[Doug]

Where do you get this idea from Brian?

I'm not too sure if playing with the DCC signal/power BUS but adding resistances is such a good idea. Perhaps it will work, but perhaps it will mess around with the decoder that is expecting a certain voltage to function correctly.

 

[Doug]

I haven't seen that before.

On the programming track, you 'read' the decoder's default address - CV1 usually equals '3'.

If you see that then there it is installed correctly. I don't see how you can really mess-up an installation. Perhaps you can cross the pick up wires or cross the motor wires, but it is not that serious. Some motors are hard to isolate due to a conducting chassis, but the test track will not help that much.

You can't drive the motor on the programming track so there is no danger there. I have mine on a fully-isolated siding so it is not possible to accidently drive a loco in whilst programming another. The micro-switch on the points switches between programming and DCC modes.