Eratic Headlights

duncan1_9_8_4

duncan1_9_8_4

UK Railway Signaller and Garden Railway Operator
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United-Kingdom
Having just bought a Massoth Central Station and the associated wireless navigator, which I must add is fantastic, especially the amount of control and slow speeds. One problem though, all the locomotives headlights have become eratic, from not been on, to flashing, to constant with no particular pattern. Any ideas on the problem and how to solve, in idiots language. I will be lost when someone mentions CV codes.....?
 
Its probably that the speed steps being used by the decoders, and the speed steps being used by your Massoth systems are different.

Try changing the speed steps being used by your Massoth system first to see if that fixes the problem.
 
Yes I reckon speed steps is the answer.

place loco on track ON ITS OWN no other locos!
switch system on switch NAV on selct MENU M3 key
use M1 key goto Decoder Prog.
pressOK
LOCO address PRESS OK select an address ( can be the same as already used for that loco)
Press OK
it then goes to speed steps select 28 if not already showing as 28 pressOK
then press OK twice then press M3 key enter the loco address oress OK then off you go all should be well.

I have just done this as I type and it worked for me

Hope this helps.

The massoth system is brilliant but you have to learn how it works and there are MANY pages in the instruction book! :D
 
Paul,
There is another way without using a Programming Track or taking all your other Locomotives off the Track.

Select Your Locomotive, Press and Hold Down M2 for a Couple of Seconds and you will come to a Sub Menu shown above with an Arrow above M2 and an OK at M3. Pressing that arrow will scroll through the various speed steps.

You can scroll through this menu after OK ing one and change many other options. Speed Steps being just one of them.

Look in your manual for Loco Configuration. In mine it is section 3.

As a rule you need to set your Loco to 28D for the light to go steady. However 128D may work also in some instances.

I tend to not bother changing the Function (Protocol) bit.

Another thing that can be saved here is the Locomotive Picture. You can get to this either by Keying in the Number you want from the Pictures or scrolling through them.

You can also add a Locomotive Name or just even the actual number, this is a bit tediouse as you have to scroll through each letter to build up that name. But it is a once only job.

Finally at the last step, make sure that you save by using M2. If you hit M3 by mistake you will loose those settings when the Massoth CS is turned off.

Another Point to rememberis that the Text above the M1,M2 and M3 changes depending upon where you are in any of the Programming or running. Takes a while to get used to this.

Sorry if I have been too detailed Granny sucking egg and all that. But I know the fun games I had getting to grips with Massoth when the Ruschbahn made the change.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. If you need more help, pm me and will give you my phone number. I can then perhaps talk you through the issues with Massoth on at the same time. I find this way always a better option for the learning process.
JonD
 
I will give it a go tomorrow, thanks for you help guys! I am fairly possitive all the locos currently show speed step 28 already though, so will re inputting 28 change anything?
 
It wont do any harm to try, one thing about Digital it is quite hard to 'Break!!'

Decoders can be reset to factory settings quite easily
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
I will give it a go tomorrow, thanks for you help guys! I am fairly possitive all the locos currently show speed step 28 already though, so will re inputting 28 change anything?
Click to expand...

Possibly so but maybe not 28D. The 28M or other setting is more than likely the problem. My recent LGB V100 would not even give me sound till that nice man at Glendale suggested that I might be other than 28D. He was if course correct.
JonD
 
It maybe that you need to select 14 speed steps on your Massoth system if that is what you previous DCC system was using. Try all of the speed step setting and see if any of them solve the erratic headlight problem.
 
Or just read back CV 29 from the loco..
Then you will be able to find what it is set to. ;D
 
Head lights flashing on/off as you change speed means loco is 14 steps but system is sending 28 steps.
 
Thanks for all your help and advice, i found out the easiest method was to place loco on the track on its own, hold down M2 for 4 secs, which brings up the speed steps for that loco, i changed it to 14, and now all is fine. Thanks again.
 
Locos will have much better speed control with 28 speed steps. Unless you need top run on the older MTS system, you should go to 28 steps.
All LGB MTS stations were 14 speed steps only unless you had the MTS III running with the Massoth navigator.
And older 55020 lenz decoders were 14 steps only. 55020 by Massoth were much better and had more features.
 
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