New at this, I received the Bachmann DCC Echo Valley set. I connected the EZ Track, put the little locomotive on the track, and ran it in the default 3 position on the EZ Command.
That was its break in.
I bought another loco, DCC with no sound. I broke it in by putting it on the track by itself and running it in its 3 position. Then I put both locos on the track and ran them together (the Echo ran faster). Then I took the Echo off and programmed the other loco for the 2 position. That has worked fine.
On Monday, I have a Bachmann GP7 DCC w/Sound coming . I plan to program it in the 4 position by putting it on a separate piece of powered track.
Is that right?
Then what? How long do I run it on this separate track? When I put it on the main layout, do I do anything special? When do I oil it? What oil? Will 3-In One work?
All mostly dumb questions, I'd hazard a guess, but I would very much appreciate guidance on this.
Ken, always remember, there are no dumb questions ;)
According to my boot camp DI way back when there is one dumb question:
QuoteThe only dumb question is the one you don't ask.
And buried away in some writings on Bushido is one I like:
QuoteTo be ignorant and ask
is the embarassment of a moment,
To be ignorant and not ask
is the embarassment of a lifetime.
Len
Len, if the question is not asked, is it really a question? Was this the ARMY that told you this?... :D
I figure if your asking yourself a question in your mind, but don't ask, you still have a question. And no, it was Air Force.
Len
I'm surprised, they, usually make more sense... ;)
Quote from: kdgrant6 on March 01, 2015, 08:28:06 AM
New at this, I received the Bachmann DCC Echo Valley set. I connected the EZ Track, put the little locomotive on the track, and ran it in the default 3 position on the EZ Command.
That was its break in.
I bought another loco, DCC with no sound. I broke it in by putting it on the track by itself and running it in its 3 position. Then I put both locos on the track and ran them together (the Echo ran faster). Then I took the Echo off and programmed the other loco for the 2 position. That has worked fine.
On Monday, I have a Bachmann GP7 DCC w/Sound coming . I plan to program it in the 4 position by putting it on a separate piece of powered track.
Is that right?
Then what? How long do I run it on this separate track? When I put it on the main layout, do I do anything special? When do I oil it? What oil? Will 3-In One work?
All mostly dumb questions, I'd hazard a guess, but I would very much appreciate guidance on this.
KD,
You don't have to use another piece of track to program your loco, just make sure no other loco is on the tracks when you do the programming or you will change all the addresses. The decoder will remember what is programmed not the command station.
As for the loco's running the same speed.... forget about it unless you get lucky and then you will still have one that will be a little faster than the other. The DCC w/sound may even appear to run slower as it will want more juice than the other's without sound. This is only an assumption as you will not know till you get it on the rails.
Speed matching can be done by adjusting cv's if you have a controller that is able to rewrite them (or use the JMRI software as Roger will say). That being said the basic EZ Command can not do this but the Dynamis can. I don't know which one comes in the Echo Valley set.
Oiling your loco should not be necessary as they come overly lubed from the factory.
If the need ever arises though you can follow Bachmann's maintenance procedure's in this video towards the end...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtW8Gx_WxL4&feature=youtu.be&t=5m52s
Glad I could help since the other two are wrapped up with the dumb question remark, it's the little thing's that get these guy's off track. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Jerry
Glad I could help since the other two are wrapped up with the dumb question remark, it's the little thing's that get these guy's off track.
Ha Ha Ha Yes, you are ever soooo helpful.
Speaking of short attention spans, still trying to remember what you had for breakfast? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
And yes, I agree with you re: over oiling; in fact, I had even said as much earlier today.
Now, Jerry, you certainly know WAY more than I do about DCC, but is it not common, good recommended practice to have a separate track for programming purposes?
For programming an address it's not needed, unless you can not remove all the loco's which then they should be parked on a dead siding as not to draw unused power from the power station. I have never used a separate track for this but if I was playing with cv's then I would use a programming track. I don't think he needs to be that technical yet unless he is programming cv's.
Cinnamon Rolls and coffee
Thank you for your answer and the info.
I am so proud of you!
Don't tell me you would not have asked Len the same question about a question being a question if it was never a question :D
Quote from: jbrock27 on March 01, 2015, 04:56:10 PM
I am so proud of you! Don't be I don't deserve it.
Don't tell me you would not have asked Len the same question about a question being a question if it was never a question :D I am sure Len is a lot smarter with DCC than I am, I can tell by his replies he's a genius.
Don't sell yourself so short.
Quote from: jbrock27 on March 01, 2015, 05:02:26 PM
Don't sell yourself so short.
I don't have to it come's natural :o
I know, which is why bench work 3ft high is just puurrrrfect for you.
36 inches to be exact! :D :D :D
Wow!
This discussion really took off.
Enjoyed the Len and Jim show. Fun to read.
Thanks, Jerry, for your help. Bachmann's tech/repair department told me about the programming track idea. This advice was backed up by a couple of people on the Message Board. But what you said makes sense and conforms to my limited experience changing the address to one DCC loco. The key is clearing the track of other locos.
Since I have the extra terminal and track on an adjoining table, I probably will just use it tomorrow to program the new one.
No, I don't have Dynamis, only the EZ Command.
By the way, I'm sure there are extenuating circumstances, but what is your idea of the best height for bench work?
It's not on this topic, but at this point since it was brought up a couple of posts ago, i thought I'd ask--since there are no dumb questions, only those with faltering perspicacity.
