Is the red status light giving a slow blink? That is a short circuit. Remove the two-pin track plug and leave it unplugged. If the read status light is solid red with the track unplugged, you have a short circuit in your wiring or track. If the red status light has a slow blink even with the track UNPLUGGED, the booster is damaged and must be sent in for service.
Please read this carefully and do all the steps.
The DCC track power output from the Power Cab Panel is measured as AC and should measure about 13.8v AC. Track voltage is constant and should not vary.
The round silver barrel on the power supply from the wall should measure about 13.8v DC; remove the plug from the panel and read the output with a multimeter
Try multiple locomotives FIRST. These steps below only apply if your system behaves the same way with ALL LOCOS
You should use the flat 6-wire cable on the LEFT jack, with the LED below the jacks towards the bottom. Is the LED lit? not at all? The coiled cable should NOT be used in this configuration.
Before buying a replacement panel for a nonfunctioning Power Cab, please note that the panel (PCP/ Power Cab Panel) is a passive device, and if your Power Cab is not working, the problem is most likely NOT in the panel.
1. Remove everything from the track, including all locomotives and cars. Remove and restore the wall power and try again. If the LED comes on solid with everything removed from the track, you have a bad loco or car with a short circuit or something metal is on the track.
2. Does the screen on the Power Cab say LOC? That is the normal locomotive operating screen. If the Displays says CON, you are in CONSIST mode, which means you are supposed to control a set of locomotives as a single unit. If you wound up in consist mode by accident, go here: https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201251979-Reset-Power-Cab-to-factory-defaults
3. If the Display says Cab Address=02 and you are stuck on that screen, the command station part of the Power Cab is not coming on. Are you using the flat cable? Are you plugged in on the left side with the LED below the jacks?
4. Is the LED on the panel blinking, or is it not on at all? Is the Power Cab display and/or the PCP- Power Cab Panel LED blinking? You might have a short. Remove the two-pin track plug
from the back of the panel, and leave it unplugged.
5. Remove and restore the AC wall power to the system and see if the LED comes on. If the LED comes on solid with the track wires still removed, you have a short in your track wiring or you have a problem with a locomotive, or something on the track. Remove everything from the track and try again. If the LED still blinks WITH the track still unplugged the Power Cab has been damaged and will need to be repaired. Is the LED off / not lit? You should be using the flat 6 wire cable on the LEFT jack, with the LED below the jacks towards the bottom. Is the LED lit? not at all? The coiled cable should NOT be used in this configuration.
6. Check your track voltage. If you do not own a multi-meter here is a link to an inexpensive one from Home Depot - http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powerbuilt-Digital-Multi-Meter-648349/204505225
Reading track voltage correctly on DCC can prove to be a challenge. The voltage available on the rails is a Digital PWM form of AC at about 14v and 10Khz., It is NOT standard 120v / 60 Hz sine wave AC like a standard wall outlet. Unless you are using a device specifically designed to measure DCC track voltage like the DCC Specialties RRampmeter (go here for more info), or an oscilloscope, your measurements are a best guess only.
Test your meter first on a 120v AC wall outlet to verify you have the meter set correctly and it is functioning correctly. If you can read a wall outlet, you should be able to read a DCC track voltage.
A regular meter will not give 100% accurate readings on the rails or on the two-pin plug out on the back of the Power Cab Panel. But it can tell you if some sort of indication yes or no.
The DCC track power output from the Power Cab Panel is measured as AC and should measure about 13.8v AC. Track voltage is constant and should not vary. If you have no track power measured as AC but the light is on steady perhaps the pins in the RJ12 jack are bent? Jiggle the cord and see if the light blinks. If you hold the cord in will the light come on and stay on? The outer two wires in the six pin flat cable (Blue and White wires) are track power. Take a flashlight and looked inside the jack on the Power Cab throttle AND the Power Cab Panel. Notice the outer two "pins" make sure they stick up as far as the inner four. Use a small screwdriver or Xacto knife and carefully bend the two outer pins up same as the other four.
7. Try a factory reset: https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201251979-Reset-Powercab-to-factory-defaults
The power supply output from the power supply transformer wall wart should measure about 13.8v DC. Remove the plug from the panel and read the output with a multimeter.
The DCC track power output from the Power Cab Panel is measured as AC and should measure about 13.8v AC. Before buying a replacement panel for a nonfunctioning Power Cab please note that the panel (PCP/Power Cab Panel) is a passive device and if your Power Cab is not working the problem is most likely NOT in the panel.
If the Power Cab has been damaged due to a short circuit or does not function send it in for service. No RMA number needed. Include your contact info and a description of the problem. FYI- our backlog currently stands at 3 to 4 weeks from the date the package arrives.
send to: NCE Corporation Attn: Service Dept. 82 East Main Street, Webster, NY. 14580
Before buying a replacement panel for a nonfunctioning Power Cab please note that the panel (PCP/ Power Cab Panel) is only a passive device with a lightning spike protector. If your Power Cab is not working, the problem is most likely NOT in the panel unless the panel is physically damaged in some way. Inspect the entire panel carefully for physical issues with loose components or bent pins in the sockets
5240222 PCP Power Cab Connection Panel https://www.ncedcc.com/online-store/PCP-Power-Cab-Connection-Panel-with-two-pin-track-plug-p38322159.
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