# Help! My Loco Went Loco on Me!



## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Howdy y'all, I got me another DCC w/sound issue that just cropped up earlier tonight and I cannot for the life of me figure what happened? I was running some trains this evening and enjoying myself when out of the blue one of my locos went loco on me and I'm hoping someone can help me out here?

This particular diesel locomotive is my only DCC w/sound locomotive that is not a BLI Paragon2 loco that I've been use to operating. This locomotive is one of the new Athearn Genesis GP40-2W w/Tsunami onboard and the thing went plum loco for no reason at all? All of a sudden when I push the button for the horn the bell rings and if I push the bell button the horn activates. If I hit the button that activates the ditchlights, it turns all the lights off or on rather than have them flash like they typically do and the ditchlights have never interfered with the headlights before?

All was running well and I had all three locos working the rails and I decided to have the GP do some yard switching and it was working just fine until at one point when I switched to reverse the loco as normal and toot the horn accordingly, that's when everything started going haywire??? The other two locomotives are operating just fine so it can't be the PowerCab, correct?

I shut everything off and powered down the entire system and waited for about 15 minutes to be sure all would cool down and possibly reset itself if needed and when I powered up and started the GP, it began doing the weird stuff again? Help!!!

Does anyone have any ideas as to what might have happened? All of my DCC power units are pretty much brand new and if memory serves me properly, this is actually the first time I've run the new Athearn Genesis w/Tsunami other than the road-test when I first got it home. I don't understand how it just went crazy like that out of the blue unless I pushed something on the PowerCab that I wasn't aware of but I can't imagine that being the problem? Any input would be greatly appreciated gentlemen and please remember I'm not a techy by any stretch of the imagination so talk to me like I'm brain-dead when it comes to DCC operations please. I will not be offended at all.

Thanks in advance, Bo.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

First out try a decoder reset, that ought to sort it. On Tsunamis you reset CV8 to a value of 8. This will take it back to its default settings.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I cannot say what has happened. What I can say is that I have had this happen a few times with other brand decoders. 

First time was a loco that was freshly upgraded to DCC with a Digitrax decoder. The locomotive would randomly go on auto pilot so to say. First I performed a factory reset on the decoder to make sure nothing was accidentally changed. That did not fix it so I repeated the factory reset two more time. Why did I repeat this three times? Because others have said there is noting to loose by doing so and you are bound to have done it right at least one of those times. Then I contacted Digitrax, told them what I had done and they issued a replacement free of charge stating it was a defective decoder.

The second time I had this happen was an NCE decoder. This time simply resetting to factory defaults solved all issues. The issue has never come back.

I have the NCE PowerCab. I have a tenancy to touch type. This is how I use a computer after all. The issue is that I can do some bad things if say I hit the Program button by mistake and the hit the #2 to trigger a sound. That enters into the CV program mode, don't ask how I figured this out . Needless to say as good as the PowerCab is it also easy to accidentally make a mistake and reprogram something.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

My BLI Shark just STOPPED one fine day in the middle of a run, no sound, no motion, DEAD. Put it on the program track and went thru the program dance and it seems fine now.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Tsunami reset...give CV30=2,then cut track power off (or lift wheels one side) for three seconds.If you don't have a booster,you may have to repeat a few times for it to take.


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

I've had the horn and bell switching issue happen on various decoders...doing a factory reset has always corrected the problem.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

BINGO gentlemen, doing the decoder reset was just the ticket needed in this situation and I sure do appreciate the input. After I posted the thread I found the manual that came with the locomotive later in the evening and it suggested the same resolution to the problem. If I had just done that in the first place then I wouldn't have had to trouble your guys but then again, isn't that what this forum is all about... helping one another to learn and enjoy the hobby.

Thanks so much my friends, I really do appreciate all of the responses. Does anyone happen to know what causes such a problem to arise in the first place? That might be interesting to know to help avoid the situation in the future!


