Select shows E5

[Schuie52]

Hi hope some can solve this problem i run dc as well as dcc locomotives with no problems up till now, i have a triang R50 53 princess elizabeth which I have serviced on DC it runs fine on the rolling road and a length of test track but when I put it on my layout it trips with E5 showing, checking the current being drawn it shows 100ma and I don’t know where to go now, one thing I have noticed is it goes to E5 as soon as the loco is placed on the track.

hope some one can point me in the tight direction

regards

schuie52

[Chrissaf]

Just as a point of clarity. Does this loco have a decoder fitted or is it a DC Analogue loco that you are running with the Select using the 'Address Zero' feature. If 'Address Zero' then you run a high risk of damaging the motor in the loco.

Regarding the Select, you need to tell us what firmware revision it is running [the very first number to appear very briefly on screen as it is being powered up]. For example, with version 1.5 firmware the E5 display means 'Emergency Stop' and does not usually indicate a 'short circuit' high current draw condition.

Regardless of the above, I suggest it would be prudent to invoke a 'Factory Reset' of your Select controller and then test to see if your issue clears. Resetting the Select is described in the manual. Emergency Stop and Select Resets are handled slightly differently in firmware 1.6 compared to 1.5, thus the question about which version you are using. So if your Select is 1.6, you need to follow the 'Factory Reset' procedure documented in the Select 1.6 manual addendum as the 1.5 manual instructions won't be relevant.

[Flashbang]

I seriously doubt any old Tri-ang or Hornby locos such as the R50 draws 100milliamps, it will be far more than that when running.

How are you measuring the current? Hornby DCC system are not equipped with any current or rail voltage measuring tools. If you measure rail current for a DC loco you should use a DC Amp meter in series with one rail supply lead on a separate section of track that the DCC system is not connected to and feed these rails from a DC source - DC train controller. Then read the current drawn - Expect it on an older loco to be in the 300ma to 700ma range! The "DC" provided by address zero is not DC its a sort of stretched AC but even that isn't quite correct, so a real DC controller is needed.

If your Select is fed from the as supplied 1.0Amp power unit then an older loco may well cause the system to sense an overload occurring.

Note the very wise words from Chrissaf re operating a DC loco on DCC even at address number 0 (zero). Even Hornby do not recommended it - See the manual for such wording!