# newbie wiring question



## Sn0cap2k4 (Dec 28, 2021)

Xmas came and went and I'm dipping into the hobby. Wanting to create a simple circle layout, Think under xmas tree. Got everything I needed to get stared. Nce powercab 2amp, some Bachman ez track and aa bli prr4 k4 

Went out and bought some 14g wire, connect the track, soldered it to the rails (inner/outter) and hooked up the powercab. Got the engine running and after 2 loops I lost sound and the light on the pcp flashes so there's a short somewhere.

Question is, for a basic 44" loop do I need bus wires and feeders or am I ok just soldering the track wire from the pcp to the rails? I feel like anything else would be overkill but the life of me I cant figure out why this simple circle would have a short in it. Rails have been cleaned and rail joiners triple checked...thanks


----------



## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Just one pair of wires should be fine. Soldering is probably overkill. I'd just use the bachmann feeder track and wire for that small of a loop. With just one set of wires its hard to short something. Reset your controller and see if it clears. Could have just been something momentarily across the tracks that created a short. 

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

What VK said. Except I would use wires instead of words.

Check that a stray piece of tinsel or other metalic object didn't fall across the rails. Make sure the decoder is seated in the header. Shipping can dislodge and loosen decoders. Check to see nothing metallic or otherwise didn't get wrapped up in the wheel axles.

You don't need a buss for a 44" circle of track.


----------



## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Ya, lack of proof reading got me again!

... I'm bad at that 

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


----------



## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Does the locomotive move at all or does it just sit there lifeless? The NCE PowerCab uses a small plug whcih the track power wires connect to. This plug is then inserted into the back of the PCP. That plug has a tendency to work itself out of place or not be inserted tightly. Check the plug, and also check that no stray strand of wire is shorting across back there. There's not a lot of room, especially with 14 gauge wire.


----------



## Sn0cap2k4 (Dec 28, 2021)

flyboy2610 said:


> Does the locomotive move at all or does it just sit there lifeless? The NCE PowerCab uses a small plug whcih the track power wires connect to. This plug is then inserted into the back of the PCP. That plug has a tendency to work itself out of place or not be inserted tightly. Check the plug, and also check that no stray strand of wire is shorting across back there. There's not a lot of room, especially with 14 gauge wire.


I can get the loco to run if I ignore everything, I just don't have any ancillary functions (whistle/sounds/lights) and it sounds awful hearing the signal pick-up thru the track/decoder. The powercab let's me know a short is detected if I try to delete and re-assign. 

I soldered to the track because I couldn't find a 22" radius terminal piece...maybe my soldering skills are just crap and I'm not getting a good connection as a result. I may reduce down to a less powerful (higher) gauge that's a bit easier to get soldered.. Really I'm just building this small circle to make sure I understand the wiring aspects before I get too deep in a traditional sized layout. Thanks for the responses so far!


----------



## vette-kid (May 2, 2020)

Just add a straight terminal. One each side. It will be minimally larger and much easier. On the other hand, good time to work on soldering skills!

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

There are things you can check:

1. Remove the loco from the track.
With power on, if your controller shows a short there
is a problem along the rails. If no short go to 2.
2. With loco off the track, but power on, use a
wood or plastic 'block' to press on the rails around
the oval. Use a light pressure on it. If no short results go to 3.
3. Run the loco. Does it always stop at a specific
place? If so, there is a problem with the track at
that point. If it shorts here and there go to 4.
4. A loco causing a 'short' anyplace on the track
would seem to indicate a problem in the loco,
most likely related to the power pickup wheels
or the brass strips that rub against them. There
could be a loose wire from wheels to decoder, or
there could be stray metal shards near the wheels.

The repeated 'shorts' could have affected the decoder
settings. Often resetting a decoder to factory defaults resolves 
response issues. Some have mentioned that tilting loco
'on the track', thus lifting wheels of one side from the rails can
restore failed functions. Follow any instructions from your
manual.

