DCC problems???

I recently picked up the NCE power cab system for my layout. I set everything up per the instructions but when I plug in the power chord I get nothing... no light on the circuit board and no display on the command console. I'm wondering if it is broken or if I might have missed something. I went over everything 4 or 5 times and still the same result. I plugged in the standard transformer and everything works great. I get power, the train runs great etc..

Right now I do not have a DCC enabled train as I am waiting to purchase the decoder for it however I was under the impression I could still set up and use the system with 1 standard DC locomotive. Am I wrong? will this not work? I still would thinkI could at least test the system and the display would light up.

I noticed also on the back of the command console there is a panel. It has images for batteries but there are no connectors for these batteries (no contact points)

Any help is appreciated....

 

You cannot run DC locos on the Power Cab. Don't know about the rest of your questions.

Jerry

 

I have a Powercab and it works great. Here are some things to consider.

#1: When you plug in the power connector to the back of the panel board, the light will NOT come on if nothing else is plugged into the panel.
#2: The Powercab handheld itself is what powers the rails, not the panel board.
#3: You MUST use the straight cable that came with the Powercab handheld (not the curly one) or it will not work.
#4: The Powercab handheld MUST be plugged into the LEFT socket. The light on the panel board will come on once the Powercab handheld is properly plugged in.
#5: The Powercab handheld will NOT operate a DC locomotive. It is a DCC only command station.
#6: The Powercab handheld uses the same plastic enclosure as the Procab-R. The Procab-R is a wireless radio throttle and needs the batteries to operate. The Powercab handheld and the Procab are both wired cabs.
#7: The curly cable would only be used if you were using your Powercab handheld as a wired cab on a Procab system, since the Powercab handheld would not be supplying power to the rails. This is why the straight cable is necessary, it has extra wires for the power to and from the Powercab handheld.

I hope this helps. Get yourself a decent DCC locomotive or find out if there is a drop-in decoder for the locomotive you have now. If no drop-in is available, you would have to wire in a decoder. Depending on the locomotive, this can be very easy to a little hard, but never impossible.

Good luck!

Greg

 

Greg;

You are a true optimist! I'd have said seldom impossible.

 

Where there's a will .....

 

"There's a beneficiary." - Dr. Who

 

LOL.

Hey, I even put a DZ123 into an N scale Bachmann Plymouth!

 

Wow... sounds like some of my ebay "vintage" locos, the decoder costs more than the loco. LOL

Did you have to cut the frame in the Plymouth? I'm excited about the DZ125; less frame to cut.

 

I milled out a small piece at the top of the weight (under the cab roof). I even put a micro LED up there and ran a piece of fiber optic cable and made a rear light.

I bought the 123's when they went discontinued, so I got a really good deal on them, but yes, the decoder still cost more than the loco.

 

I followed those directions as well as the ones in the book and I'm still not getting any power to the powercab and the light still isnt lighting up

 

Contact NCE directly. I'm certain they'll help you.

http://www.ncedcc.com

Greg

 

Thanks for all the help. Problem is fixed and the system is running great. Turns out the power supply that came with the system was faulty.

 

I'll do one better (sort of). Here is where I figured out how to do the plymouth install:

OR RR Brit's Rail Pages: Installing Decoders, Bachmann Plymouth Switcher

As far as the reverse light, I just desoldered one of the LEDs from the DC board for my Kato NW2 that I no longer needed since I put the decoder in it.

I'll try and find some time to snap a few photos and upload them.