Well, it didn't take long for me to discover the joys of tracking down a problem with the serial data to my DZ-2500 switch machines. I was happily running without a care in the world, and needed to throw a switch. No problem, I just keyed it into the CAB1L and waited... and waited..., nothing! Crap, I walked over and pressed the button on the switch and waited... and waited..., nothing!
HUH? Suddenly, all my switch machines were locked solid, no command control and no push-button control either! That's when I noticed the LED on solid on the DZ-2001 Data Driver. OK, something is camped on the serial data line. Disconnected all the serial data feeds, and power cycled, local control of the switches returned. Started removing serial data leads from each switch until the DZ-2001 LED went out, I replaced that switch machine. Reprogrammed the new switch machine and we were back in business.
I have no idea what happened to the DZ_2500, there were no derailments, no locomotives anywhere close to that section of the layout, but it just suddenly bit the dust and sat on the serial data line!
To add insult to injury, the switch machine I dug out to "fix" the broken one appears to be broken as well! I had to go for a second one, thankfully that one is working fine.
I hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come, I don't need to be doing these switch machine swaps all the time!
