DCS EXPLORER Function

With the DCS explorer- you have to send a command to turn track power back on. Unfortunately, there is NOT a specific icon, or track power on function within the app and it does not operate like a variable channel track power.

Again, this is non obvious, you have to send a command that would cause the track power to turn on like "add engine" or swipe for a refresh which performs the "read" function.

Also, it kinda sounds like you shorted the track invoking the overcurrent/short detection within the DCS explorer. So, you also have to solve that short, before applying power again.

I would be checking your track and wiring with a meter for shorts (with no trains on it) first, and ensure your combination of lockons and wiring is all correct before potentially shorting the DCS explorer again.

Also might be good to have a conventional transformer handy. I love DCS, but if you are starting out and not yet experienced in DCS, troubleshooting can be a challenge without having known good working conventional equipment.

I realize I missed a question there and need to answer it.

@Scott Nielsen posted:

So I guess my question is: did the unit overload/fail ( the fuse is good) or is my layout to big for the DCS explorer unit?

A very simple answer- NO your track is not "too big" for a DCS Explorer- in the context of your question.

Transformers and control devices like the DCS explorer power trains. Track is just like a wire or extension cord- the path to get electricity to the train. You don't need a bigger transformer or power control system just because the track is larger.

You need a bigger power source when running more trains, longer trains, more power hungry trains, and we cannot forget accessories may also get power.

@Scott Nielsen posted:

So I have recently completed phase one of my basement layout which include 8 switches, 4 sidings and I installed 3 lock on's...the track is RealTrax.

The exception here is track switches. Switches can either borrow power from the track power itself, or they often can be wired to an accessory powered source.

So million dollar question- how did YOU wire those 8 switches? Accessory power or borrowing track power????

And, in and of themselves, if talking realtrax switches, they power an incandescent light bulb for the lantern on each switch, and then on top of that, the motor coils draw power when the switch is commanded to move. That said, native state, the switch should just be powering the lights.

So here is the real problem. Other than maybe you have a meter to go around and read resistance or continuity for a short, you might only have the DCS explorer as your power/control source? I'm just saying, that makes troubleshooting that much harder. What would be nice is a known working variable power source to slowly apply power to the load and get an idea of current draw. Also isolate the track into sections since you have 3 lockons, find out what section(s) are shorted rather than the whole entire layout and 8 switches at once.

I still think technically a DCS explorer can power the track and switch lanterns, but long term, you probably should consider a source for accessory power.

The DCS explorer is capable of about 5A (has a 5A fuse)- however, another potential factor- those starter sets may have only come with a 56 watt supply?

If that is the case, then at best you have less than 4 Amps of power on a good day. I don't think those realtrax switches (8 of them) draws that many Amps idle state, but I have no solid measurement or proof.

https://mthtrains.com/40-560

Thanks for the responses Vernon...the AC/DC adapter you show is in fact the one I have and it came with the ready to run set. 15V X 3.75A is in fact 56W so that is the available power. Relative to the switches, I wired them to borrow/share the track power. Yes, for now I only have the DCS for power supply but I do have a multimeter. I have the lock on's run into a set of terminal blocks and the +/- of course run from the DCS into each terminal block and I use a bar to parallel the power out to the lock on's. 2 of the lock on's I have run in series (length was long so I tied them together). Sounds like the next step for me is to walk around the track looking for shorts with multimeter with no power and of course train off track. Will get that going in the next day or so and will get back to you! Thanks again!

@Scott Nielsen posted:

I have the lock on's run into a set of terminal blocks and the +/- of course run from the DCS into each terminal block and I use a bar to parallel the power out to the lock on's. 2 of the lock on's I have run in series (length was long so I tied them together).

Maybe it's just your explanation, I'm concerned with this- "2 of the lock on's I have run in series (length was long so I tied them together). "

If you just mean looking down the path, it's 2 lockons in parallel, but on the same pair of wires- OK, but the word series is the hangup.

This is the switch manual (yours might be different diameter switches but for this discussion the same basic wiring and terminals) https://mthtrains.com/sites/de...ction/40as17023i.pdf

I would temporarily remove the track power jumper on the switches- just to ensure it's not the switches loading the system down.

Again, remove that little metal jumper between the screws of the switches

If you have only the lockons, and the switches unpowered by removing the jumper- and no trains on the track, the only load would be the bulbs in the lockons.

