EZ Command Control Center - engines don't move with throttle ?

[mb]

I have an EZ Command Control Center and 3 Bachmann DCC engines, all three exhbit the same problem.  The trains don't move - no mater what I try, no forward or reverse.  I have re-progammed them each several times.  They properly do their little move when programmed.  The lights properly turn on and off and properly light when in forward or reverse.  But will not move normally at all, no matter where the throttle is set, nothing happens.  I have tried them on a simple circle of track.  Help! Thanks!

[Ken G Price]

 Does reprogramming them also mean setting them back to the factory settings first? I find that I must do this when I have had the same thing happen. It is setting cv8 to #8 on my Digitrax system, but I believe this cv should be the same.

I then reprogram the engine number and any of the other cv settings that I had. I write these down for all of my engines as I do them so I redo them.

[Jim Banner]

mb,

The fact that you can control the lights tells us the locomotive is picking up power from the rails and the decoder is still functioning, at least most of it and probably all of it.  Assuming you bought your locomotives new, they should have been ready to run on address 3 right out of the box.  Three new locomotives that are all faulty is not too likely.  If they were new, I would start suspecting the E-Z Command.

If they were used, a previous owner may have set some of the CVs that are not accesable by the E-Z Command.  Perhaps a friend or your local hobby shop can help you by resetting the decoder as Ken suggested.

Jim

[mb]

All of the engines were working fine this month.  Sometime after my son was experimenting with a new layout they stopped working.  This happened once before and we re-progammed each to a new address and they worked fine.  Now, all three won't run on any address.  I don't know of a way to reset the engines to a factory default.  They have only been used on this EZ Command control.

[mf5117]

have you tried taking just a terminal railer with a 9" straight on each side of the terminal railer , seperate from the layout and tried to address each locomotive seperately . and back to the factory default address 3 . and are all the locomotives off the layout and only the one you are trying to address . it has to be on the center of the termnal railer when you are trying to address them . it should move back and forth alittle bit when properly addressed . . and is your function light blinking if it is press the function button to turn it off . then try to address them
NOTE: DO NOT CONNECT THE E-Z COMMAND CONTROL CENTER TO THE WALL PACK POWER SUPPLY UNTIL
YOU HAVE MADE THE CONNECTIONS FROM THE CONTROL CENTER TO YOUR TRACK.
here is a good link from a well known ez command user
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,8893.0.html

[mb]

Tried everything... no luck.  Took the controller and the engines down to my local hobby/train shop and tested on his layout.  Engines worked fine with his controller.  Switched controller and nothing else and nothing worked.  Controller must be bad.

[Ken G Price]

Glad you found the problem. To bad you had a problem.

[Jim Banner]

mb,

I am left wondering if your son's experimenting included trying to run trains with both the E-Z Command and a DC power pack connected to the tracks at the same time.  You can use the two together if it is a 44212 power pack AND it is connected to the jack on the back of the E-Z Command.  But connecting both to the track has the potential to damage one, the other, or both.

If this was the case, don't be too hard on your son.  I remember doing something similar with two MARX train transformer more than half a century ago.  I ended up smoking both transformers.  My Dad, in his wisdom, bought me ONE new transformer.

Jim

[NarrowMinded]

Im not sure how handy you are with electronics, but I have found when you let the magic smoke out of a piece of equiptment, it is often only one resistor or other "smoke holder" that gives up the ghost, and many times it can be found just by looking for the burned one, a simple unsolder and resoldering  of a new one can breath new life into it.

NM

[srevac]

I know this topic is old but I just unpacked a controller and have the same problem you do except my engines don't do the little "move".  The lights work.  When I revert to channel 3 they work normally.  Have you been able to correct this and if so, how?  Thanks.   

[srevac]

I know this topic is old but I just unpacked a controller and have the same problem you do except my engines don't do the little "move".  The lights work.  When I revert to channel 3 they work normally.  Have you been able to correct this and if so, how?  Thanks.   

Problems solved!  The enclosed instructions were wrong.  The correct info is in the posting above.  thanks anyway.