Model Forum / General / Railroads / March 2010

A new oddity showed up yesterday.   I made up a double header
configuration with two Cl 47 of the same construction  (the type that
react like racehorses).   This worked perfectly well for a while but
then it became clear that one of them was dead.

I dissolved the group and the runner carried on under its own address.
The other remained dead.

I checked it's basic cv's and they were correct so I reset the chip
and gave it the same number;  Nothing!

Having no other means of checkng chips (both still ran on DC) I
swapped the 47s chips  over.    The two locos were both on the track
and I controlled the one with the "good chip" which moved off and to
my astonishment so did the other!

I immediately checked their cv 1's and found them to be the same
address.(all address changes took place on the prog track)

It also became clear that the address which had failed would not work
but the chip happily accepted any other offered to it.

There has to be a hidden virtue in these tests of diagnostic ability.
It takes me back to my apprentice days and makes me really glad for
all the mind bending we were put to!

I also commissioned one of the R8247 point/accessory control units.

This brought up a whole host of cuss words as the punch was
insufficient to move a peco point until endless freeing, lubricating
of point & motors. Ensring that holding down screws were not over
tight or causing distortion etc etc;  In any case the switch rarely
occured on the first shot and tells me that some kind of tell tell
will be needed.
I also reset the pulse length to the max recommended .  This showed up
the rather bizarre arrangement where if following the recommendations
sequential numbering of points - starting at 1 et cie  to 255 demands
cv 515 through to cv780 ( or so it reads).  I shall not find out the
truth until I fit a second unit   but a feeling in my water says that
it will not be quite straight forward!