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

Not a clue as to why it happens....my goto when it does is to just reset the decoder....if that sorts the problem,which it usually does, then I just re-address the loco and re-enter any changes I had made originally.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Genetk44 said:


> Not a clue as to why it happens....my goto when it does is to just reset the decoder....if that sorts the problem,which it usually does, then I just re-address the loco and re-enter any changes I had made originally.


I'm actually fairly new to this whole DCC thing so when these little glitches crop up I begin to panic, lol. I only got into DCC operation about two years ago but, I had a stroke last Spring which took me out of the game for quite a spell and I've only recently gotten back into playing with my trains again.

In the beginning I thought DCC meant new trains with sound and all the bells & whistles and I soon discovered that wasn't the case. There is DCC and there is DCC w/sound and that blew my mind. I thought why on Earth would someone buy a DCC locomotive without sound because that didn't compute to me? I wasn't fully grasping the concept of exactly what DCC meant.

It took me some time and a great deal of reading on the subject to understand DCC had to do with running more than one train on the same track at the same time, rather than having the separate blocks like we had in the old days with a transformer for each block. Believe it or not, my layout was still set-up like that for the longest while with the transformers simply disconnected and placing rail connectors where there weren't any before. Try explaining that old system to someone today who is new to the hobby who went directly into DCC operation who knows nothing about the old school DC system, lol.

So, once I figured out how DCC actually worked and I made the decision to try it out, I soon learned that sound had nothing to do with DCC and I was about to kill something, lol. I told you guys, I'm not real good with all this new technology. So, once I got the hang of things and how it ALL works, that's when I shopped around strictly for DCC locomotives with sound already installed because that's about as far as I want to go into this whole DCC thing. I've been thinking lately about maybe taking my older Atlas DCC w/sound locomotive to play with all of those CV's and settings, etc... but I haven't quite gotten up the nerve!!!

:dunno:


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> I'm actually fairly new to this whole DCC thing so when these little glitches crop up I begin to panic, lol. I only got into DCC operation about two years ago but, I had a stroke last Spring which took me out of the game for quite a spell and I've only recently gotten back into playing with my trains again.
> 
> In the beginning I thought DCC meant new trains with sound and all the bells & whistles and I soon discovered that wasn't the case. There is DCC and there is DCC w/sound and that blew my mind. I thought why on Earth would someone buy a DCC locomotive without sound because that didn't compute to me? I wasn't fully grasping the concept of exactly what DCC meant.
> 
> ...


It can be a little confusing.

Things like 
DC only = dc only loco....requireing soldering skills and possibly ability to chop body so as to hardwire install a DCC decoder

DCC ready = a DC only loco but factory equipped with a plug so consumer can just plug a DCC decoder into it

DCC equipped. = loco with factory installed,non-sound DCC decoder 

DCC-Sound equipped = loco with factory installed sound-equipped DCC decoder

Generally speaking if you screw things up when playing with Cv numbers you can usually set things right by either resetting to the original number( if you wrote it down before changeing it) or by doing a factory reset...as you have already just learned. So by all means..go ahead and experiment. Thats how you learn...and more importantly...gain confidence.


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## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Texas hi-railer....
I'm happy you got it figured out. Don't feel bad we all had to start from the beginning with the dcc thing. I too got frustrated with it in the beginning. But now I wouldn't trade it for anything. I like dcc. I had many questions about it. But I asked about my questions on this forum, and I got excellent responds from everyone on this forum. Without the great people on this forum, I might have not went on with dcc. I'm still learning about it. But that makes it all the more fun. It all works out in the end. happy railing... &#55357;&#56397;


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Well I would say I more or less have the idea of how DCC works all figured out finally but I'm a long way from understanding the technology in that part of the hobby. I seem to recall one evening jumping on here asking about programming a certain CV or something to that affect (this was prior to the stroke) and I couldn't believe how many of you offered up all kinds of help on here. That really made me feel welcomed first of all and then it gave me the confidence to start asking more questions and then I had that dang stroke and everything came to a stand-still.

