# Left...no...right!



## Moosehead14 (May 22, 2016)

Below is my club's command box layout. Under DCC for the most part, all is working the way it should. Accidentally, we discovered a problem when running a DC loco on address 00. Essentially, with the loco set to run; on DB150 #B, it goes forward; on Section 1&2 (DB150 #A) it goes forward; on Section 3&4 (DCS100) it goes BACKWARDS!! If we reverse the DCS100 input, it WILL work properly but I feel like I am setting myself up for a short at a crossover somewhere.

Could someone please double check the wiring for me. To the best of my ability, everything has been set to default. We have not used any auto-reversing (intentionally), there are no jumpers on the PM42. Could there an OpsSwitch on any of the hardware that is setup wrong?

I've also included an actual image of the control box but DB150 #B indicated in the diagram hasn't been installed yet.

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

You might want to check the phase on the rails between the sections.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Definitely sounds like a polarity problem. I would double check that your layout is wired like your diagram so that "Rail A" is always connected consistently across all controllers, the PM42, and the track. If that's good, do you have the ability to connect a computer to your loconet? If so, I'd recommend installing the free JMRI software and have it read the Op Codes of the controllers and PM42 and see if anything isn't set as expected. If that all looks good, I'm now grasping at straws for ideas. I would look at the loconet cables between the controllers to make sure you didn't get one of the connectors "backwards". I'm pretty sure that the loconet cable also carries the Rail A & B signals on it and if you made the cables yourself and reversed one of the ends, that might reverse the command stretching that makes DC locos run on DCC power.

Mark


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

JerryH said:


> You might want to check the phase on the rails between the sections.


Jerry, can you explain how to check the phase between sections? I'm not sure how to do that.

Mark


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## Moosehead14 (May 22, 2016)

Thanks guys. We have removed the layout from the equation by just using a pice of test track. The loconet cables were also checked and look good. I am using JMRI for decoderpro but I have never used it to check Op codes. Where is that function?

I'm also curious about checking the phase of the signals.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

Where the sections meet and a voltmeter set to AC, check that there is 0 voltage on the same rail across each insulated joiner. If you have around 13 VAC indicated, your power districts are out of phase and or your rail feeders are not correct. You can also check this at the PM42 connections so that all section connections are in sync. No 2 "A"s should show any voltage as well as no 2 "Bs" Any 2 AB should show a voltage. You may have wired everything correctly but did you catch the instructions from Digitrax regarding the phase between a CS and a booster?

A: This is a common issue when the first booster is added to a DCS100/DCS200 command station. 

MOST DCS100/DCS200 command stations come from the factory set with Rail A & Rail B connections that are the opposite phase from the DB100 and DB150 boosters. 

This means that Rail A on a DCS100/DCS200 is the same phase as Rail B on a DB100 or DB150. A short occurs when a locomotive passes from one phase to the other. The easiest solution is to reverse the Rail A and Rail B wires connected to the DB150; you can also set the Booster to auto-reverse to reverse it's phase.


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## Moosehead14 (May 22, 2016)

Jerry, you are my new hero!:smilie_daumenpos:



JerryH said:


> You may have wired everything correctly but did you catch the instructions from Digitrax regarding the phase between a CS and a booster?
> .


 No, I didn't catch those instructions! Thank-you. Turns out we were right to switch the wires but didn't know it. I'm sure Digitrax had a perfectly sensible reason for reversing that "un-important" convention?

Mark, I'm still interested to know where to read the controller OP codes in JMRI.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

I doubt they had a sensible reason. Doesn't make any sense to me.


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## JerryH (Nov 18, 2012)

In JMRI decoderpro, click "loconet" and about midway down are the various hardware devices that you can configure including the CS and PM.


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## Moosehead14 (May 22, 2016)

Thanks again. Clear as day now. I am running a different system at home and didn't have the loconet option enabled.


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