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Post by Artur on Oct 1, 2018 5:52:54 GMT -8
hey guys, I recently picked up the new ESU cabcontrol system and the main issue i'm having is it shuts power off to the track if a locomotive is blocked and starts to spin its wheels. In the settings I found an option "Trace speed - don't move throttle when locomotive is blocked" so I turned it off but this didn't do anything the system is still turning off power. anyone know how to disable this option, at least I hope its an option.
Ok I found the problem, for anyone that gets this system the voltage on the power supply has to be turned way up, I wasn't able to run 4 locomotives on the 15V HO setting.
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Post by jonklein611 on Oct 1, 2018 6:37:15 GMT -8
11.3. Blocked locomotive
When you call up a locomotive it may happen that it may be displayed, but you cannot control it. In this case the text “Display only” will appear below the locomotive picture instead of the speed indicator. This means that this locomotive is currently controlled by another throttle. In the CabControl Settings you may choose to adjust the “locomotive takeover” settings. This will allow you to “Steal” the locomotive from another throttle.
13.3. Trace speed
Normally the throttle knob follows the speed of the locomotive. In case of frequent changes of locomotives this may lead to short battery life. Therefore it is possible to turn off this feature of the throttle knob matching the speed setting.
What is your power supply set at? Sounds like its tripping on high current.
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Post by jonklein611 on Oct 1, 2018 6:39:30 GMT -8
"The voltage on the Included Power Supply is variable and should be adjusted before Track Power is turned on. If this is turned too high and your lighting resistance is not enough to cover the voltage, Bulbs can be blown. Also some decoders cannot handle higher voltages. Please check to be sure your equipment is compatible with the Voltage you chose. ESU is not responsible for damage caused by incorrect track voltage settings."
It's a 7amp power supply, so it should be able to handle 4 locomotives.
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Post by Artur on Oct 1, 2018 6:39:39 GMT -8
11.3. Blocked locomotive When you call up a locomotive it may happen that it may be displayed, but you cannot control it. In this case the text “Display only” will appear below the locomotive picture instead of the speed indicator. This means that this locomotive is currently controlled by another throttle. In the CabControl Settings you may choose to adjust the “locomotive takeover” settings. This will allow you to “Steal” the locomotive from another throttle. 13.3. Trace speed Normally the throttle knob follows the speed of the locomotive. In case of frequent changes of locomotives this may lead to short battery life. Therefore it is possible to turn off this feature of the throttle knob matching the speed setting. What is your power supply set at? Sounds like its tripping on high current. yup that was the problem, the power supply needed to be turned up to the next setting. |
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Post by SD90 on Dec 14, 2018 13:55:23 GMT -8
11.3. Blocked locomotive When you call up a locomotive it may happen that it may be displayed, but you cannot control it. In this case the text “Display only” will appear below the locomotive picture instead of the speed indicator. This means that this locomotive is currently controlled by another throttle. In the CabControl Settings you may choose to adjust the “locomotive takeover” settings. This will allow you to “Steal” the locomotive from another throttle. 13.3. Trace speed Normally the throttle knob follows the speed of the locomotive. In case of frequent changes of locomotives this may lead to short battery life. Therefore it is possible to turn off this feature of the throttle knob matching the speed setting. What is your power supply set at? Sounds like its tripping on high current. How do you turn off Trace speed? |
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Post by Artur on Dec 14, 2018 15:01:28 GMT -8
11.3. Blocked locomotive When you call up a locomotive it may happen that it may be displayed, but you cannot control it. In this case the text “Display only” will appear below the locomotive picture instead of the speed indicator. This means that this locomotive is currently controlled by another throttle. In the CabControl Settings you may choose to adjust the “locomotive takeover” settings. This will allow you to “Steal” the locomotive from another throttle. 13.3. Trace speed Normally the throttle knob follows the speed of the locomotive. In case of frequent changes of locomotives this may lead to short battery life. Therefore it is possible to turn off this feature of the throttle knob matching the speed setting. What is your power supply set at? Sounds like its tripping on high current. How do you turn off Trace speed? It’s in the settings, I’ll post some pictures when I get back. |
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Post by canrailfan on Dec 14, 2018 19:08:20 GMT -8
Trace Speed has nothing to do with the Cab Control power output. It is about the powered movement of the control knob on the Mobile Control II throttle. Turning off the powered movement of the knob can help extend the MC II throttle's battery life.
The voltage setting knob on the back of the CC Power Supply should be set to about the 1 o'clock position and no higher for HO. This puts approx. 15V on the rails. Anything higher may/will damage some brands of decoders. ESU specifically disclaims any responsibility for damages caused by setting the voltage too high for the decoders being used (theirs or anyone else's).
There is a current limit setting for the CC output that ranges from 1.5 amps to 5.0 amps. I believe the default setting is 4.0 amps.
To check the setting run the CC App and press the menu button (three horizontal bars) on the MC II throttle itself (lower left corner), not the menu button on the screen. Select Settings, then CabControl Settings, and scroll down to the Booster heading. The current limit setting is shown. Press Current limit to see the available values and change the value if necessary.
All this being said, four modern day model locos shouldn't pull more than 1.5 to 2.0 amps maximum under the heaviest load. It's likely that there is a wiring problem either in a locomotive or the layout wiring, a partial short perhaps.
Remember that as voltage goes up, current goes down. By cranking the CC power supply voltage up it caused the current demand to drop, probably just back within the CC's set current limit. The danger is that now your decoders are handling a lot higher voltage than they need and are dissipating that as heat.
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Post by canrailfan on Dec 14, 2018 19:47:11 GMT -8
Here's a bit more information on the Trace Speed setting on the Mobile Control II.
The MC II allows you to run multiple trains (locos) independently. To change from one train to another you simply swipe sideways on the MC II screen.
Say you are running a switcher doing some yard work and a freight on the mainline. You've set the freight speed to half throttle and then swiped back to the switcher and resuming working with it. You bring the switcher to a stop and the throttle knob is at the 'zero' speed position (full counter-clockwise). Now you swipe to run the freight whose throttle is still at half speed. The MC II knob will automatically rotate to the half-speed position to match the loco speed. This is what ESU refers to as 'Tracing' the speed.
The setting to turn of Trace Speed is there because the motorized knob is a major draw on the MC II battery. If you don't use the knob you can turn off Trace Speed and save this draw on the battery.
The term 'blocked' refers to trying to select a loco already controlled by another throttle. The default CC setting is to prevent this 'stealing' in which case the MC II throttle knob will not move when the 'blocked' loco is selected.
The setting to control whether 'stealing' is allowed is called Locomotive takeover in the CC Settings.
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Post by slowfreight on Jan 9, 2019 6:09:03 GMT -8
OK...so this begs the question since I had issues as well until I turned the voltage up to the 15-16v range. I would have to re-verify what I'm getting at the rail with a multimeter, but the system did not perform as advertised until I turned the voltage up.
I understand that doing so is in part a way to lower the current draw (v=i*r is as simple as physics can get), but why might we be having the current draw problem using the manufacturer's recommended settings?
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