I've never really been one to trouble other folks with things and then one day an old modeling railroading buddy (now deceased) suggested a model railroad forum and that's when I found this place. I jumped on the internet one evening doing a search for a model railroad forum and this place was the first one on the list so... here I am. Wade (my old model railroading buddy) is the one who actually talked me into trying DCC so after doing some research on the internet and buying a couple of good books on DCC operation I decided to give it a try.

The problem is and where I think I failed is, I only read enough to get the basics of it and that's when I started shopping for a DCC system but I went cheap in the event I wouldn't like it which is how I ended up with the Bachmann EZ Command system as my first DCC system. Then I bought my first DCC loco which was that older Atlas and that's when I learned that DCC didn't mean sound as well? So, I ended up buying a sound decoder which I had to pay someone else to install and that was my first DCC w/sound loco.

Then I soon learned the EZ Command was limited to what one could do with it when it comes to the functions and that's when I began shopping around for a better system which eventually led me to the NCE PowerCab system after some research and reading comments on here about them. So, I've been running two complete systems on two separate mainlines thus the reason I posted the thread asking about connecting the two systems together which I learned is basically impossible. So, I either need to get one of those NCE 5 amp power boosters if I wish to connect everything together or, I need to leave well enough alone and simply enjoy what I have, which is perfectly fine with me. I was just hoping I could connect the two and I can't so, all is good and I am having a blast which is all that matters, right.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Genetk44 said:


> It can be a little confusing.
> 
> Things like
> DC only = dc only loco....requireing soldering skills and possibly ability to chop body so as to hardwire install a DCC decoder
> ...


I believe you're right Gene and I think that's what I'm going to do. I have that older Atlas with the after-market sound decoder by MRC that I paid a local gent to install for me and I think I'll start playing with that one to learn how to change CV's and do different functions, changing different functions to different CV's, etc. I might be using the wrong words here but I know what I mean, lol. I mean like, if I want the bell to be on #2 instead of #3, I'll just go ahead and change it. If I want the dispatcher to talk on #4 instead of #21, I'll just change it. That's kind of what you had in mind, correct?

The one thing that really frightens me in those DCC user manuals is setting up the CV's to actual realistic road speeds, like setting up the CV's to match real prototype locomotive road speeds, etc. That looks rather complicated to me? I think some of the stuff I could handle, while some of it appears as though I should leave well enough alone until I'm absolutely sure I know what I'm doing and then maybe I can go for it. I just wish I wasn't such an old school analog kind of guy who's afraid of change and upgrading, so to speak, lol. Am I correct in my thinking that CV = Current Value?


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> I believe you're right Gene and I think that's what I'm going to do. I have that older Atlas with the after-market sound decoder by MRC that I paid a local gent to install for me and I think I'll start playing with that one to learn how to change CV's and do different functions, changing different functions to different CV's, etc. I might be using the wrong words here but I know what I mean, lol. I mean like, if I want the bell to be on #2 instead of #3, I'll just go ahead and change it. If I want the dispatcher to talk on #4 instead of #21, I'll just change it. That's kind of what you had in mind, correct?
> 
> The one thing that really frightens me in those DCC user manuals is setting up the CV's to actual realistic road speeds, like setting up the CV's to match real prototype locomotive road speeds, etc. That looks rather complicated to me? I think some of the stuff I could handle, while some of it appears as though I should leave well enough alone until I'm absolutely sure I know what I'm doing and then maybe I can go for it. I just wish I wasn't such an old school analog kind of guy who's afraid of change and upgrading, so to speak, lol. Am I correct in my thinking that CV = Current Value?


CV means Configuration Variable.....

Don't be afraid to try things...they can almost always be reset.

The other thing you should try and do is find guys nearby who are using DCC on their model railroads.....I found that for me at least, I do better if I actually see how a thing is done versus reading directions on how to do it. The other thing is to try using the various functions on your NCE cab.....the NCE system is pretty forgiving.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

It sounds as if you have a problem with signal-to-noise ratio on a few sections of your rails. If the voltage is a bit low, the decoders won't get the strength of signal there, and also the short detection circuitry in the DCC unit won't be able to detect shorts before they do damage to your decoders. Make sure you have good solid voltage throughout by metering everywhere.

