3
Trouble Shooting
General Trouble Shooting
It takes the Command Station, the decoders and your layout to make the
DCC system work. This Trouble Shooting Section has been arranged in a
manner easiest for you to find the cause of your problem. Please go
through this section in the
exact
order it appears because each following
set of instructions assumes that the preceding set has been tested and
that component of the DCC system found not defective.
1. Turn on the power of the base unit. The power light should turn on
.
If not, make sure the power supply is securely plugged into the base unit
and into a working AC wall outlet. Then turn off the power, wait 3 seconds
and turn on the power again. If power light still does not turn on, send the
unit in for repair.
2. The fan should not spin when there is no load.
If the fan turns on
(spins slowly) and off periodically, it indicates there is an overload or short
circuit. Short circuits could be caused by a piece of metal lying across the
track, a defective decoder, a derailed loco, faulty turnouts, or a non-
insulated reverse loop.
3. Check the Main Track output.
Place an analog loco or test light on the
Main Track. The loco should buzz or the test light should light. If not, check
all connections and make sure the rear green plug is securely plugged in.
Make sure the screws on the green plug are tightened on the wire and not on
the wire cover (insulator). If the analog loco still does not buzz or the test
light does not light, send the unit in for repair.
4. LCD does not display anything.
The Cab LCD should display the
current loco when the power is on. If not, plug the Cab into another Cab
Jack on the base unit. If the LCD still does not display anything, send the
unit in for repair.
5. Check the communication between the base unit and the Cab.
Press
2
. F2 should momentarily display on the LCD and the Link light
should blink. If not, set the Cab to be the Master Cab (Cab #1) by pressing
SYS, 6, 1,
and
ENTER.
Make sure there is no other Master Cab in the
system and try again. If there is still no communication, send the unit in for
repair. If there is communication, you may have the wrong Cab setup.
Read the Cab Setup section.
6. Your loco may have a pickup problem.
You should periodically clean
your track and your loco’s wheels. Oxide coating or dirt on either the track
or loco’s wheels often causes intermittent and jerky operation.
If you pass the above steps, your Command Station and Cabs are
fine. The problem may lie in the decoder.
7. Your decoder may have lost its memory or is in Advanced Consist
mode (CV19 is not 0).
Reprogram the loco address and try again.
8. Your decoder may have too much momentum
. Program the loco with
zero acceleration and deceleration rates.
MRC Prodigy Advance
2
Trouble Shooting 3-1
