Help with DCS & MTH Engine

[willpick]

I highly reccomend the OGR DCS video/DVD. It kept me from making any major mistakes when I installed DCS on my layout. Best $20 I've spent on this hobby!

[spankybird]

Glad to hear it Rozy. Now go have some fun running your trains.

BTW - you might want to pick up the OGR tape on DCS. 2 hours of watching for 20 bucks.

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Outstanding!!!! [:D] Now you know and can advise someone else. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

You're great, I put the ENGINE on track with 12 volts & let battery charge & it worked.
We can put this one to bed.
THANKS
ROZY

[spankybird]

Hi Rozy,
Yes a track single of 10 is great. It is 1 thru 10, 10 being the best. Therefore, track and single strength from TIU is not the problem.

I really do feel, it is a battery problem, as many of us have stated before. You can start the engine, if it has smoke, turn it off, and let it idle for 4 to 6 hours to charge the battery.

You can also for a test, replace the battery with a dry cell 9 volt and see if it works. If you do this, you should not leave the dry cell in there because of the chargeing unit.

tom

[Anonymous]

Good Morning Spankybird, Chief Eagles,Alan Rail . The Engine is a F59 Diesel,The battery is a NiCad 7-cell 8.4 v self charging. Was 10 a good number for the track signal ? I think I'll start out with Alan Rails suggestion, it worked for him worth a try.
Thanks Everyone
ROZY

[ChiefEagles]

or buy a charger and charge each from charger.

[AlanRail]

It's the battery . . . . .

I have 7 new engines; all were added then after shutdown of track power; the next time these engines came up with "engine Not Found" whenever I tried to access them.

Solution: power track for 4-6 hours with all engines on track

all working now.

Alan

[spankybird]

HI Rozy,

What is the model number of your engine [?] Look in your owners manual and see if it takes a 9 volt or 3 volt battery.

For a TEST you can replace the battery with a new dry cell and see if it works. If so, then the battery is the problem and needs a good charge.

tom

[Anonymous]

Hi Spankybird, Still dealing with the problem. I am using Lionel conventional track with clean center rail. I followed your steps for track signal it showed 10. Thanks for hanging in there with me on this one.

[spankybird]

Richard, don’t fell bad, actually we do agree.

I first stated

QUOTE: by spankybird: “It still could be a low battery, as Niel sugest, just not dead.
”

What I was afraid he might be doing is picking up the engine off the track without doing the shutdown. Therefore nothing would be saved.

Just to eliminate any possible track problems, I wanted to know what his track single is. I have seen one case where the TIU was wired backwards, the transformer going to the output of the TIU and the input of the TIU to the track. It would load the engine, but then once the engine was turned off, it would not find it again. After I pointed out what was wrong, all was fine, and no damage to the TIU.

And the bottom line is, we both still agree with Niel.

tom

[Anonymous]

Tom,

Forgive me my friend, but I respectfully disagree with one of your comments.

The engine I.D. information is not saved when the shut down button is pressed. It is saved when the power is removed from the track. This is why a good battery is so important. It provides the power while the new I.D. number is being written on the PS-2 boards in the absence of track voltage. This is also the time when other programming changes are recorded by PS-2 locomotives (sound volume, smoke settings, chuff rate, etc.). The TIU does not store this particular information.

You will see this issue pop up frequently, as many engines do not arrive from the dealer shelves with charged batteries. People put them on the track, change the address, run them a little then power down. The next time they power up, they can't find the locomotive with a "Read" and get a "Check Track" or "Locomotive Not On Track" message if they try to access it directly. If they re-add the locomotive, it will come up with a new number.


I don't feel good-I am disagreeing with you, and agreeing with Neil-this is not normal!!!

[spankybird]

Hi Rozy,

I am glad that you are sticking in there.

To check your signal strength, do the following

1. start you engine and have it moving forward at about 15 to 20 smph.
2. go to MENU, SYSTEM, scroll down until you see, TRACK SIGNAL, pu***he thumb wheel down to select it.
3. It will display you active engine, select the one running and it will run the program test. When you are done, press exit (upper right hand soft key).

What type of track are you using [?]

Does it have a blacken center rail, if so, have you removed the black from the top of the center rail [?]

tom

[Anonymous]

To all who have replied thank you. Spankybird I am using the shut down button & turning off remote with button. How do you check the track signal ? Do not know if it is above 7.

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by RAK402

I agree with Neil (the earth must have ceased spinning on its axis!!! [:D]).

Battery-Dead, not charged, or not connected!

Neil-we can't do this-we can't agree-its not normal!
(I apoligize-I will not agree again).

[:p]

Richard, I know the feeling [:p], this is the second time this week I have agreed with Neil [;)]. Maybe its a new begining for a new year [8D]

[Anonymous]

I agree with Neil (the earth must have ceased spinning on its axis!!! [:D]).

Battery-Dead, not charged, or not connected!

Neil-we can't do this-we can't agree-its not normal!
(I apoligize-I will not agree again).

[:p]

[ChiefEagles]

Follow Tom's insturctions to trouble shoot. He helped me a lot when I got started in DCS. I bought a MTH battery charger [new type with both plugs] and have never had to use it. It is a PS2 engine isn't it??? Good luck.

[spankybird]

It still could be a low battery, as Niel sugest, just not dead.

How are you turning off the engine. Are you using the shut down button and then truning off the remote by the on/off button. This will allow the remote and TIU to store the info on the engine. If the battery is low charge, it will not keep the setting.

When you have the engine running, have you check your track single[?] Is it above a 7 [?]

let me know what you find.

[Anonymous]

Spankybird, I tried your remedy, no luck it came up inactive engine TIU address 1 not found. TIU address 1 is my TMCC engine, #2 is the MTH engine. I put the arrow on #2 to take it out of the innactive list & it said no DCS engine found. To nblum mentioning possible dead battery I re-entered the engine & it started.[:(]

[nblum]

Sounds like a dead battery in the locomotive to me.

[spankybird]

Try placing the engine on the track, NO power, turn on the track power, and press the READ button (lower left corner of the remote). It should place the engine on the active list, and you can then press 'start up'

tom

[Anonymous]

When I entered the MTH engine it found it on the first try {yeah]. Now everytime I put it back on the track & bring it up to active it says Engine not on track. I have to re-enter it to make it work again. When I put the TMCC Engine on the track & bring it up to active it works.[:(]