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Offline waorb  
#1 Posted : 13 February 2015 13:25:46(UTC)
waorb

Brazil   
Joined: 31/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Brazil
Hello.

Since I bought the Märklin Central Station 2 (60215) together with the booster 60174 (both powered with 60101 transformer each), I had never used the Programming Track.

I tryed sometimes, but not that much... maybe because I never had the need to change something practical.
(why exchange something that it's working?)

Well... yesterday I put my brand new "old" 37510 locomotive Ae (3)6 together in the rails with the green 37187 S 3/6 K. bay. old lady. They runs together when I turned the knob of one of them.

The problem? Both have the default address 36 programmed at the factory.

The obvious solution? Insert one of them in the programming track and change the digital address.

After several tries to recognize the address from both locomotives, tries to upload a new address, on the programming track, on the main track (removing all other loks), with and without the booster connected, and also just plug the programming track on the main track power outlet and on the programming track power outlet... I give up...

(yes, the programming track was always powered)

End of the chapter, I recovered an old transformer from one MS1, connected a rail, put the lok over it, powered on, edited the lok on the MS1, upload a new address 37 to the 37187, and voilá: few clicks and I was done.

The questions left behind: What am I doing wrong on the CS2? Why it doesn't recognize the loks? Why it doesn't write the new address to the lok, even saying of doing so? (when I click upload, the CS2 give me a box saying that the upload to the lok was successfull, but it wasn't).

The only strange thing that I noted was if I put a wagon with tail light on the programming track, the lamp blinks a little bit (instead of not blinking on the main track).

Advises?

Thanks!

Walter


Offline witzlerh  
#2 Posted : 14 February 2015 15:44:03(UTC)
witzlerh

Canada   
Joined: 25/09/2010(UTC)
Posts: 417
Location: Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
Programming tracks are tricky to diagnose. First off, ensure that the programming track is electrically completely isolated from the main track. The track can be connected to the main layout but have both hot and ground isolated (B&0). This also mean not having any trains bridging the gap. My track is separate as I used the rolling test track.

Second is to ensure that the plus and minus (B&0) are the same from CS2 to the track. I also have 2 rail and this is an issue that is more important than 3 rail...But I have seen 3rail layouts wired backwards and still run ok...

The third thing that I do when it is not going well is disconnect the layout and only have the track power on the programming track. I use the interference suppressor so it is easier to do that rather reach behind the CS2. I have had the odd older decoder on the main get unintentionally reprogrammed when working with one on the programming track. ( once I even bypassed the suppressor to get it to work, but the decoder soon went squirrelly again and got replaced).

Finally, it depends on the decoder, some are stubborn, some are wired backwards, some need to just be reset to respond well, some do not like being programmed in multi track mode so I also set my CS2 to DCC or MM only for programming. Some decoders are very old and require dip switches and some are hard wired that you have to move a soldered jumper to change the address. Some decoders are permanently set so I either change address on another one or replace the decoder.

This does make it frustrating @ club meets because we are in a hurry and mistakes happen and someone comes home with an unintentionally reprogrammed train.

I hope this helps.
Harald
CS2 DB & Canadian Era 3-6
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by witzlerh
Offline waorb  
#3 Posted : 23 February 2015 20:20:21(UTC)
waorb

Brazil   
Joined: 31/05/2011(UTC)
Posts: 868
Location: Brazil

Hello Harald.

Thanks for the reply!

Last week I received 4 new decoders to digitilize old (analog) loks, and will do more tests.

I'll even try to change something on loks with original Märklin decoders... just to try to determine if the problem is the loks or the programming track... (or even the maquinist)... RollEyes

Cheers,

Walter


thanks 1 user liked this useful post by waorb
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