The only other possibility that I know of, barring a truly defective decoder, is if CV29 is not set for a value that precludes sensing DC current, say a value of 34. Sometimes decoders react to DCC signals as if they were on a DC track system and they'll take off and do strange things uncontrollably since they "think" they're getting 15 volts of current intended for the motor.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

mesenteria said:


> It sounds as if you have a problem with signal-to-noise ratio on a few sections of your rails. If the voltage is a bit low, the decoders won't get the strength of signal there, and also the short detection circuitry in the DCC unit won't be able to detect shorts before they do damage to your decoders. Make sure you have good solid voltage throughout by metering everywhere.
> 
> The only other possibility that I know of, barring a truly defective decoder, is if CV29 is not set for a value that precludes sensing DC current, say a value of 34. Sometimes decoders react to DCC signals as if they were on a DC track system and they'll take off and do strange things uncontrollably since they "think" they're getting 15 volts of current intended for the motor.


OK, you just totally lost me in the dust, lol.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Genetk44 said:


> CV means Configuration Variable.....
> 
> Don't be afraid to try things...they can almost always be reset.
> 
> The other thing you should try and do is find guys nearby who are using DCC on their model railroads.....I found that for me at least, I do better if I actually see how a thing is done versus reading directions on how to do it. The other thing is to try using the various functions on your NCE cab.....the NCE system is pretty forgiving.


Well, looks like I wasn't even close on that CV thing, lol. I get nervous when it comes to electronics because a while back when I first got up the nerve to finally buy myself a PC and take a computer class so I could learn the basics, the teacher told us to just play around with our PC's and don't worry about harming them because we couldn't. Well, $700 later with a PC that completely froze up on me and the repair guy telling me that I somehow fried the hard drive, I don't like messing with electronics or anything else I don't fully understand.

I think I will play around a little bit this evening if I can find the time and see what I can make of it. If I can learn to switch a few functions around and do a few other tricks, that might just give me the confidence I need to go a little more into and really learn what I'm doing. I mean, isn't that really why we all go into DCC operation in the first place? At first I did it just to be able tp play with trains that have sound but, the curiosity is now getting the best of me!


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## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Texas hi-railer...
I feel you're pain. Like I said I too felt the way you do. But I stayed with it and now I'm doing OK with it. What I did is said dave, you're going to take one of your dcc sound locos and play with cv's. Wow how nervous I was. I screwed up many times. But as the other people said in this post, if you mess up. Just do a reset , and you can try again. I now find playing with cv's is a lot of the fun. Don't give up. In the end you will be happy you didnt. If you need help just ask the people on this forum. They are happy to help. They helped me, and now I'm loving dcc sound. And as for you're computer freezing up. Maybe you could try using a tablet to run your trains, if you can with your system. If I understand ,that's what you are trying to do with your computer, if not I apologize for mentionin the tablet. I find a tablet is much more reliable than a computer. I run live sound for bands, and I use my tablet to operate the sound board, and it works great. Just a thought. But keep working with dcc, it's awesome! Good luck, Texas hi-railer, we are in this together.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

You need to find a chart with all the CVs for your MRC decoder. I would think you
could go to the MRC site and get the chart for your decoder. Not all decoders match
with the same CV numbers so you need one for your decoder. The chart will list every
CV number and what it is for. It will give you a range of values for that CV. One CV
might be for horn selection, most decoders will give at least 3 choices. Range might
be 1 to 3. 1 is a choice, 2 is a choice, 3 is a choice. Like as has been said it is easy
and fun. You need that chart. Don't just go changing CVs. Know what that CV does before you change it. When you get the CV the way you like, write the value number
down so that when you do a reset (which you will) you can go back and change the
CVs to what you liked.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

alaska railroad said:


