I am in the process of wiring a small unitrack layout and have been using a buzzer connected across the rails to insure that I don't wire in a short circuit. Everything went well when connecting power drops....no buzz. When I connected my first staionary decoder (NCE Switch-Kat) to the bus I got a buzz. I've checked the directions that came with the decoder and the best I can tell I have not wired anything wrong and the directions do not say you have to have a separate power source. I also checked to make sure I was connecting the power source to the correct terminals on the decoder. Can someone enlighten me on what the cause may be. Thanks for any advice.
My first thought is you don't have a short. The Switch-Kats have a through path otherwise the circuits on the board would not work. The path will have diodes and resistors but it is still a path. Do you have a command station/booster wired into your track busses as you wire? If not, try wiring the command station/booster in and see if the system detects a short. You also might want to disconnect the Switch-Kats, wire the command station/booster to the busses (with power OFF), and see if your buzzer sounds. The command station/booster, just like the Switch-Kats, will have a through path. Again, there will be diodes and resistors in the path but power can still go through. David
That sounds right. I'll bet a decoder equipped loco would do the some. If you put an ohmeter on it, you'll see some resistance greater than zero, but the buzzer will buzz. Jeff
John: When you turn your command station on with the NCE switch-kat connected do you short out the system? Stay cool and run steam.....
Thanks all for the suggestions. My layout is on a hollow core door which is flipped upside down on my workbench for wiring. I haven't wired in my lenz 100 yet but will do so this weekend to determine if all is OK. Bob, Glad to hear that you made it through another hurricane without major damage and are back up and running
John: Thanks for your concerns. Have fun when you test out your Lenz 100. You should test out the wiring as you go along. It makes it alot easier to find wiring errors that way. Stay cool and run steam......
Everything is connected now and there is no short even though the buzzer went off when tied across the rails. Now I have another problem. The switch-kat decoders have been used previously and now I am trying to reprogram them. For instance I'm trying to program one as switch No. 1. I install a jumper in accordance with the decoder instructions, call up F5, input No.1 and hit enter. The + and - keys on my handheld controller are suppose to actuate the switch. Nothing! I know the decoder works because when I call up the old number with the jumper disconnected, the switch will work. Whats going on? Is there some other procedure for reprograming a previously programmed decoder?
Set the decoder back to it's factory default values and reprogram the the Switch-Kat. Stay cool and run steam.....
