# dcc digitrax dcs50 &db150



## Ellenshar (Jan 25, 2009)

having a problem trying to get my dcc digitrax dcs50 & db150 working ,i do get the sound bell,air & lights to work but cant get the mu'ing engine & the decoder engine to run to-gether,was told i dont have my 50 & 150 hocked up right,i have the power connected on my zepher with loconet to the db150 my db150 is powered by ps514.i was told that was not the wright way.please i need some advice on how to connect these items-thank you ed


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Ed,
To start with your going to have to decide which unit will be the command station and which will be the booster unit, it doesn't matter which you use unless your only control is the DCS50 (zephyr), then the DB150 will have to be the booster. that is done threw the Option Switches threw the individual unit.
You need to split your layout into 2 separate power sections DCS50 section and a larger DB150 section. The tracks between the blocks need to be double gaped on both ends in a loop.
connect the command station and the booster with a loconet cable only NO power wire connecting the two units.
Is the ps514 connected to just the DB150? I'm pretty sure that that unit will only drive on command station or booster! What voltage do you have it set on? I would recommend 24V setting, More voltage means more amperage, and yes the DB150 will handle a 24V DC input voltage, I run my DCS200's off of a 30amp 28V DC supply with a 8 amp in-line fuse, and have done that for 4 years with no issues. 
If you need to power more than one unit off of a supply then you need to get a PS2012 supply it has 20 amps and will run up to 4 5amp units at a time. 
Let us know how that works out for you!


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

My first question is why both the DB150 and the DCS50? The DB 150 is a booster/limited command station where the DCS50 is a full command station. The DCS50 is capable of full DCC functions like CV readback and also the ability to have a program track. The DB150 is only able to do ops mode or programming on the main. Granted the DB150 is a 5 amp booster but how big is your layout to use the extra power?

If you want to use the DB150 as a booster you need to refer to the instructions on how to jump the front plug and if there are any settings internally (like CVs) you will need to set. 

Massey


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## Ellenshar (Jan 25, 2009)

first of all,i purchased a digitrax zephry dcs50 & 2 sound decoders,i installed the decoders in 2 different n diesel engines than hocked up the dcs50,the bell,horn,air & lights worked on bothdiesel units,i have 24 block on my track with atlas green switchs,tried them all no prolem then i tried an analog diesel engine this all works?????,but when i asign a number to my decoder engine,than my analog nothing works,iwent the hobby store they said i needed booster digitrax db150 with a loconet cable to get more power,i hocked them up & still wont run the engine with the decoder & the analog engine, the talked me into trying a loconet ur91 hocked this up still the diesel with the decoder & the analog diesel wont run,but if i run either the decoder diesel or the analog diesel alone they run & i get sound from the decoder installed engine,for some reason i cant get these 2 engines,the decoder diesel & mu'ing engine to run to-gether,seems like there isnt enought power-thanks for your help,i spent enough money now i dont want to go back to the hobby store or they will sell me something else,trains are not a big item for them,they sell a lot planes,helicopters,trucks & jeeps.thank you ED


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

I think I get what the problem is.
When you say analog engine do you mean an engine with no decoder, DC only.
Trying to run DC engines (analog) in a consist or at the same time as Decoder (digital) equiped engines can lead to some very unexplanable results!
You should have plenty of power with just the DCS 50 and nothing else!
Simple fix is to install a DCC Decoder in the other engine.


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

The Zephyr is a picky system for running analog locos. It will do it but it takes alot of power and also the signals may be distorted due to the zero streaching. This is not uncommon on some dcc systems. I would as NIMT said install a decoder in the other engine. Also if you do want to keep using the DB150 you need to configure it for booster only operation or it will fight with the DCS50 for control.

Massey


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## Ellenshar (Jan 25, 2009)

it's me again,i do have 2 diesel engines with sound decoders but when i place them on the track & use the last three numbers off the engine,for ex.701 as my top loco & 628 as my mu'ing loco place them on the track and my led dial goes crazy running across the dial,so i shut the power of & took the engines off the track;again I tried my diesel with the decoder as per. the manual & picked top loco no.9,than i put the analog engine on the track & using the mu key & coded it 23 than hit the t+ key & the no. 09 came up as per the manual,it said to turn the throttle to set a speed than turn the direction lever to forward & away your trains go (NO SUCH LUCK) they just sit there no matter how much i increase the speed,cleared this 3 times loco number for the diesel with a decoder & the analog diesel nothing works,yet when i try them along they work great,I get sound & both run alone.do you know when they say a analog engine does this mean one like i have with the lights only or do i have to change it.I thank you for all the advice and help,I plan on calling the digitrax hot line to-day and see if they know whats wrong,will let you know how i make out.Again I talked to 2 members of one of the model clubs in town,they dont use the digitrax system,couple of the guys tried it but found ther manual to confusing,they like the mrc system,they have nothing bad to say about digitrax but when you get older its hard to follow you have to jump from one section of the manual to the middle than back & forth again.Once again Thanks for your time,nice talking to you-ED


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

you cant MU an analog loco with anything. The DCC systems have a hard enough time running just one add 2 analog engines and you are going to give some hard earned $$$ to some one for a repair or new dcc unit. Remove the analog engine until you can get a decoder for it. Do not try to run the analog with a DCC in MU mode. Also how do you program the analog engine to an address other than 00 you have no chip inside to program so I dont see how you can make it #23. Also the Zephyr supports 4 digit addressing you should be able to give your engines the full number. IF you are giving an engine #701 you are using 4 digit addressing.

Massey


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## Ellenshar (Jan 25, 2009)

I spoke to a digitrax tech. this morning he said you can not mu an analog loco with a decoder loco,he said try installing dz143;dn163ao;dn163k1b into your second loco that can be coded ,I told him in there dcs50 Zephyr manual page 26 and 27 it tell how to MU loco's he told me the only way you can run analog locos with the Zephyr is with code 00.So much for following the manual.So now i have to go and buy some mobile decoders and install these in my analog loco's.Once again THANK YOU for Your suggestions.BIG ED


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

Yep, it does say that in the Zephyr manual:



> Your DCS50 uses universal consisting to make MU operations simple and easy
> to do. This is the most flexible and realistic method of MUing available. You
> can add any locomotive to your MU, no matter what kind of DCC decoder is in
> your loco. You can even add an analog loco to your MU.


My guess is to add loco address '00' to the Top Loco address to get this to work (if it actually does).


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

It does say in your Zephyr manual that you can only run one analog loco at a time and that the address for that loco MUST be 00. It also states in the manual that you cannot MU an analog engine with a DCC engine. I dont have the book in front of me to give you page numbers but I know this to be fact. So if you want to run the engine in a consist you will need to install decoders in them. 

Massey


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