Also, in full thought about your entire setup, given 8 switches now, and unknown number of edit potential accessories, you might get a Z1000 transformer set.

The Z1000 brick is a 100 Watt 18V transformer that can plug into your DCS Explorer control box. The Zcontroller that is part of the set would not be used- however valuable for troubleshooting as a backup.

The key is, the Z1000 brick also has accessory power terminals at 14V- ideal for powering that group of 8 switches.

Again, you started this and asked, is the DCS explorer the problem? I still think no, in and of itself is not the problem. I can handle 5A in theory (I've never brute force tested what the limit is) .  I'm not sure that the track switches are the problem either, although they contribute load to "the system". All that said, though, not using them on track power is more ideal. Also they could degrade DCS signal, and given only 1 channels of DCS and the lower signal output of the explorer, best practice would be let the explorer power the track, and Switches are ideally off the transformer directly (aux power) or flat out another accessory transformer just for that purpose.

@Vernon Barry posted:

So here is the real problem. Other than maybe you have a meter to go around and read resistance or continuity for a short, you might only have the DCS explorer as your power/control source? I'm just saying, that makes troubleshooting that much harder.

I still think technically a DCS explorer can power the track and switch lanterns, but long term, you probably should consider a source for accessory power.

The DCS explorer is capable of about 5A (has a 5A fuse)- however, another potential factor- those starter sets may have only come with a 56 watt supply?

If that is the case, then at best you have less than 4 Amps of power on a good day.

Vernon is certainly getting this sorted out for you Scott.

Also.......More than likely you have all incandescent bulbs in your switches and lockons.   (  8 switches = 16 bulbs on + 3 lockons = 3 bulbs on....... all told you have 19  incadescent bulbs burning at a time. .  I'm not sure what the extra load would be.     I would be surprised if the RTR set was designed to run with this EXTRA load .   1 lockon light bulb should only be used to start with.

OUTSIDE  OF  ANY  OTHER  ISSUES ,I personally would replace the incandescent bulbs with bayonet LEDs if I was only going to use your available power source on your present setup.                             (  I remember at one point on the forum it was mentioned that one incadescent bulb had the draw of 10 LEDs. approximately  )

@Scott Nielsen posted:

So I am a newbee to the train hobby. As a kid I had a train set that was integral to my playing and thought one day, I would build a layout in my basement. So 2 years ago I bought an MTH ready to run set which included a DCS EXPLORER WiFi track interface unit. At that time, I assembled the oval and ran the train and the unit worked fine. So I have recently completed phase one of my basement layout which include 8 switches, 4 sidings and I installed 3 lock on's...the track is RealTrax. So when I plugged everything in for my maiden run, the track light on the DCS blinked red, then went solid red and nothing worked...the locks on nor the switch lights came on. So I guess my question is: did the unit overload/fail ( the fuse is good) or is my layout to big for the DCS explorer unit? Please help...my grand daughters are very excited to come and play with my trains.

Since it has been 2 years since you ran a train on an oval, and it worked fine, have you recently run it on an oval to see if it still "works fine"? If you do not have track screwed down (or you have enough extra to make an oval) I would set up one and see what gives with that.

If you get a train to run, you can slooooowly expand and add a switch, then 2 and see what happens. To make the assumption that checking everything that you now have set up, will locate the problem, may be be wrong. Start with a known given: it worked on an oval before, so will it work now.

Your post only gave an abbreviated history and of what you have done recently. Start from "will things still work on an oval." I can only offer this option, since I am not ware of how that Explorer that came in the set works. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Semi following this thought and others from Vernon, my plan is to disconnect in series lock on's and remove power from all 8 switches and start to look for line voltages (and opens) moving away from the single lock on after I return power to the layout. I do also have 4 lighted terminals in the layout but I will leave those in place. If all checks out, I will add  switch by switch and the other two lock on's and see what I can learn. I do like the recommendation to get my hands on the higher power power supply and replace the 56W unit and also get a box of LED lamps to replace the incandescent ones I currently have. Wish me luck!

Sounds great Scott.        Keep us posted.

Ok, grand kids are gone, bought new multimeter (old one was a hunk of junk). Disconnected all 8 switch black common terminals, disconnected 2 of the three lock-ons. Assured DCS explorer wi-fi switch set to MTH, assured my iPhone wifi is on and ready to connect to the DCS explorer wifi signal. Turned power on to the DCS Explorer. After about a minute, i was able to connect to the DCS explorer wi-fi with my iPhone. Tried to check track voltage and without my engine on the track, same result: no voltage to lock-on, no voltage at the DCS explorer output terminals. Red Track light solid red...nothing. App on iPhone also dead - does not see any live track or engine. Oddly, under the MTH wi-fi connection on my iPhone, in small red letters, it said "No internet connection" ??? So back to my original question: is the DCS unit fried??

