A friend of mine was recently installing a 74462 decoder with a 74491 motor into a TRIX turnout, but could not get it working with a MS2.

To eliminate problems with the new decoder and motor, I installed both items into a normal three rail turnout and used the MM protocol set to address 1. It worked perfectly. I then tried it using the DCC protocol (set dip switch 10 to on) and once again it worked perfectly.

Wiring these items into a Trix turnout is different than the method used to wire these items into a marklin turnout. The main difference is a red, white and blue coloured cable that is connected between the track and the decoder. The decoder to motor wiring is the same as used in the marklin world.

The MS2 was originally set to DCC, which is fair enough as that is all this guy uses to run his TRIX trains. As we had just finished testing DCC, we connected the decoder to the TRIX track using the different wire set, but the MS2 could not switch the motor. My thought was that the nice red, white, and blue wire set was damaged in some way. So I swapped it out with one from my set (I don't use TRIX), but it still would not work.

The MS2 was then set to MM2 and test repeated with the dip switch 10 set to off. Once again no reaction from the decoder or motor.

In desperation we switched all the decoder switches to OFF and set the MS2 to MFX, DCC, MM2. To my surprise, the motor started switching the turnout.

Clearly the decoder is now using mFx, but refuses to use the single protocol (DCC or MM2)

While this guy only has one turnout at the moment, does mFx remember which turnout was number 1,2,3 etc?

I know that there are not many TRIX users on this forum, but has anyone else experienced this odd behaviour?

Sadly, that appears not to be the case. It was the case with the Marklin track, but not the TRIX track. With the Marklin track I was able to switch between DCC and MM2 with ease, but only mFx worked on the TRIX track. I don't understand why this is so.

Adrian, C Track and Trix track are only peices of plastic and metal so there is NO REASON for it not to work with Trix track.
The decoder 74462 is capable of MM2, DCC, MFX but MFX cannot be disabled but still the CS3 may send MM2, DCC order and the switch 10 helps select what the "other" protocol is
A reset (CV8=8) may help reset an undocumented toggle inside the decoder to work with "lower priority" protocols (DCC and MM2)
Jean

Hi Adrian
Indeed all I have are C-Track pieces and not any Trix track pieces. Indeed there is a PCB under Trix switches and I fail to see any electronic components but rather a way to have a polarized frog
The multi-coloured cable is to bring the track power to the decoder whereas in the Märklin version you have 3 wires (brown, red, yellow) with small faston connectors
The video shows clearly all this


So I don't pretend I know everything and I am still trying to understand. The change between the C Track and the Trix track is the multicoloured cable which brings power to the decoder and the possible issues are: there is a permutation of the B and the O signals (which may cause the decoder not to work), the power wire (the yellow one in the Märklin wiring that is not connected causing the decoder to work but NOT to deliver power to the solénoid) or a cable error or plugging error
Anyway I am really interested in what you will find out
Just as a reference here is the Märklin C Trak installation of the same modules


Cheers
Jean

Hi Adrian
One possibility is to connect the decoder directly (not through the switch) using the marklin cable and see if it works It MUST
Cheers
Jean