philsandy Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Further to my recent post, having now got the correct (ie. straight wired), RJ12 6 wire flat cable, I have encountered something odd, well to this DCC novice anyway. With this new cable plugged in 2 locos run fine, but 6 of them do not run smoothly at all, to say the least. They stutter, jerk and move very slowly. I've never seen them run so badly, even when the quartering has been out. One, a DMU 105 moves very slowly, and then will not respond when I try to stop it, I literally have to pull the plug. Connect the original NCE flat cable and they all run fine. There is obviously something wrong with this cable, or is it not suitable for this use? The description says "normally used in commercial telephone systems". But I'm mystified, as I would have thought if there is a fault with the cable then all the locos would run poorly. They are fitted with Loksound V4, V4 micro and one has a Zimo. Can anyone offer an explanation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted February 21, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 21, 2016 In your original thread you said that your original cable works intermittently. Try and get it to work and see if it runs the same locos correctly. If it does then you know it's the new cable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold traction Posted February 21, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 21, 2016 You say that when you fit the original NCE cable all runs fine so it must be something to do with the replacement cable. Double check both ends of the new cable and when compared with the original one are they both the same. Are any of the connections a bit rubbish on the new cable. Are the pins inside the PCP power panel OK. It does sound like your new cable is at fault, have you tried moving the plug about in the power panel or in the bottom of the Cab to see if anything changes? When getting a new cable I just order from Digitrains as they make them up to the length you want and they have a PowerCab as a demonstrator so can double check it as well! It could be that cable is not up to the job, if 2 locos run OK how many can you run before they start to run rubbish? If you can only run 3 or 4 it could be the cable can't handle that current loading and fails, telephone systems run on very low amps, I would still expect it to work though, hence my other questions about the terminals. The other alternative:- The crimping tool, this should be OK. http://www.cablematic.co.uk/ref/RC94?gclid=CL3VqO_dicsCFckaGwodAWkDrA A pack of 25 crimp terminals http://www.cablematic.co.uk/search/rj12-connectors/RJ12-phone-jack-6P6C-male-to-crimp-package-of-25-units/RH28/?pag=18 Make up your own, or just chop the connectors off the original cable and crimp new ones on! Cheers Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arff999 Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 you may find the new cable has wires that just cant handle the current seems a little strange tho order one to size as Traction says from Digitrains. if you at Glasgow Next weekend or going to other shows later in the year it can be made up at the show John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philsandy Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 You say that when you fit the original NCE cable all runs fine so it must be something to do with the replacement cable. Double check both ends of the new cable and when compared with the original one are they both the same. Are any of the connections a bit rubbish on the new cable. Are the pins inside the PCP power panel OK. It does sound like your new cable is at fault, have you tried moving the plug about in the power panel or in the bottom of the Cab to see if anything changes? It could be that cable is not up to the job, if 2 locos run OK how many can you run before they start to run rubbish? If you can only run 3 or 4 it could be the cable can't handle that current loading and fails, telephone systems run on very low amps, I would still expect it to work though, hence my other questions about the terminals. Cheers Ian I only ever run one loco at a time. The cable looks fine to me, and under a magnifying glass looks the same as the original apart from the cable's colour. I have run the locos again, this time with the sound on, and they all run terrible. The cable is either faulty, or as you say Ian, not up to the job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Do check that the sockets on the handset and PCP panel that the cable plugs into are good. As 'traction' says do try wiggling each end while trying to run a loco, damaged or misplaced 'fingers' inside the sockets can and will cause problems. There should be six 'fingers' all nicely parallel and sticking up towards the middle of the socket. How long is your new cable? I don't know the limits that NCE work with but their standard supply is 6ft/1.8 metres long. I know from experience that up to 3Metres works fine but more that that I don't know. It all seems to me that there is a poor connection or high resistance somewhere along the way, could be a fault within the cable or the wires poorly crimped into the RJ12 plugs. Is the new cable kinked anywhere? That won't help any if a wire inside is damaged. I would suggest buying cable from one of the recognised suppliers, Digitrains, SCC, Coastal DCC or another. Kevin at Coastal will usually turn an order round in a day or so. I have no connection with any of the suppliers ,mentioned other that as a satisfied customer John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philsandy Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 John, The cable is 2m long, same as the original. Everything looks fine re. pins etc. I have checked for continuity on each set of pins and that's OK. There are no kinks as such , just "bends" in the cable where it has been coiled for packaging, the original NCE cable was like that also. It could be as you say poorly crimped wires. I will contact seller and get them to change it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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