Did you use the add engine command to command the explorer to THEN turn on track power. (Light turns purple)

Also, "under the MTH wi-fi connection on my iPhone, in small red letters, it said "No internet connection" ??? " Correct, a PRIVATE network MTH is not connected to the internet.

If the explorer was fried- there would be no MTH network to connect to.

Proof- first hand, why apps are NOT the future of the hobby.

A big problem with the explorer is how you turn on and off track power. By default, when it boots up or is powered on, the track power is OFF- indicated by the solid red LED.

In order to turn track power ON (indicated by the LED turning Purple) you MUST send via the app, a command such as ADD Engine, or Read (there may be other commands that work but these are known ones).

Also, the DCS explorer has a current sensing/overload circuit that can trip the output back to OFF and indicated by the red LED again.

So the problem is, did you ever send a command to turn on the track power, and did short or circuit overload then turn it back off??? Or did you never send the command, or some other failure?

The obvious test, is unplug the track connection (or un-wire it) while leaving the explorer powered, and THEN sending the required "turn on the track command" such as add engine or read. This should cause the light to change to purple and then power would be present at the output track terminals of the DCS explorer.

so frustrating...I have the app on my iPhone and the select or add engine as well as the select or add track commands are right at the top of the screen...lo and behold, these commands are exactly where the camera and microphone are so when I touch that part of the screen, nothing drops down so I can't select diddly squat...so frustrating. I decided to put the app on my spare laptop...nope, would now allow that to happen. I thought maybe the app was corrupted or the like so I deleted and reinstalled...nada. Any thoughts? I am at my wits end. Reading Vernon's thoughts makes perfect sense but due to my smart phone config, I can't send the signals

so I was able to drop down the add engine or select engine from the top...it was bright and after like 50 touches, it did drop down. Would not let me add my engine I was able to get to the track screen but it was not bright indicating to me that it is not available- tried many times...after farting around with it i did get a message that said something about a hardware upgrade??

@Scott Nielsen posted:

so I was able to drop down the add engine or select engine from the top...it was bright and after like 50 touches, it did drop down. Would not let me add my engine I was able to get to the track screen but it was not bright indicating to me that it is not available- tried many times...after farting around with it i did get a message that said something about a hardware upgrade??

Remember when I said get yourself a Z1000 transformer set?

Apps, the DCS explorer, sometime I question is this the best MTH could do for starter sets? @MTH @MTH RD

@Scott Nielsen posted:

so I was able to drop down the add engine or select engine from the top...it was bright and after like 50 touches, it did drop down. Would not let me add my engine I was able to get to the track screen but it was not bright indicating to me that it is not available- tried many times...after farting around with it i did get a message that said something about a hardware upgrade??

I told you, the track screen does NOT work with the DCS WIFI EXPLORER. That is NOT how you turn the track power ON.

The reason the app told you "hardware upgrade" is that section of the app ONLY works if you have a full blown TIU and WIU (or when released, in theory the new WTIU).

For the DCS Explorer, you turn ON track power EITHER by following through on the add engine / MTH engine command process. You have to go through ALL the steps!!!

Another option is "read".

Is the track power light on the DCS explorer something other than red or what?

The manual

https://mthtrains.com/sites/de...ction/50as18614i.pdf

A tangential question is whether the "new" MTH will be producing sets or The Explorer v.2 in the future?  Anyone have any insights?

ok, so i did read that manual...basically says what you've been telling/guiding me - nothing new or different. So i get on the explorer WiFi...no problem. There is a trick to pull down the add engine tab which i have now mastered. On the choose or add engine screen, there is ACTIVE, INACTIVE and ADD. When I hit ADD it offers me either Add MTH engine or Add TMCC/Legacy engine. I hit Add MTH engine. I hear a soft click in the engine  but it the says "no New Engines" and the track is still dead. Just for being thorough, I swapped out the lock-on just in case the one i chose to use was no good. Same result. I did try the refresh in upper left hand corner...nothing. Only color on the DCS is solid red...no purple.

would engine feature reset help??? Or do anything??