer varied the voltage as you turned the knob. Could we have a duff controller here?
Click to expand...

It does.. But it is (soft-of) AC.. If the meter is set to DC, it will read very little.
If we are talking a DC supply (not DCC) and you do not get a reading on the meter set to DC volts, either something is not connected correctly, or the power supply is duff.
 
I'm not familiar with the Bachmann EZ Command, but a quick Google of it shows ten pushbuttons for selecting loco addresses 01 - 10.... while the wires are connected to your Stainz's skates, try each of the address buttons in turn, and see if it responds to any of them? Of course the loco's decoder MAY be set to an address higher than 10, in which case the decoder's address will need to be changed before you can use the EZ unit to control it.
I still think that the decoder is suspect..... Neil's suggestion above is worth trying, and quite a simple thing to do as the decoder looks to have screw attachment terminals for the wires - it is also quickly reversible if you then want to put the decoder back later. Do make VERY careful notes of which wire goes where, and back those notes up with a photo if you can!

Jon.
 
The first question was "If I connect my
Sarah Winfield said:
I have now set up my locomotive on a cushion, upside down with my EZ Command controller attached to the skids. Unfortunately nothing is happening when I turn the power output knob.

Question 1) please. By attaching the controller output wires to only the skids should the locomotive wheels turn when I apply some power?
Question 2) please. I have a volt meter, set to 10v which when I remove the wires from the locomotive skids and connect them to the meter and turn the controller's knob I have no reading.
Question 3) please. I understand I have to programme the DCC module to the controller. Is this an easy process please?
Question 4) please. I do have the instructions for the controller though I can't make much sense of them. Has a member this same controller and who might help me please

Please ask any further questions.

Many thanks,

Sarah Winfield
Click to expand...

1. No, nothing should happen until the loco is "addressed" and commanded to move.
2. the volt meter should only respond if it is on the AC setting and the voltage read will be constant, it does not vary with the knob.
3. You actually tell the controller the "address" of the loco you want to control first, by default this is normally address 3 for a new loco that has not been configured otherwise.
4. Sorry I don't have the EZ command but it should have a section on how to select the address of the loco. Try it for address 3.

Greg
 
If all you want to do is shuttle a train up and down a short display track you don't need DCC. Remove all the DCC stuff from inside the loco and return it to a basic DC with the pickups connected to the motor and use a normal controller you can pick up cheap on EBay. For a short track even a 00 gauge one will be OK then all you need is a simple shuttle module which will come with instructions.

DCC is unnecessarily complicated and for a complete novice best left for later upgrade if at all. It's too geeky and not as robust as it could be.
 
Dave500UK said:
For a short track even a 00 gauge [controller] will be OK then all you need is a simple shuttle module which will come with instructions.
Click to expand...
Length of track is irrelevant, but you do need to make sure the controller has sufficient volts and amps output for large scale. That can't be said of all OO gauge controllers.
 
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Dave500UK said:
If all you want to do is shuttle a train up and down a short display track you don't need DCC. Remove all the DCC stuff from inside the loco and return it to a basic DC with the pickups connected to the motor and use a normal controller you can pick up cheap on EBay. For a short track even a 00 gauge one will be OK then all you need is a simple shuttle module which will come with instructions.

DCC is unnecessarily complicated and for a complete novice best left for later upgrade if at all. It's too geeky and not as robust as it could be.
Click to expand...

Well Said Dave!

Completely agree - Sound advice - DCC is a completely unnecesary level of complexity here.

I also found Neil's advice re the wires very helpful too. You don't really want to have to strip that loco right down just to get the wheel turning

Get rid of that deeply suspect chip! let's get those wheels running both ways on analogue DC!

HOWEVER before you do ANY OF THIS please try the loco on a decent DC controller and report back. I don't think that has happend yet, or maybe have missed it?

James
 
I certainly don't agree that DCC is "unnecessarily complicated.. and not as robust as it could be", HOWEVER I do agree it's overkill, and possibly even a hindrance having a chip in the loco for what Sarah seems to want to achieve at the moment. Back-and-forth shuttle operation is arguably easier with straight DC and a suitable electronic shuttle module.
 
I would like to try my EZ Command in DC mode as I don't have the confidence to remove the chip at this stage. The EZ does have an address button No 10 which is for an analogue locomotive.
Might I be wasting my time?
 
Sarah Winfield said:
I would like to try my EZ Command in DC mode as I don't have the confidence to remove the chip at this stage. The EZ does have an address button No 10 which is for an analogue locomotive.
Might I be wasting my time?
Click to expand...
Yes, you'd be wasting your time - it won't work. The "DC Mode" is not true DC, it's a way of "bending" the constant DCC waveform in the track so that a loco without a decoder will "see" a DC voltage differential and move. Your loco has a decoder fitted, the decoder will see there is a DCC waveform and won't respond to the "bent" DC.
 
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Sarah, from what I can make out the EZ Command system doesn't support a DCC programming track. You would probably benefit from finding a local helpful forum member or model shop with a full featured DCC system or a SPROG programmer, who could put your loco on a programming track and see if the decoder can be read. If successful you'd then know the decoder address etc. They'd also probably be able to check and test your loco for you.
 
Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding.
Jon, I haven't tried the buttons 1 to 9. I did try buttons 1 and 3 but there was no wheel movement. Although the E-Z Command is supposed to be simple to use I find the instructions difficult to follow.
I can't be sure what I'm actually trying to do. I do not want to mess with the locomotive although I have found a video showing how to install a decoder into a similar locomotive to mine. Presumably I should be able to reverse the procedure to un-install my decoder.
Although of a decrepit age, all my life I have messed things up. It's just the way I am hence my reluctance.
I'll persevere and hopefully something will come right.
Sarah
 
Maybe a silly question, but when you tried each of the 1-3 buttons, did you then try the controller knob (and/or direction buttons) in BOTH directions before moving on to the next number?

I really, really do think that at this stage you ought to follow Nick's suggestion and talk to one of the other forum members down your way (I'm on the opposite side of the country, sadly); it's looking very much like you've been sold a loco with a faulty decoder, which needs turning back into a simple analogue DC loco for your purposes - this isn't difficult for someone who knows what they are looking at. This is a great hobby, but you're trying to enter it with something that really isn't suitable for what you need, though that can be easily put right by somebody with a little experience.
There is plenty of potential help out there - but you need someone to look at the loco in a hands-on way, not just have us all try to give advice that may well be more confusing than helpful.....

Jon.
 
Thank you Jon. You are being very helpful.
I fear however, I shall have to plough a lone furrow, such is my nature.
To all those who have offered advice and suggestions I say, thank you. If things do take a turn for the better I'll report it on this site.
Regards.
 
Sarah, you said the decoder in your loco is a Lenz LE230?

Here is a link the instruction manual for that decoder:
http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/Manuals/le230.pdf

If you look at page 7 there is a diagram of the decoder and wiring. On the left hand side are the screw terminals. The top 4 terminals are M1, M2, G1, G2

M1 and M2 connect to the motor, G1 and G2 connect to the track via the wheels and skates (G=Gleis (track))

All you need to do to change your loco to straight forward analogue DC to test it is to disconnect those 4 wires, connect the wire that was in M1 to the wire that was in G1, and similarly connect the M2 and G2 wires. You've now wired the motor directly to the track pickups. It should now work with your DC Gaugemaster P controller (though not very fast as it's only 12V)
 
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