Check Track/Engine Not On Track

Are the batteries good on the 2 offending engines? Sounds like they are not saving the data on shut down.  Change the batteries if they are older then 4-7 years depending on type (8.4 or 2.4V).  G

Mike,

These are classic symptoms of a weak battery. Charge each engine's battery until it can pass the following "test":

• Start an engine up either conventionally or under DCS
• Without pressing Shut Down, immediately turn off track power
• If the engine sounds do not persist for at least 6-7 seconds after track power is turned off, charge the engine's battery until it does.

If charging the battery doesn't make sounds continue for 6-7 seconds, replace the battery with a new, fully-charged one.

Then, delete each engine and re-add it.

This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

OK, thanks, never thought about the engine batteries, they are used engines and I realize that they probably haven't been run for a while. I'll charge them and get back to you on the results.

Mike

If you don't have new batteries handy put them on charge for about 2hr Then try it again. 

Next thing you might do is to insure that the other engines are either not on the track or power is cut to those sections.

Also if your handy pull the shell off and make sure that the screws holding the wires on the third rail pick up are tight and also make sure the wires leading out of the connectors on the board itself are not lose.

If the wiring is real tight. you might want to cut the zip ties and loosen them up a bit so there is more play and there not being pulled out of the connectors.

G  From phone call earlier. It was a bad motor in the smoke unit. pluged a known good smoke unit in and no issues. Engine was new.

Thanks Barry & GGG, it was the batteries, I recharged both and one was OK and the other wasn't but still showed 8 volts after charging. It was 10 yrs old so I guess it wasn't working, maybe someone can explain why it was showing 8 volts on the meter but didn't have enough power to save the data. I replaced it with a BCR and it works fine.

One issue related to a comment suzukovich made, the steam engine was running fine but when I turned on the smoke it would shut down. I suspect as he mentioned that the smoke unit motor is seized and is causing an overload/ short as I can't hear or feel air from the fan.

One comment for Barry, I looked through your DCS Companion under "Error Messages" pg 148 for "Engine Not on Track" message and didn't find anything re the battery, after a subsequent search today I found it on pages 159-162, "Battery Related Problems". In neither case was there a BAT message on the remote to steer me in that direction although it was clearly a battery problem. I might suggest that in subsequent updates to the "Companion" that you might indicate in the battery section that "Check Track" and "Engine Not On Track" messages on the remote on power up could be indicators of a low battery. Also in the section "Engine Not On Track" (pg 148 )indicate that this message could be indicative of a low battery as the engine data might not have been saved. Just a suggestion but I was unaware that the battery powers the save function on power down. Like others, I didn't read the Companion from cover to cover, only the sections that apply when I have a problem.

Anyway, Barry thanks for the "Companion" and the tremendous after publication support that you provide here.

Mike

Mike,

maybe someone can explain why it was showing 8 volts on the meter but didn't have enough power to save the data.

That's because you cannot accurately measure the strength of a battery except when it's under a load, which a meter typically doesn't do. A battery tester would have shown you that the battery was truly weak. All the meter does read is the battery's surface charge.

In neither case was there a BAT message on the remote to steer me in that direction although it was clearly a battery problem. I might suggest that in subsequent updates to the "Companion" that you might indicate in the battery section that "Check Track" and "Engine Not On Track" messages on the remote on power up could be indicators of a low battery

That's because a BAT message is indicative of low batteries in the remote, not in an engine.

Also in the section "Engine Not On Track" (pg 148 )indicate that this message could be indicative of a low battery as the engine data might not have been saved

Unfortunately, that's a symptom of the remote not finding an engine. A low battery isn't the typical reason for this message. Rather than clutter the book with every conceivable reason that the message could be generated, I set up a separate section for "Battery Related Problems".

You received the message because, when you added the engine the first time, the battery was too weak to save the engine's new DCS ID#. This caused the remote to, in effect, search for an engine that was' present, under the DCS ID# where the remote last found it.

Mike, I was very happy using batteries for years, until in the last year I increased my loco stable to 25, which means they sit for long periods.  I've been replacing the 2.4 volt batteries with Digikey 2.5F supercapacitors, which are priced so as to make the switch cost effective, and to date have been quite pleased. 

yes RJR i repaired my FEF steam engine decided to do the same ps2 3 volt and now i used super capacitors .

The engine runs great now.

20-3044-1 item engine

Alan

I'm putting capacitor battery replacements in all my engines as well.

I read a series of posts on the electrical forum a few years ago about making your own capacitor replacements and bought the material to do all of my engines.

Mike