DZ123/125 programming quirks

[Hiroe]

Having just installed and programmed my latest DZ123 decoder, i noted it had the same programming behavioral issues as the other DZ123's i did, as well as the single DZ125.

Specifically, i can't change the decoder's long address and forward direction in the same programming session without the decoder completely losing *both* short and long addresses, with the CV's actually showing as "Can Not Be Read" by the system. Also, programming the address and direction changes in separate programming sessions results in the decoder setting the programming lock.

Has anyone else noticed such behavior?

(Lynn's Junction still stocks the DZ123, only $17)

Drew

[wm3798]

If you're not getting a readback on the address, you have a short somewhere.  I've done a zillion of these, and that's the main problem I've discovered when that's the symptom.  Now, you could also have a dud.  123's were pretty sketchy in the QC department.  125's started out that way, but either I've gotten better at installations, or they've gotten better at releasing product that works on the first try.

If you haven't run them under track power yet, I'd tear down the drive again and look for possible shorts.

Lee

[Hiroe]

That's the thing, there's definitely no shorts. It ran perfectly fine as address 003 after the initial install; the behavior doesn't turn up until trying to change address and direction. Also, even when there's no readback, it still runs happily on straight DC.

The locos themselves are actually Grandt Line older-style 23-ton boxcab kits. I've been installing them with internal connectors, so i can disconnect individual functions and swap the motor polarity if need be.