DCS-Dropping connections with engines

If this is happening with the remote and TIU you can probably rule out any wifi issue.

"I cleaned all the track and ran a signal test in the yard and it shows solid 10's until it drops the connection and shuts down."

Where is the engine when this happens. For a test, can you run a pair of wires from the TIU to the track you are having issues with?

you might be running the engine over a switch while it is not making good contact with the track when it passes over the switch, what kind of switches are you using, also do you see the headlight flicker as train crosses over the switch! does it do this with all your trains or just one or a few ! you have to narrow it  down to exactly what's happening for us to help you figure it out !

Alan

It does not happen going over the switches.  I am using gargraves track and it happens on the straights in the yard at random spots.  No lights flickering just the engine comes to stop and shuts down.  I have tried several different PS2/PS3 engines and it is happening to all of them.  I will try running straight from the TIU to one leg in the yard and see if that does anything. 

you might need to clean your track as sometimes drifty track can cause signal fluctuations ! before it shuts down what is the current draw while engine is running normally !

Alan

Is the yard or sidings in the yard on a separate toggle switch ?

@AJLaBoe posted:

It does not happen going over the switches.  I am using gargraves track and it happens on the straights in the yard at random spots.  No lights flickering just the engine comes to stop and shuts down.  I have tried several different PS2/PS3 engines and it is happening to all of them.  I will try running straight from the TIU to one leg in the yard and see if that does anything.

So why trash DCS?? The engine would keep going if it were a DCS issue.

Guess I'm not following you?  I'm not trashing DCS, just trying to eliminate what might be the issue.

If you lost communication with the TIU, the engine would just keep doing whatever it was doing.

The fact that it shuts down, means it's losing power. Period. Maybe your batteries are dead? Maybe the track is bad? Maybe.....???

It has nothing to do with DCS.

Joe is correct, if you have a dead battery in the engine, a PS/2 engine will drop dead immediately with even a very brief interruption of power.  That is common across switches or on dirty track.

It was the TIU-I switched the variable to a fixed and now all works fine.  Tested with the Wifi and the old handheld remote-no more dropping the engine off the app and no more out of rf range message.  Thank you all for your suggestions.

Is the variable channel broken or is it not set-up correctly?

I originally had the yard connected to the fixed 1 channel. I changed variable 1 to a fixed channel. I moved the yard to that channel and now all is working fine.

The variable channels set to fixed mode should behave exactly like the fixed channels as far as running and signal strength is concerned.  On my layout, the mainline is actually on a variable channel so I can, if I choose, run a conventional locomotive.

I don't know how you have wired you layout but if the positive and negative wires are not the same length coming from your power source you will have all kinds of signal drops for DCS operation.  Watch Mr. Muffins train you tube and he explains it perfect and with good experience with his layouts.