Auto sound start up when track powered applied "SOLVED USER ERROR"

They're not suppose to...   how about one engine?  I'm assuming you're using track hooked up to fixed 1.

The watch dog signal goes  out on  each  channel any  time the voltage is raised above zero on that channel.   How's the track signal where the engines are located?  .  

(Is this a case of the engine's  capacitors having to charge before the engine can see the watch dog unlike a engine with a battery . ???  I don't know. )

Same thing here

All I have is PS3 engines and they all remain silent unless they miss the watchdog signal (as they do on switched sidings). When using DCS you don't have to wait for the super caps to charge with PS3 engines. Mine will start immediately after power is applied. (I do have one PS2 engine, it's part of a set that is boxed up.)

I think you do have to wait for the caps to charge before the engine will operate in conventional mode. I don't run anything conventional, but I'm pretty sure that's what happens at my LHS. They run PS3's in conventional and there is always a delay after the track is powered up.

RTR12 thanks! I think they are missing the watchdog signal.  I have a layout around the ceiling that uses fix 1 and a switching layout that uses fixed 2.  I use a Lionel BPC to turn them on and off when not in use.

That would explain having to push the start up (or shut down) button. I have some switched sidings where I have to use either the start up or shut down buttons when I turn power on to them after the 2 main tracks have been powered. Turning a BPC on after power up would be that same thing. The BPC would have to be on before powering the TIU channel for the PS3 engines to work as they should.

I have the same setup as you, PH-180s through the TIU fixed channels (using 2 cannels here), but I power the TIU with a Z500 via the aux port on the TIU.

I just purchased a new PS3 . The loco starts up when turning power up to 18 volts. I called MTH and spoke to a tech. He told me the loco is missing the watchdog signal. There is no fix for this. He also told me it seems to happen more frequently on TIU  fixed 1 when using an auxiliary power supply to power the TIU. I have over 40 MTH locos and this is the only one that is missing the watchdog signal.

This happened to me on one engine that used to not do that. It seems to be starting in conventional mode.

I tried it on two DCS systems and got the same result then I noticed the switch under the engine was set to DCC ... I must have switched it in error when picking it up. Switched back and it was back to normal.

FWIW, there's a bug of sorts that seems to be in PS3 firmware for some engines. This bug is what causes some PS3 engines to miss the watchdog signal under some, but not all, conditions. (It's a fussy kind of bug )

It's a non-critical kind of thing since just pressing Startup or Shutdown resolves the problem.

On my layout, I use Z4000 transformers with Z4K Tracks to raise voltage from zero to 18 volts with one click of the remote's thumbwheel, and never experience the issue.

Other methods of raising voltage seem to cause the issue to surface. Also, I use the Aux. Power port to power all 3 of my TIUs.

I did not fully understand the watch dog signal and my BPC was preventing it from reaching my engines.  As of now I removed the BPC and all is well in DCS world.

Thank you for all the replies gentlemen!

The BPC must be connected between the TIU output and the tracks, not between the transformer and the TIU.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

The BPC must be connected between the TIU output and the tracks, not between the transformer and the TIU.

 Yes but it also must be in the "on" position.

Glad you got things working. FWIW, I have quite a few PS3 engines and have not yet had the problem Barry mentioned above, at least not that I have noticed. Most of them sit on unpowered sidings though, so I have to use the start-up/Shut-down buttons with them when I power the sidings anyway.

BPC?

BPC = Block Power Controller