Problem With FL12 N

[Brett]

Hi Guys

Anyone installed a FL12 N Decoder ?(N is the Dimmer Ability)

I have NCE Powercab,and with Normal FL12, i Just hit Headlight Button,but with this version Nothing Turns the Lights on.

I (seemed) to have programmed an Address.

When i install it has a little arrow on the decoder ,i have that facing up and towards the cab

 

Any Ideas?

[Wolf]

I would need to check the direction of install, but as long as the contacts are right, the arrow does not matter, worst case its red light when running foreward.

All my FL12N behave same as any FL12, meaning lights on is F0 by default on Adress #3

[chadbag]

Yeah try the default address first.
 

[Brett]

Thankyou for The Default Address hint

On one car the default address of 3 does in fact turn the Light on/off,but just like DC,both R/F lights stay on.

Not sure whats going on

 

BTW how do you guys address a FL12 decoder in the same Car that has a EM13?(2 car set)

 

Thanks

Brett

 

 

[chadbag]

2 hours ago, Brett said:

Thankyou for The Default Address hint

On one car the default address of 3 does in fact turn the Light on/off,but just like DC,both R/F lights stay on.

Not sure whats going on

 

BTW how do you guys address a FL12 decoder in the same Car that has a EM13?(2 car set)

 

Thanks

Brett

 

 

typically you'd want it to have the same address as the EM13.  The FL12 handles the lights and the EM13 the motor.  You wouldn't want to have to deal with multiple addresses at once for one train.

 

[Brett]

yes i unnderstand that Chadbag,but do you program at the same time.

How does the DCC system know which decoder is bieng written too?

 

[chadbag]

53 minutes ago, Brett said:

yes i unnderstand that Chadbag,but do you program at the same time.

How does the DCC system know which decoder is bieng written too?

 

It doesn’t.   It just sends the commands out and whatever decoders are there will be set.  So you can program them both at the same time.  However if you’re and do just the FL12, in my experience, there may not be enough resistance for the signal to get picked up. I’m not an engineer so can’t get into details but doing it at the same time as another locomotive usually works and you can google about adding a resistor or something for programming.  I don’t remember the details.  
 

but the short answer is if they are both on the track at the same time they’ll both try and get programmed. 

[Brett]

Thanks Mate,thats was good.

I wondered about the point you made about resistence as i have a lot of trouble programming single FL12,my NCE doesnt pick them up

I have better luck using JMRI but not perfect

 

In fact one FL12 on another set,the Ditch light goes off everytime the train is powered down,i have to FO it to get it back,rather annoying.

 

Thanks again

Brett

[Wolf]

Yes thats common for the FL12s, same with the FL12N. They have so less power consumption, a lot of DCC centrals simply dont recognize them and throw an error. I usually just slap a motor car with it on the track, and re-programm it once the FL12 is done.

[chadbag]

8 hours ago, Wolf said:

Yes thats common for the FL12s, same with the FL12N. They have so less power consumption, a lot of DCC centrals simply dont recognize them and throw an error. I usually just slap a motor car with it on the track, and re-programm it once the FL12 is done.

 

That's basically what I do.  I have a motor car that is for testing stuff or whatever that I throw on at the same time.

[cteno4]

LOL the sacrificial DCC motor car! 

 

Jeff

[Kingmeow]

The combo motor car would work as suggested but if you can find a Broadway Limited address changer (my club has one) it will do it also with no motor car needed.  It basically just rams the address down, including sound decoders, lickety split!  😎

Edited 6 hours ago by Kingmeow

[chadbag]

Also, I've found that it actually works and gets programmed but just can't read it back so it thinks it's failed.  So what I do is put the car with the FL12 in it on the track and just try writing the address like 4 or 6 times and then testing it.  Even if it comes back as failed each time it really did work at least one of those times...    It just doesn't read back.