E0 overload error

[Harlington Straker]

Hi all and sorry for the tone as I am at a total loss.

We have unboxed a Hornby "Mixed Traffic" set today and both locos have died within 20 minutes.

The DCC controller boots up with "20"  "30" and "03".

I was able to give both locos a number and run them briefly.

Thing went wrong after having two running.

If i now put a loco onto the track the controller will flash every led and digital display fading in and out.  the error code E0 will fade in and out and the loco itself will click or buzz like a relay.

If i take the loco off the DCC controler will reboot as above returning to "03".

As a present, and only unboxed 2 1/2 hours ago I must say I am a little devastated. 

Have the locos DCC chips unwittingly been cooked? (everything was connected as per manual)

Any help appreciated as the retailer was less than helpful on the phone.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Chrissaf]

Most definitely faulty. You will have to pressure the retailer to take responsibility to take it back and exchange it ... it is their responsibility to resolve.

 

Who was the retailer ... others might have had similar dealings with them.

 

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[96RAF]

The symptoms are classic browning out of the 1-amp power supply unit as it self protects against a short by dropping voltage which causes the Select to continually reboot (Screen fading in and out, etc).

 

As there is no fault with the loco off track then the problem is pointing to the loco shorting out somehow, but if more than one loco is creating the fault then you can point the finger more firmly at the PSU which are known to throw up faults.

 

As it is new take it back to the retailer (if that was Argos - tough luck) and request a replacement.

 

If you want to prove the point of the PSU being duff and have a smattering of electrical know-how then you can meter the PSU output as you apply an increasing load to it (increasing resistance to achieve up to 1-amp current flow) which if it replicates the fault at a low value proves the PSU is faulty.

[Howbi]

@Harlington..........you mentioned in July buying the Night Train set and expansion sets so you connected up to DC controllers.........have you completely removed the DC connections and converted your track to purely DCC by fitting Point Clips and changed to a DCC track connector?...........HB

[Harlington Straker]

Thanks for the replies.  By PSU i assume you mean the R8213 controller and not the transformer in the wall socket that plugs into it.

We will see what the retailer says.

Could the PSU have damaged the trains or DCC chips?

Yes Howbiman, I researched the forums and understood that the DC connections including the jump wires for expansion pack C and the wires from controller to track need to be DCC or have the capacitor removed.

I am currenty testing with only the controller and one straight DCC connector track from the "Mixed Trafic" box.  The sypmtoms remain with the Train clicking and the contoller fading in and out.

[Chrissaf]

By PSU I assume you mean the R8213 controller and not the transformer in the wall socket that plugs into it.

 

That assumption is wrong.

 

Rob does indeed mean the PSU that plugs into the mains wall socket. What he was trying to convey to you in his reply is that the Select controller is compatible with both the 1 amp PSU that ships with the Select as well as the P9300 4 amp PSU that can be purchased as an upgrade.

 

When the 4 amp upgrade PSU is used, it is the Select that performs the 'short circuit' protection. However, with the default factory supplied 1 amp PSU, it is the PSU itself that is relegated to perform the bulk of the 'short circuit' protection [because the 1 amp PSU cannot supply the 4 amps for which the Select short circuit protection is designed for]. Thus when a 'short circuit' occurs, the output of the 1 amp PSU drops voltage to protect itself. This drop in voltage on the DC power input of the Select means that there is insufficient voltage to maintain the normal operation of the Select and things like fading screen and other observations can happen. The output of the 1 amp PSU varies up and down and trying to stabilise itself for as long as the fault condition exists.

 

Now it may be that one or other of your locos is causing a 'short circuit' condition. But it is also fairly commonly reported for users to have faulty 1 amp PSU where even normal operating currents [i.e not a short circuit condition] still cause the 1 amp PSU to go into 'protection mode'.

 

Rob's suggested diagnostic tests that he documented are trying to diagnose whether the fault lies with a loco or the PSU. By measuring the voltage output of the PSU [not the Select controller output] as the track load increases, you can then measure whether the PSU output remains constant at 15 volts DC or exhibits a significant drop in voltage [say less than 10 volts]. If a drop is observed when the track load is very low, then it is more likely that the PSU is faulty.

 

Note: a low track load, would be when only a single loco is on the track running sedately to moderate.

 

Note also: that if just the act of placing the loco on the track, even if you are not commanding it to move causes the observed fault condition, then the fault is more likely to lie in the loco.

 

As you can't access the output of the PSU to take a voltage measurement reading when it is plugged into the Select, then you would need to make an adaptor cable to give access to the socket connector pins so that a voltage can be measured. To make such an adaptor you would need a DC coax socket and a DC Coax plug with a 6.3mm outer barrel and a 3.0 or 3.1mm inner pin. You would also need to purchase a Multimeter if you don't currently have one. Given that these components would need to be sourced and an adaptor cable constructed, the easiest option as the set is a new purchase is just to exchange it with the retailer.

 

[Harlington Straker]

Thanks again for the replies and advice.  I took the set back to the retailer today and described the issue.  He advised it was very likely a fault in the locos and not the psu. 

He opened up a new "Mixed Traffic" and swaped both the trains and asked me to go and try them out.

so far so good. I have had both running at the same time and all seems well. 

Good result from the Retailer here in Perth Australia and I thanked him for understanding.

Would you recomend getting the 4 amp psu?  I am hoping to DCC an old Class 37.  I would assume ( sorry Chrisaff, I know Benny Hill told me it makes an ass out of You and me) that an older ringfield on DCC would benefit from the extra power?

Jamie

[Chrissaf]

Would you recomend getting the 4 amp PSU?

 

The 4 amp P9300 upgrade Power Supply for the Select is a worthwhile investment, particularly if your intention is to DCC upgrade a selection of older locos with more current hungry electrical motors