Newbie Question - DCC and LGB

idlemarvel said:
I don't mean to sound patronising, this is how I started with Hornby OO digital starter set many years ago.
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Dave, not patronizing, very helpful, I assume this was the Zero!
 
JimmyB said:
Dave, not patronizing, very helpful, I assume this was the Zero!
Click to expand...
No not the Zero, not that far back, pukka DCC. I didn't have the spare time or cash to play with trains until the kids left home and I retired from full time work, about 13 years ago. I started with OO gauge and Hornby were the only company to sell a complete DCC system including trains, track, transformer, command station/controller and PC software to control trains points and signals. The software was a bit clunky, and support even more so, but it worked most of the time (Hornby RailMaster) :-)
 
I placed an order for this Pololu one as I need the higher voltage for the LGB track. The regular shield is only 12volt. It should arrive tomorrow so stay tuned for the next Q&A session.
 
OK! After soldering the pins and terminals, and creating jumpers plus recompiling DCC++ for the Arduino, to use the Pololu board, I'm only slightly better off. If I try to identify the engine on the track with power on AND the engine noise is idling, the sound gets interrupted but I always get the 308 error. So now I'm baffled. I did manage to use the earlier configured switches to try sounds on/off etc, but they fail now.

Also another anomaly is that the analog LGB power source. No matter how I wire the track (main or programming) when I apply power from the software (JMRI or DCC Controlller) the alternate track turns on ( the LED lights on the Pololu board.) - the one without the track connected. or engine. if I turn down the analog control to zero and then back up, both tracks turn on and the engine powers up. But I always get errors trying the JMRi program. And I can confirm on my system there is a bug in JMRI where if you try to access a function on an engine and it fails, JMRI loops on that last DCC++ command for ever. Even if you power off the track. A reboot fixes it. Commands do seem to go through, like power on/off but that last command is just being resent.

So to answer an earlier question about diving in the deep end - sure. It's only a small micro running a protocol it shouldn't be that difficult for me. I have quite a few home-brew devices happily running that i have built. But it's alway good to ask experts who have blazed a trail!

So off to read more and probably buy a power supply. I might try one of the switching ones you see on Amazon. They seem cheaper than the LGB one.

Cheers ( definitely need a beer!)


Dave
 
robboz4 said:
If I try to identify the engine on the track with power on AND the engine noise is idling, the sound gets interrupted but I always get the 308 error.
Dave
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound right. To "identify" a loco by reading CV values you need to be using a programming track in service programming mode - the track power is never on continuously on a programming track.
 
Well JMRI says I was in service/programing mode. I had the track connected to the programing track not the main track and the engine on that track. I don't have two tracks only one. According to the schematic the M2A and M2B should be the programming track.
So lets' get back to basics of working with no engines.

I have and Arduino with DCC++ code connected to a Pololu MC 33926 Motor shield. I'm powering it from an LGB 50081 24volts @1 amp turned up full.
I have one track connected to the programming track.
I have 24Volts DC input - measured.
I turn on the track power from the software and both sets of power LEDs come on the motor shield. I have ~53volts AC on each output. I'm using a old digital voltmeter set to AC to measure. So that indicates power is on both tracks. I din't both with an engine for this test.

I then downloaded the Pololu demo code just to test out the Arduino and board. It failed. So looks like I may have a bad board. Will try again one the replacement arrives...

Sorry the thread is getting long. Perhaps we should terminate it and I'll start another when/if I have further issues with a new board.
 
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