EZ COMMAND PLUS CONTROLLER

[jookjoint]

I always loved trains since I was a kid... this past Christmas I brought myself a bachmann starter set with the 2 Santa fe locomotives it came with the EZ COMMAND PLUS controller... I set everything up right plug the track in before I connect the power supply... it never worked there's no smell or smoke coming from the controller all lights on the controller works fine no loose parts... I took the tracks apart examined them and put it back together..still the same...do I need a new controller or what..

[trainman203]

Troubleshooting and isolating problems is part of life with Model Railroading.  You have to test each component independently to find the problem. Unfortunately, to do that you usually need another locomotive that's known to work to test your track. And another layout somewhere that's known to operate properly to try your engine on to see if it works there.  That's not much help if you live in an isolated area.  You can always send the locomotives and/or the EZ Command back to Bachmann to have them tested there.  My interaction with the service department has always been pretty good, so you might give them a call to see what they think and recommend that you do. 

Before you do that, though, you should test the track to see if power is in it. You can use an appropriate test light from the hardware store, a multi meter of some kind, or you can just quickly touch a screwdriver on both rails and see if it sparks. If it sparks, you know the problem is in the engine.  If it doesn't spark,  you can be pretty sure that it's in the terminal rerailer or  the red wire that connects the track to the EZ command, which you've already said lights up and appears to be OK at least that far.  Of course, there could be an internal problem within the EZ command, delivering power to the track.  But that's unlikely. I think you're pretty certain to find the problem by doing what I just outlined.

You'll eventually get it going. I've been model railroading in one form another since the 1950s. It's the most fun you'll ever have. You just need to get over this little hump to get there.

[Ralph S]

Please let us know what you found out about your train set, that is, the culprit that caused the problem or what you did to resolve it.  Reason: I have the old DCC controllers and was contemplating purchasing the EZ Command Plus.

[jookjoint]

Troubleshooting and isolating problems is part of life with Model Railroading.  You have to test each component independently to find the problem. Unfortunately, to do that you usually need another locomotive that's known to work to test your track. And another layout somewhere that's known to operate properly to try your engine on to see if it works there.  That's not much help if you live in an isolated area.  You can always send the locomotives and/or the EZ Command back to Bachmann to have them tested there.  My interaction with the service department has always been pretty good, so you might give them a call to see what they think and recommend that you do. 

Before you do that, though, you should test the track to see if power is in it. You can use an appropriate test light from the hardware store, a multi meter of some kind, or you can just quickly touch a screwdriver on both rails and see if it sparks. If it sparks, you know the problem is in the engine.  If it doesn't spark,  you can be pretty sure that it's in the terminal rerailer or  the red wire that connects the track to the EZ command, which you've already said lights up and appears to be OK at least that far.  Of course, there could be an internal problem within the EZ command, delivering power to the track.  But that's unlikely. I think you're pretty certain to find the problem by doing what I just outlined.

You'll eventually get it going. I've been model railroading in one form another since the 1950s. It's the most fun you'll ever have. You just need to get over this little hump to get there.

Troubleshooting and isolating problems is part of life with Model Railroading.  You have to test each component independently to find the problem. Unfortunately, to do that you usually need another locomotive that's known to work to test your track. And another layout somewhere that's known to operate properly to try your engine on to see if it works there.  That's not much help if you live in an isolated area.  You can always send the locomotives and/or the EZ Command back to Bachmann to have them tested there.  My interaction with the service department has always been pretty good, so you might give them a call to see what they think and recommend that you do. 

Before you do that, though, you should test the track to see if power is in it. You can use an appropriate test light from the hardware store, a multi meter of some kind, or you can just quickly touch a screwdriver on both rails and see if it sparks. If it sparks, you know the problem is in the engine.  If it doesn't spark,  you can be pretty sure that it's in the terminal rerailer or  the red wire that connects the track to the EZ command, which you've already said lights up and appears to be OK at least that far.  Of course, there could be an internal problem within the EZ command, delivering power to the track.  But that's unlikely. I think you're pretty certain to find the problem by doing what I just outlined.

You'll eventually get it going. I've been model railroading in one form another since the 1950s. It's the most fun you'll ever have. You just need to get over this little hump to get there.

I always loved trains since I was a kid... this past Christmas I brought myself a bachmann starter set with the 2 Santa fe locomotives it came with the EZ COMMAND PLUS controller... I set everything up right plug the track in before I connect the power supply... it never worked there's no smell or smoke coming from the controller all lights on the controller works fine no loose parts... I took the tracks apart examined them and put it back together..still the same...do I need a new controller or what..

both Trans works very good I tried them on my grandson train set that I brought for him..trains lights up and runs

[trainman203]

The next thing to do is connect your EZ Command to your grandson's layout to see if it is the problem

[jookjoint]

Ok I'm back I brought another train set I put both my trains on this set and they work very good with the EZ COMMAND center controller... so when I switched the controllers out the EZ COMMAND plus lights up (every button lights up like it supposed to do) then when I put my trains on the track to run them nothing happens I now know it's the controller can the controller be fixed or shall I shell out for a new one I really like this controller better than the ez command center controller
 

[Len]

If you just purchased it, it should still be under warranty.

Len

[trainman203]

Good job troubleshooting!  It won't be your last time in Model Railroading!  The thing to remember is independent testing of every variable.

[awr1050]

Hello. Recently purchased the EZ Command Plus controller used (warranty is up). After reviewing the contents of this string, I have concluded that I seem to be having the same issue where as when I power the controller with the wall outlet the buttons light up fine, however, when I connect it to the track, the track has no power. To test it, I used a friend's EZ command controller (the standard version), used the same power cable (controller to track) and the same locomotive. His controller works just fine. Any suggestions as to what I may be able to do to resolve this issue?

[Ralph S]

Speculation only!  Based on what you have stated. This seems to have the same issue that my car radio has.  My car radio has that "infinity" volume knob.  You have to turn it 360 degrees for more than 4 times to increase the volume in the radio, likewise in opposite direction to lower the volume.  I was informed that the EZ Command Plus has that infinity type controller knob.  If this is the case, you might try turning that infinity knob many times in order to get the switch to provide power to the track.  This may or may not work, but it's worth a try in any case. 
Again: If it's under warranty, send it back to Bachmann, if it isn't... turning the knob many times may or may not help. 

Note: only a qualified person should perform this action.