Engine trouble, DCC or Motors or ??


N

number9

Member
Hello,

I have a BLI Paragon 2 EMD SW7 Switcher. Last time it was put in the box it worked fine. So, setup a small
track around the christmas tree and I fired up the SW7. It worked fine. Next day (after turning it off and on), all
lights and sounds work, but it will not move.

NOTE: This is HO scale. I am using an NCE power cab. It is the only loco on the track.

After reading about this problem, BLI suggests a DCC controller reset. Did that (opened the loco, press reset
and fire up the track at the same time, I hear the coupler crash indicating a reset). I then set the loco on my controller to
3 and hey, it all works.

The problem: after turning it off and on again (e.g. off for the night), all lights and sounds work, but it will not move.

Where would one normally go from here? This is not a standard DCC controller that I just swap out to test.
Should I somehow check the motors? The wheels? The track is brand new. My other engine works fine. Not sure
which direction to take (or even how to check the motor for example, do I check continuity? I would suspect the
gear box or something, but when you command it to go forward it does not even budge, you can not hear the motor
try to turn).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just guessing here but if the engine runs after resetting the controller then I'd suggest it wasn't the motor. Perhaps it is the decoder not holding the info?
 
Update

wombat457 said:
Just guessing here but if the engine runs after resetting the controller then I'd suggest it wasn't the motor. Perhaps it is the decoder not holding the info?
Click to expand...

Well, sorry to have been mistaken, but it seems nothing will make the loco move. I did a manual reset (took it apart and held the reset while I applied
power, heard the coupler crash and it reset) and it will not move. The motor is not locked up. The trucks are not locked up. I suppose it was just
a coincidence that it stopped working (and I thought I had it working for a bit).

Not sure where to go from here (call BLI for a new board or just buy one).
 
I'd contact BLI first, depending on how old the engine is, and see what they say. If they wont play the game for whatever reason then yeah, a new decoder might be your only other option :(
 
I was going to say the same as Tony, that the address is not being "fixed" into the decoder memory. Did you, once resetting back to default, turn the track power off, or lift the loco of the track (tilting to one side to break the contact) for a few seconds? This seems to be a necessity with many to get that "fix" to work. Just driving off might only hold till the power gets broken again, then it's back to square one. The same will apply if resetting from default to another short or long number.
 
tootnkumin said:
I was going to say the same as Tony, that the address is not being "fixed" into the decoder memory. Did you, once resetting back to default, turn the track power off, or lift the loco of the track (tilting to one side to break the contact) for a few seconds? This seems to be a necessity with many to get that "fix" to work. Just driving off might only hold till the power gets broken again, then it's back to square one. The same will apply if resetting from default to another short or long number.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did the reset, unpower, power and check a few times. I will have to contact BLI. This is an "older" (three years perhaps) engine that I just never ran much.
 
Could be just something as simple as a broken/disconnected wire from the board to the motor. It could be a bit older than you think. I have had both BLI Blueline (DC/Sound, with DCC possible) and the later Paragon DCC/Sound models. The manual method of resetting the decoder you describe was not necessary with either of those. I believe they used QSI before that. Either way, contacting BLI for advice is the best course to take.
 
I believe the person on the other end meant to reset the DCC system, not the decoder. If a decoder seems to be working, even partly, but no movement, sometimes it means that a reset of the decoder won't fix the problem. Sometimes the DCC 'controller', as he called it, needs to be reset to factory defaults, or to a formula for options. The Digitraxx DB 150 has this feature with many options that one sets in an Op Switch series listed in a table in the manual. When things get 'tired', as some computer settings do after a while, you reboot.
 
I had the same problem with an Atlas RS-1 unit with DCC & LocSound. Ran it at our model railroad club and ran just fine. The next week, nothing. Trouble shooting the locomotive revealed that the front truck was not picking up. Sent it off to Atlas where they were supposed to have repaired it. Got it back and this time it would go through the start up sequence but would not move. Sent it back to Atlas again and they said they reset the factory defaults. We had already done this a number of times before sending it back. When it came back the second time it worked like it should.

I am a DC operator and plan to stay with DC. The only reason I got a few DCC locomotives is to run at our model railroad club.
 
I recently had issues with a BLI blueline and after asking about it here I was reminded that there are often 2 decoders in their locomotives. I will connect mine to JRMR to see if I can get it working correctly and if not I will be in contact with BLI. I found they have been very helpful in the past and I don't see why they wouldn't still be as good. Keep us posted as you find out what is wrong.

Dave
 
The decoders in the Bluelines can be replaced with BLI's Paragon2 decoders. BLI don't do it themselves but have others that do. At your cost of course.
 
Update, spoke with BLI a few times, they think the motor chip on the decoder is bad, and they sent out a new decoder (non free, the engine is not new, which is not their fault). It should be here next week. I will update when it arrives.
 
number9 said:
Update, spoke with BLI a few times, they think the motor chip on the decoder is bad, and they sent out a new decoder (non free, the engine is not new, which is not their fault). It should be here next week. I will update when it arrives.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are on your way with getting it repaired. Just check 1 thing before going further with it. I am hoping that this train around the tree is not on carpet, or where a static charge can get to the tracks. (such as a room with thick carpet) If modern electronics have an Achilles heel, its a static charge. Even if you just touch the tracks with a spark, you run the risk of the spark travelling up into the loco and decoder. Yup, 20,000+ volts in a typical charge from a carpet, luckily the amperage is very low so it doesn't hurt us, but it can fry a silicone chip!
 
Update 3

Received the new decoder, same as the old decoder. All lights and sounds work fine. The engine will not budget a millimetre, and I don't hear any motor trying to turn.

BLI said I can return the whole thing to the repair shop for some flat fee. Guess I will go that route.

kbkchooch: This is an around the tree, it is on hardwood.

Thanks.
 
Could be a break in the motor windings, I had an Athearn motor that would run fine, but if the motor stopped in a certain spot in it's rotation, that was it. Only way to get it to move was to remove the shell and turn the armature off the spot.
 
tootnkumin said:
Could be a break in the motor windings, I had an Athearn motor that would run fine, but if the motor stopped in a certain spot in it's rotation, that was it. Only way to get it to move was to remove the shell and turn the armature off the spot.
Click to expand...

I tried turning the motor by hand at first with no luck. I also don't see any loose/bad connections. The odd thing is that this is one engine that was put back in its original
box working.
 
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