# Curious ShutDown of the QSI Module by the NCE GWire™ ProCab Cab



## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm using the NCE GWire™ ProCab throttle with a battery powered Aristo Craft GP-40 with a QSI Magnum board and a Gwire receiever installed. The throttle works exceptionally well, easy to program the decoder and excellent range.

I have an interesting thing happen when I start the locomotive, bring it to speed, turn the throttle off and just let the train run. When I turn the throttle back on, the locomotive stops and looses communication. I must power the decoder down and restart it to get full control of the locomotive again.

Is that just the way it is or is there some other solution?

I can leave the throttle on for hours while the locomotive is running but I tried to shut it off the conserve the batteries with the above results.

Thanks for any input...


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I have 7 QSI cards running now, and one of them has this odd habit of shuttting down now and then. It's in an RS-3. Typically it just stops, and I have to life the engine off the rail for a few moments and then when I put it down it's fine. Don't know why this is, but I suspect it may have something to do with heat?


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, this is the interesting part of this situation. It only shuts down when I turn the transmitter back on. Not when I turn it off.

I have had the system shut down when the ambient temperature was over 100 degrees F and the temperature inside the locomotive shell was over 177 degrees F. That problem was solved by installing 2 cooling fans in the shell. One is blowing air over the decoder and the other is acting as an exhaust fan.


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

Stan, I have one QSI magnum I've installed in a Bachmann K-27 I use the g wire card with battery and an airwire controller. I have to leave my controller on as well. If I shut it off the loco will run but when I turn it on my loco stops dead in its tracks. I don't need to shut my loco down though, I just start it back up as if the loco was stopped. 

Terry


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Terry. Looks like that's just one of the operating "things" that happen with the system. I certainly can live with it knowing that is what will happen. 

It's interesting that the Pro Cab is very easy on batteries as they will last for many, many hours with the transmitter left on.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Does it matter what your speed step is when you turn the cab back on? 

What is the speed step displayed when you turn it back on? 

What if you select a different loco before shutting off? 

(I still don't get you guys turning off your cabs when locos are running







)... 

Regards, Greg


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Same speed step prior to turn off and power up. In this case 28....

The throttle is battery powered only and has no tether or connection to a base unit. I shut the TX off to conserve the battey consumption as I allow the train(s) to run unattended for most of the day or the duration of the battery charge which ranges from 2.75 hours to 8 hours depending on the locomotive and consist.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Stan, I guess I did a poor job of indicating which is most important. 

Not 28/128 speed step setting, how fast, i.e. the actual speed step that you were running. 

When you turn the throttle back on, what step (speed step) was it showing? 

Also, how about selecting a different loco? 

Where I am going is that if you turn the throttle back on, and it defaults to speed step zero, it could send that speed to the loco, which would stop it, of course. 

I hope I did a better job this time. 

(p.s. why run in 28 step mode instead of 128?) 

Regards, Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Greg, 
Stan said his speed happened to be at 28, not 28 steps, I doubt he runs at full speed unattended. 

My R/C Tx uses std batteries (non rechargeable) so I get in the habit of shutting it off between commands, as Stan above. It's not as scary as it sounds, I'm often fiddling with something else anyway. Helps to run slow old timers tho... 

What if the Tx is turned on out of 'earshot' of the Rx and then brought into range? Might be a glitch in the on/off switch, I'm thinking maybe a conflict with the failsafe/emergency stop (if there is one). Or an extra bit of info... that over-rides. 

John


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess I need to clarify as well..









I run 28 speed steps for the 2 QSI installations I have. Both run just the way I want them with the 28. The batteries in the 0-4-4-0 are 11.1 volt Li-ions and I run at a top speed setting of 14. It has 2 Hartland 0-4-0 motorblocks and pulls 20 car log train nice and slow.

The other is an Aristo-Craft GP-40 with either 14.8 or 18.5 volt Li-ions. That one will run at 26 top end with the 14.8's and 22-24 with the 18.5.

I shut the TX off after the train(s) has reached the maximum set speed. When I turn the TX back on, the units will stop dead. 

The TX defaults back to 0 when turned on. That's probably why, eh?????







I should have noticed that much earlier. Would have saved all these posts...









Is there any way to change that???????? 

A side note.... I find that with the NCE Gwire Procab, 28 speed steps work right nicely. Don't need to do any fine tuning with 128. 

Just personal preference.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Stan, what I would do is: 

1. Test to see if turning the cab off manually is the same as it turning itself off (timeout) 
2. Look at the cab and see what speed step is displayed on power up. 
3. Try selecting a different loco before powering down. 

etc. 

I don't think this stuff is specified in the manual. 

Regards, Greg


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 12 Oct 2009 06:30 PM 
Stan, what I would do is: 

1. Test to see if turning the cab off manually is the same as it turning itself off (timeout) 
2. Look at the cab and see what speed step is displayed on power up. 
3. Try selecting a different loco before powering down. 

etc. 

I don't think this stuff is specified in the manual. 

Regards, Greg Greg... 

Had a long talk with Mike Greenwood this afternoon about the situation. He says that's a "fail safe" default in the transmitter to prevent runaway trains. When the TX is turned back on after a power down, it defaults all the speed settings to "0".

Yerrite...... This suff ain't covered in the manual...









Thanks for all your input and help....

There are some new things coming out in a few months. 

It looks like the tek-in-ology is advancing faster that the new French "bullet"....










France's TGV.... World's Fastest Train


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, undocumented features are "fun" ha ha ha. 

I had a conversation with a friend tonight, and I told him if I was the programmer, probably would have done it that way just for that reason. 

Not everyone will want the feature. Maybe they will make a setting to give you the option. 

Regards, Greg


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