> Texas hi-railer...
> I feel you're pain. Like I said I too felt the way you do. But I stayed with it and now I'm doing OK with it. What I did is said dave, you're going to take one of your dcc sound locos and play with cv's. Wow how nervous I was. I screwed up many times. But as the other people said in this post, if you mess up. Just do a reset , and you can try again. I now find playing with cv's is a lot of the fun. Don't give up. In the end you will be happy you didnt. If you need help just ask the people on this forum. They are happy to help. They helped me, and now I'm loving dcc sound. And as for you're computer freezing up. Maybe you could try using a tablet to run your trains, if you can with your system. If I understand ,that's what you are trying to do with your computer, if not I apologize for mentionin the tablet. I find a tablet is much more reliable than a computer. I run live sound for bands, and I use my tablet to operate the sound board, and it works great. Just a thought. But keep working with dcc, it's awesome! Good luck, Texas hi-railer, we are in this together.


WOW Dave, what on Earth gave you the impression I was attempting to run my trains with my computer? I wasn't even aware that could be done? Why would a person want to do that in the first place when that's what the hand controller is for? No my friend, I have no interest in running trains with a computer. Perhaps you got confused when I mentioned me taking so long to get into computers because I'm an analog kind of guy who's afraid of modern technology.

I've been looking for my booklet that came with the locomotives and all I found so far is the booklet for my BLI locos and all are the same whether steam or diesel when it comes to the decoder & functions. I know I have a large booklet for the Tsunami loco but the loco I was going to mess with this evening is the one with the MRC decoder installed and I can't find that booklet? I may have to look on MRC's website in hopes they have those posted somewhere. Wow, my head is still spinning thinking about running trains on a computer, lol. Thanks again Dave, I really appreciate the input, Bo.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

mopac said:


> You need to find a chart with all the CVs for your MRC decoder. I would think you
> could go to the MRC site and get the chart for your decoder. Not all decoders match
> with the same CV numbers so you need one for your decoder. The chart will list every
> CV number and what it is for. It will give you a range of values for that CV. One CV
> ...


Yes, that's just what I was telling Dave that I needed to locate my booklet for the MRC decoder before I mess around with it. So far no luck in locating it so I guess I'll just check out MRC's website in the hopes of finding a PDF copy of the booklet?


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## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Texas hi-railer... 
IM SO SORRY!! LOL.... I WENT BACK AND READ THE POST. I MUST HAVE BEEN ON A BRAIN FART. But yes there are ways you can operate you're trains using a computer. Believe it or not, there are advantages doing it. But I'm with you, my power cab is all I need. Again, I'm so so so so sorry.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

alaska railroad said:


> Texas hi-railer...
> IM SO SORRY!! LOL.... I WENT BACK AND READ THE POST. I MUST HAVE BEEN ON A BRAIN FART. But yes there are ways you can operate you're trains using a computer. Believe it or not, there are advantages doing it. But I'm with you, my power cab is all I need. Again, I'm so so so so sorry.


LOL, no worries Dave. I've been there myself and it seems to be more & more lately with age, lol. What would be the benefits of running a layout via computer? I do recall seeing a really huge model train layout in Germany online and I just assumed that had to be run by some kind of computer system because it was entirely too large and it had all kinds of animation, lighting, train after train running, etc. and there's no way that operation was being run by a couple of hand-held controllers, Bo.


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## alaska railroad (Oct 20, 2015)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> LOL, no worries Dave. I've been there myself and it seems to be more & more lately with age, lol. What would be the benefits of running a layout via computer? I do recall seeing a really huge model train layout in Germany online and I just assumed that had to be run by some kind of computer system because it was entirely too large and it had all kinds of animation, lighting, train after train running, etc. and there's no way that operation was being run by a couple of hand-held controllers, Bo.


I honestly don't no much about running layouts with a computer personaly. I have watched videos on YouTube ,and its interesting what you can do with a computer. But I believe people use one for the reasons you said. You can run everything on the layout, with just one item. ( a computer. )


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