DCC headscratcher

I thaught error 2 meant the chip was not recieving the input, check your connections.#

"Piemanlarger" wrote

Isn't Error 2 a short circuit on the programming track? Same comment though - check your connections.

John.

In message , John Turner writes

I sometimes get error 2. The solution for me is to press down on the loco and jiggle it forwards and backwards while programming or trying to read the chip.

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 09:01:01 +0000, Jane Sullivan said in :

I tried that (and yes I also checked for shorts). If I lift the wires off and stick them on an old spiral-wound motor the error clears. Tedious.

Guy

According to the manuals I could find online at the Lenz site this error means that no response was detected from the decoder during programming.

Normal programming relies on sending a command or enquiry to the decoder and detecting an acknowledgement pulse. The pulse is generated by the decoder briefly applying full power to the motor and the programmer detecting the current pulse.

As one respondent describes having experienced this error code but had it cleared when the locomotive is pressed onto or wiggled on the track this suggests the 5 pole ringfield armature has a resistance high enough such that the current pulse is too low for the programmer to consider it an acknowledgement pulse.

In the case of the problem going away when pressed/wiggled on the track then this suggests dirty track, wheels, and/or pickups which would increase the overall resistance and hence reduce the size of the current pulse.

In your case you might like to try programming the decoder with another motor for which you don't get the error 02 then installing it into the locomotive with the 5 pole ringfield and seeing if it works Ok. In fact you might well find the programming has worked but it's just the acknowledgement that's gone awry.

Another consideration is that if you use a dedicated programming track then this normally employs a lower voltage/current to avoid the risk of damage. You might try progamming on the main if it is available to you. I'm not familiar with the Lenz product so I don't know if you can directly increase the power it provides to the programming track?

Lastly if you wish to program on a dedicated programming track try temporarily connecting a suitable resistance, e.g. another motor or preferably an actual resistor, in parallel with the ringfield motor during programming.

On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 01:35:20 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@bcs.not.org.uk (Chris White) said in :

Sort of, it usually indicates a problem with the motor.

This is what fixed it: connecting DC to the motor and running it up to speed for a minute (I guess that cleaned the commutator).

Now runs just nicely :-)

Guy

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote

Could this be why it is widely accepted to be good practice to run a loco for a little while on DC before fitting a decoder?

John.

On Sun, 1 Jan 2006 17:34:24 -0000, "John Turner" said in :

Maybe. I did run it three or four times round the track before chipping it, perhaps I should just have run it until the electric smell went away :-)

Guy

In message , "Just zis Guy, you know?" writes

How long is once round the track? On my layout it's 110 yards, so three or four times would probably be OK.

I'm beginning to suspect that you might have your railway in a garden!

Cheers, Steve

In message , Steve W writes

What on earth gives you that idea?