Model Railroading > Broadway Unlimited Woes

It seems I can't win for losing with BLI. Years ago, I ordered a GS4 and after a five-year wait received it only to have to return it for numerous problems I wrote about here. Along with the GS4 came a chit I could redeem for a Daylight Observation car. It had an expiration date two or three years before I ever received it, but I sent it in. That was two years ago or so.

Well, today I got my Observation Car, delighted to see that it included a DCC lighting control system. It looked great. That was the good part. When I tried to program it, the BLI gremlin struck again. I changed the address from the default and then tried to change the default settings for light control, only to have it reset the address to 03. I tried again with the same results. I tried it on the program track only to find that the CVs are not readable. I reversed the operation and set the light controls first, then the address. Now it seemed fine. Then I moved the car.

That was the last mistake. It seems that any power interruption resets the decoder. Anything seems to reset the decoder. Now I might just have abad board and have queried BLI about this but i have a sinking feeling that this is the best they can do. The manual indicates that the decoder is a BLI design and that does not give me any confidence.

Anyone else have experience with this? Please tell me that this is just a bad board, please, please...

Even if it isn't a bad board, it is not like you paid a great deal for it. For the $8.50 they charged for the bonus observation car, I can make do with a quirky decoder.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/13 17:38 by bioyans.

How did you go about programing? It has to been done the right way otherwise it will cause issues. What DCC system? Programs?

Worse case scenario put in a new 1 or 2 function decoder.

Well, it is not the fact that the price was right. The biggest problem with it resetting is that it always end s up at address 03. Program anything else that has a new decoder and who knows what happens to this one. Can't do much damage but it will never work as advertised.

The BLI manual doesn't specify any programming method. They do seem to be thinking the D brand because they included a lengthy bit on hex and binary numbers but I have NCE and don't need that bit of complication.

Replace the decoder? I might have to, but they should be the ones to do it. Now just think if you had paid full price for this...

Got my Paragon 2 PRR K4 about a month ago. Put it on the track and it just hummed and shorted out the DCC system. I tried putting in on without the tender and with paper under the non-driving wheels but could never figure it out. Got down to where only the drivers were on the track without the tender connected and it still shorted. Sent it back under warranty and I am still waiting for them to return it to me fixed.

So, for an NCE system you need to be very careful. The way you program is by first prgram on the main > select loco i.e. 03> next select #2 option to program> Select CV17=4449 (or the number you want). While still in program mode program CV29 to value of 34 (long address). Do not program on programing track.

Let me know if that works.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/13 18:02 by checkmate007.

Also, QSI has a Manual how to program: http://qsisolutions.com/pdf/QuantumDCCRefManual_5_1_0.pdf

See page 398.

Until recently my luck with BLI has been terrible. I vowed never to buy another BLI product. BLI came out with the Pennsylvania I1sa 2-10-0, locomotives I really like, so I bought one. WOW!, it worked perfectly out of the box. Felling lucky, I bought a Pennsy M1a 4-8-2. Again it worked perfectly out of the box. Feeling lucky, I bought two more I1sa's. They worked perfectly! Then the Pennsy K4's came out, so I got two. They worked perfectly! I was so awed, I went to church and lighted several candles. Miracles do happen!!

I think he is having problems with the Obs car decoder not the GS-4.
I sent in my slip about 2 years ago and just with in the last month I got the Obs car that was offered for shipping charges after purchasing the GS-4. I was surprised when I received a shipping order from BLI.
Stan

checkmate007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So, for an NCE system you need to be very careful.
> The way you program is by first prgram on the
> main > select loco i.e. 03> next select #2 option
> to program> Select CV17=4449 (or the number you
> want). While still in program mode program CV29 to
> value of 34 (long address). Do not program on
> programing track.
>
> Let me know if that works.

As somebody who has used NCE since it first hit the market, I have had very little problem programming or using NCE. And I certainly use the programming track and like it very much. I have never used any other system I admit, but again, never had any problems with NCE. I like it very much.

Bob

Bob Miller
Kansas City, KS

I have owned two BLI lokes and both never were good apples.

The RSD15 gator had blinking headlight and I sent it back, it was returned to me "repaired" but
continued to flicker thereafter. Then I bought a SW7 which operated fine sometimes, and erratically
other times. Sent it back and it was returned 3 months later with a note that nothing was wrong with it
yet it continued to run erratically. I have lots of Genesis, Atlas, P2K engines that operate just fine
on my layout and it makes no sense that the BLI units don't.

I ended up selling both Broadway's at a loss and will never buy another BLI loke again.

I have never had any problems with my DC BLI locomotives. Can't say anything about the DCC stuff. I wish the latest run of gators came in DC.

~Steve Sloan

checkmate007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So, for an NCE system you need to be very careful.
> The way you program is by first prgram on the
> main > select loco i.e. 03> next select #2 option
> to program> Select CV17=4449 (or the number you
> want). While still in program mode program CV29 to
> value of 34 (long address). Do not program on
> programing track.
>
> Let me know if that works.

I will try it this way. Certainly can't use the program track as the CV's can't be read. I doubt the system is at fault as the thing resets just by cycling power.

rdsexton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> checkmate007 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So, for an NCE system you need to be very
> careful.
> > The way you program is by first prgram on the
> > main > select loco i.e. 03> next select #2
> option
> > to program> Select CV17=4449 (or the number you
> > want). While still in program mode program CV29
> to
> > value of 34 (long address). Do not program on
> > programing track.
> >
> > Let me know if that works.
>

I tried this. I get the same results as others. It always goes back to address 3. CV17 will not accept any value greater than 128.

On a side note, I have been able to read some CV using a NCE PowerCab as well as Decoder Pro. Doesn't help with the address problem tho.

Charles

The reason why it will not accept a value from 1-129 is that the NCE system uses those numbers for consisting. I've seen this before and leads me to believe that you have a bad chip, I would send it back to BLI.

Best,

Santi

... and everyone says "Hey, DCC is great - easy to use, lets you run the trains, etc."

I mostly understand DC. I don't understand DCC at all. It looks good, but -

As much as this stuff costs nowadays, it should program itself.

timecruncher

checkmate007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The reason why it will not accept a value from
> 1-129 is that the NCE system uses those numbers
> for consisting. I've seen this before and leads
> me to believe that you have a bad chip, I would
> send it back to BLI.
>

I said greater than 128. It would accept address lower than 128 but as mentioned before, would not respond to the new address.

I have a Blueline Pennsy J1. First problem was jerky operation. Sent it back to BLI and it returned with a note that there was no jerkiness observed. They did "fix" the headlight which they observed flickering. So I ran it awhile and noticed the headlight flickering. In 2010, at the National Train Show in Milwaukee, I spoke to the company owner about the J1 and its "jerky" operation. He felt the Digitrax decoder I had installed was the problem. He gave me another brand to try (for free) but I still had the problems. Then sent it back to BLI again. It came back with a note that they had removed the traction tire and that took away most of the jerky movements. They also had noticed the flickering head light and "fixed" that again. Needless to say, the headlight still flickers and I'll have to live with that. In the past year the sound board has given up the ghost. Someday I might replace the sound board with a Tsunami.
I also have a Baldwin Centipede from the first run. Operation and sound were perfect out of the box and still are.

john