Don


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Sounds to me like the decoder may be set up to run it in DC mode only. You'll have to go through the Powercab menu and change the selection to DCC only.


----------



## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Sn0cap2k4 said:


> Xmas came and went and I'm dipping into the hobby. Wanting to create a simple circle layout, Think under xmas tree. Got everything I needed to get stared. Nce powercab 2amp, some Bachman ez track and aa bli prr4 k4
> 
> Went out and bought some 14g wire, connect the track, soldered it to the rails (inner/outter) and hooked up the powercab. Got the engine running and after 2 loops I lost sound and the light on the pcp flashes so there's a short somewhere.
> 
> Question is, for a basic 44" loop do I need bus wires and feeders or am I ok just soldering the track wire from the pcp to the rails? I feel like anything else would be overkill but the life of me I cant figure out why this simple circle would have a short in it. Rails have been cleaned and rail joiners triple checked...thanks


Sn0cap2k4;

The others have answered your question, you should not need bus wires on that small circle of track.
I suggest you remove the 14 Ga. bus wires that you soldered to the track first, then check for the short circuit with those wires out of the picture.
If you still have the problem, try using a multimeter to check the track power at each section of your track. It should measure about 16 volts AC. That is the normal output of a DCC system. Its possible you have a poor connection either between two sections of EZ-Track, or in the feed wires from the NCE Powercab to the track. You should also check the resistance between the inner and outer rails. Before doing this test, remove any locos or cars, and disconnect the wires from the Powercab to the track. What you're after is the resistance between the rails alone, with nothing connected to them. It should read a very high resistance in Meg Ohms. If it is a low resistance, like 5 ohms or less, the track itself is shorted. Disconnect the EZ-Track sections, and check each one individually until you find the bad section. If you don't have a multimeter, you can buy a simple, but perfectly adequate, one for only $5 from www.harborfreight.com (see photo) The meter comes with directions and battery already installed. Its a very handy tool to have on any model railroad.
If you have a second locomotive, try that on the track and see if the sounds work on that loco.

Bachmann EZ-Track is not the best. Actually the track is ok, sort of, but the Bachmann turnouts are downright awful.
Kato Unitrack, and turnouts, are both excellent. The attached file has more info on wiring and control for model railroads.

Good Luck;

Traction Fan 🙂


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

The multimeter is a great idea. You can learn a lot with a simple resistance test to help isolate any short. And to reiterate that's 16v AC, not DC! (anything from 12 to 17 volts is ok). And I admire your ability to solder 14 gauge wire to the tracks, Try using 18 or better still 20 gauge wire, its a "little" easier to work with! For really short runs 22 gauge is fine (its what the decoder is probably using)


----------



## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Is that awful sound you are hearing a high pitched whine? Almost reminiscent of an old dial-up computer modem? 
If that somewhat describes what you’re hearing then it’s a dual-mode decoder that can be setup to run on DC power or DCC via a magnetic switch. You’ll know for sure if a little wand was included in the box. The accompanying paperwork will also indicate this and the switch location.
I would start with resetting the decoder via the powercab; see loco documentation for doing that. Then set up the decoder to run on DCC. 
That will give you a clean slate, and see if that corrects it or the problem persists. It’s theoretically possible that a dual-mode decoder traveling through a magnetic field from some device could get flipped from DCC to DC by accident. It’s unlikely under most circumstances, but to me it sounds like a valid explanation here. If there’s an older tv, radio, or any electronic toys stored close by, push such things 3-4 feet away. Again, unlikely under most conditions, but makes sense here.
I’d put money on a decoder programming error or magnetic interference vs a track issue.


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

I thought I said that...


----------



## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

MichaelE said:


> I thought I said that...


You did, and I agree. But I was just going into more descriptive explanation of the sound being mentioned, or if that sound is what we're thinking it is. He’s new to much of this, so… I felt more in depth continuation of your premise would be helpful.


----------

