I did this conversion on 2 mth ps-1 f-3's the cbq did fine, the rock island f-3 has issues. I set engine id as #5 and it responded with horn blow no light flash ! but yet when I set tpc to command mode and hit the boost button track power comes on and so does the engine and I haven't addressed the engine yet. but beyond that it won't respond until I hit engine and id # then it will go forward blow bell and horn but the coupler sounds are missing they open just no sound. so did the engine reset not go to plan as instructed to do before removing the original ps-1 mother board? anyone here have any thoughts on this? or should I just get an err or digital dynamics setup and call it done? can't get any tas stuff so that avenue is done. speaking of tas are they still in buisness serving the train manufacturers or are they gone totally?
TAS only makes boards for the OEM licenses of TMCC, e.g. Weaver, Atlas. Weaver will do installs of TAS equipment in engines sent to them for service.
Re your specific problems with the F-3 and the UCUB. Did you do the proper prep sequence on the PS-1 engine BEFORE starting the conversion? The PS-1 system is based on a "state machine". If you did not have the board in the proper state before doing the conversion the board will behave erratically. You can try dumping the PS-1 sound board and resetting the UCUB to factory defaults. At this point the board should allow you to access control everything BUT the SOUNDS.
Unless you have some attachment to the sound board, I'd dump it and replace it with some type of RailSounds/ERR soundboard. This is what I did with my RailKing loco's. I didn't buy PS-1 to begin with and I installed the UCUB's minus sound to begin with (I retained the original horn/whistle boards) and then updated them to RailSounds at a later date.
It's a little more complicated than simple plug and play. The UCUB has pins for several of the older style sound boards. The important issue is that he ERR sound boards are RailSOunds Compliant. They use the same jumper from the TMCC command back plane and they respond to TMCC commands. You will probably need to come up with a mounting system and some jumper harness for the RS input, speaker output and power for the board itself.
Before you get too involved with this, have you tried removing the PS-1 board and check to see if the loco will perform all of its TMCC functions except for sound effects? The PS-1 board should only be accessed for sounds, not control functions. Also note that you will not be able to access the "neutral" sounds in a PS-1 board since there is no "neutral" in TMCC.
chuck, no I haven't pulled the sound board yet had about 5 things going on all at same time you know the drill. will try that next and go from there. as to new sound board electronics aka circuit boards not all that great with wiring specialty harness so may opt for a clean install of either a err or dig dynamics setup.
The instructions for the Electric Railroad's Sound Commander can be downloaded before ordering. They include the three wire RS connector that caries power and the TMCC serial command signal. You will also need to hook up the two wires for the speaker. Digital Dynamics carries RS-4.0 boards and their manual can be downloaded as well. Similar wiring.
You will need to work up some way to physically install the ERR board or the DD unit. TAS used to carry a plug compatible unit that mated with pins on the UCUB. The lower board was a VCO and it had sockets to accept the two part RS board (sound processor and amp).
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