I am going to have to look that word up...
Depends on your height. He and I have ours at about 3 ft or 36 inches as they say in Louisiana...
benchwork height is a matter of personal taste . every height has its advantages and disadvantages. building high will allow you to work on the underside of the table (where all my wiring is run) and get your trains closer to eye level. they also make it harder to reach into the layout to rerail something, and make it a pain if you like to sit while running trains (I do,) lower height makes it easier to work on things on top, but a pain (literally) to get underneath. they also make it easier to run trains from a roll around chair.
my current height is 48" out of necessity, we live in a tiny apartment, and the dog lives under the layout along with a coule of bookshelves. table height was determined by the need to fit a cage under the layout. if I had it to do over, I would opt for36"....
as for the 3 in 1 oil, don't.... go to the hobby shop and get some oil designed to use on model trains, r cars of the like. using other types of oil may damage the gears as not all plastics are compatable with certain oils. the last thing you want is a locomotive with melted gears because you used the wrong lubricant.
My personal preference for layout height is 42". High enough to get under without being a contortionist, low enough to be eye level sitting in a roll around chair.
In a pinch, modern sewing machine oil is plastic safe. Use a toothpick end to apply. Do not use oil on rolling stock truck journals, it attracts dirt that will just cause problems. A bit of fine powdered graphite in the journals is okay though.
Len
48" which is high enough to work under, not so low as all you get is an eagle's eye view but high enough to bend over for a nice eye level view and yet low enough to comfortably reach in a couple of feet for manual uncoupling and the occasional re-railing, not that I ever have derailments of course. ;).
If I go ahead with a second level then that would be at around 66". Perfect for eye level.
Cheers
Roger T.
Quote from: kdgrant6 on March 01, 2015, 09:32:00 PM
By the way, I'm sure there are extenuating circumstances, but what is your idea of the best height for bench work?
It's not on this topic, but at this point since it was brought up a couple of posts ago, i thought I'd ask--since there are no dumb questions, only those with faltering perspicacity.
KD... Best height for your bench work.... Take Regular 2x4's 8 footers 96" Long & cut in half @ 48" it will make 48' Leg's... This Height is PERFECT for me... Only draw-back I experienced is I have to keep 2 folding step stool's handy for viewing & operating sessions with my friends... I am 5'11 so I don't really have any problems reaching across layout... but for a smaller person viewing they need the step stool... One of my friends that comes over for operating sessions "Saturday Mornings 9-11am" he needs one of the Stool's... He's only like 5'9 or so & he is my Yard Man on operating session's... He made a good suggestion to me the other Saturday... & that I should build a BENCH STOOL in one section about the size of a regular stair step the length of the layout & screw it fast to the existing layout legs... Because the simple fact is folding step stools can be unstable at times if not completely opened & locked to the user can cause a fall... I told him good point & put his Motion into a Second & Motion Carried... But I am going to wait on the Bench Step Build until I can make cut's with my miter saw outside & right now there is 38" inches of snow on the Ground in my area of PA right now...
Quote from: trainmainbrian on March 06, 2015, 08:44:35 AM
KD... Best height for your bench work.... Take Regular 2x4's 8 footers 96" Long & cut in half @ 48" it will make 48' Leg's... This Height is PERFECT for me...
I'm confused. Best height for him or best height for you ???
I agree as has been mentioned, it is important to consider ability to work underneath as well as the position you like to be in when playing with the trains.
Why use 2 x 4 for benchwork? That's way over engineered. 2 x 2 legs, with bracing is quite strong enough. Benchwork built with 2 x 2s and 1 x 3 (or 1 4) is more than strong enough for benchwork. After all, you're not holding dance parties on your benchwork, or are you? 2 x 2 with 1 x 3 'L' girders is really strong enough. Actually, I use second grade 3/4" cabinet grade plywood for framing for large flat yard areas as it lays much flatter than any other plywood.
Has for height. I'd suggest avoiding "tabletop" height benchwork as it's way too low unless you have a disability that requires the use of a wheelchair. Building scenery on a regular tabletop height will be hard on your back. If you really want to build good benchwork, buy some Kalmbach instructional books on how to built benchwork and you'll find that few, if any, recommend tabletop height.
Cheers
Roger T.
I am 6'2.5" and built this layout for ME. It is 48" high-at it's lowest point, and will be 72+" at it's highest. This comes in handy especially with a duck-under-which I dread, but will have to go with unless I redesign the other part. Other part will have the carfloat, piers, etc, so guess what... (Damn, I hated Boston...)
SGT C.
I would have gone a little lower is my track was going to climb that much. 2 feet I a lot of elevation gain, and though I am sure the effect will be spectacular i'd be worried about trying to work on or operate anything 6 feet off the floor. in that situation I would have opted to a lowest elevation of 36: or less. about the only railroad I am aware of with that much elevation gain was john allen's gore & daphetid and the results were incredible. I have heard the operating challenges of the sustained grades were interesting to deal with as well.
Quote from: electrical whiz kid on March 06, 2015, 05:44:14 PM
I am 6'2.5" and built this layout for ME. It is 48" high-at it's lowest point, and will be 72+" at it's highest. This comes in handy especially with a duck-under-which I dread, but will have to go with unless I redesign the other part. Other part will have the carfloat, piers, etc, so guess what... (Damn, I hated Boston...)
SGT C.
Man after my own heart. :)
Cheers
Roger T.