select EO track issue

[jimben54]

Hi new to trains got HL4 in may ran well , decided to expand track by 22% ishh , putting in branch lines etc select comes up with EO message , when i take one wire from power track R8206  it shows 03 , but when put wire in back to EO , i took outer track apart piece by piece with track tester on , each lit up as i added ,all good ,took it off back to train wont run and EO comes up , any ideas please , it worked ok originally with 2 x dcc locos etc i had it running yesterday with power wires on track itself but that wont happen now .thanks in anticipation 

[Chrissaf]

...when I take one wire from power track R8206, it shows 03 , but when put wire in back to EO

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It is very fortuitous that you thought to mention that your power track connection is a R8206. That is crucial information and has a bearing on your issue.

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R8206 is a DC Analogue power track and is not compatible for use with DCC. The R8206 contains a capacitor across the track. Capacitors pass AC through them and DCC is a form of AC. The capacitor therefore looks like a low resistance across the track to a DCC controller.

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Now the capacitor in the R8206 on its own is not usually enough to trigger an EO error code on the Select. But if you have more than one capacitor across the track, say from using more than one R8206, or using Hornby R602 or R8201 track connector products as well, then the effect of the capacitors is accumulative.

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EO = Emergency Off and is a 'short circuit' detected error code.

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Open the covers of ALL your track power connection pieces and remove any and all capacitors that you find (see how to image below).

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This includes the power connection on any separate 'programming' track piece you may have. A separate 'programming' track piece is highly recommended as opposed to using the main track for decoder 'programming activities. Even if the capacitor is not the root cause of your EO error code, it is a contributory factor and will distort DCC signals and cause very odd things to happen on a DCC layout, particularly if TTS sound decoders are being used.

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If after performing the modification your issue is still not cleared, then follow TIP8 in my TIPs page link below and post a sketch of your track layout showing where your track power connections are made. Please also confirm whether you are using DCC R8232 point clips on your points and not Hornby R8201 Link Wires. You may have inadvertently built a 'reverse loop' section into your layout plan. Reverse Loops generate 'short circuits'. Post a sketch of your layout and it can be reviewed to see if 'reverse loops' are present.

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If you are indeed using R8201 Link Wires and not R8232 DCC point clips. Then the R8201 Link Wires should be removed (or modified) as these are designed for DC Analogue and R8232 DCC Point Clips should be fitted to replicate the R8201 function instead.

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TIP: As a newbie poster on the forum, just be aware that the 'Blue Button with the White Arrow' is not a 'Reply to this post' button. If you want to reply to any of the posts, scroll down and write your reply in the reply text box at the bottom of the page and click the Green 'Reply' button.

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Particularly as my reply includes an image, using the 'Blue Button' may result in your reply being held back for image approval, even though it is an existing image.

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See also – further TIPs on how to get the best user experience from this forum.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

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[Fishmanoz]

When you say you won't now be having power wires direct on the track itself, could you explain a little more please - exactly what wires connected where, and rather than doing what instead?