DCS PS/3 Chuff rate and sounds/smoke

Ed sorry check your tether between the engine and tender make sure its plugged in well and clean your wheels and pick up rollers.   

Handheld, DCS, is wireless. I'll clean the wheels and pickup as you suggest. Thanks.

Ed,

Could this be referring to the 9v battery in the tender. That has not been replaced since I first put it in.

A couple of things...

 

First, that MTH item number, 20-33981, does not bring up an MTH product on MTH's web site, even if completed as 20-33981-1. Are you referring to M.T.H.'s O Scale S3/6 German Pacific locomotive?

 

Second, PS3 engines don't have replaceable batteries in the tender, or anywhere else.

 

Third, if you did open up the engine or tender, why did you do so and did you run it after you last opened it up?

Barry, my bad.

 

1. Yes it is the Premier Bavarian Class 3/6 Express Steam Locomotive (20-3398-1) .

2. I confused my Bavarian tender with my Lionel C&O Streamliner which does have a 9v battery and which I was working on at the same time.

3. I have not opened the engine or tender.

 

 

I think he means 20-3398-1 which appears to be valid and is an S3.

 

http://mthtrains.com/20-3398-1

As Barry says, the PS3 engines don't have a battery so I don't know what the low battery is all about, but the symptoms you describe sound like a problem with the tach assembly in the boiler/engine.  If the tach reader does not read those black and white stripes off the flywheel then the electronics thinks the engine is NOT moving.  If it thinks it is not moving then it doesn't make the chuff sound.  So it applies more power to the motor to make it get up to speed which sounds like what your engine is doing...and still now tach feedback so no chuffing.  As to why it "reliably" acts up after 8 feet is an interesting symptom which one the MTH gurus will hopefully explain.

Well, that's interesting and sounds like something beyond my competence to address. Sounds like this is off to the authorized fixer-upper!  

 

Thanks,

ed

Make sure the connection between tender and engine is solid.  Do a factory reset following the instructions and see if that resolves it.

 

Otherwise, as Stan says sounds like a tach reader issue.  Did the engine get jostled in storage?  G

I'm certain the tether is firmly seated. I handled the storage With kid gloves. ��. I'm not sure how to restore factory settings. I tried through the the handheld but unlike Lionel (whistle horn blows) there was no physical indication it occurred. 

If you did a successful factory reset, the engine would be removed from you remote and you would have to re-add the engine.

Well, if that's the case I did not succeed with a factory reset. What do I need to do? I followed the "horn + 5 bells" routine but nothing.

Since you apparently have the "full" DCS system, the factory reset is NOT performed using the horn-5 bell sequence.  You navigate the menu (see Barry's book or DCS manual) to perform resets.

 

Also, just to be clear, during those first 8 feet when the engine runs slowly, do you get chuffing sounds?  Or do the chuffing sound play properly (i.e., 4 chuff sounds per wheel rotation) during the first 8 feet, then the sounds stop after 8 feet?

This is PS-3, so the engine should not run away with a lost tach like PS-2 does.

 

When you power up the engine and start it with sounds playing, turn track power off and see if the engine plays shut down sounds.  If so, reapply power and startup engine.

 

With engine control turn off smoke.  Do a factory reset.  The engine should be deleted from the remote and smoke come back on.  Turn track power off and wait 1 minute.

 

Reapply power and add engine back into remote and try again.   G

Thanks. I'll try that.

No chuffing sounds 

If you don't get any chuffing sounds at all, the so-called tach reader is a prime suspect.  If you're willing to lift off the shell on the boiler/engine (by removing some screws from underneath) the problem might be obvious and easily fixed. OTOH even if obvious, the remedy might require some tight-quarters soldering (e.g., if a loose wire) which is not for everyone. 

 

So if the factory reset does not help, I see you and GGG are in the same state...

Thanks for the help. I'm at the beach now but when I return I'll try the factory rest if that doesn't work it is off to the train Doctor. Think Obamacare covers this? ☺️

Sometimes the drawbar connections appear to be tight, but aren't.

Virginia Beach  Should have brought the train,  G

Unfortunately, ocean City, MD is where we are. 

Nice. G

Took it to a dealer to be fixed. It is the tech reade.  Bummer is MTH is lousy on supplying parts according to my dealer. He's had for over two months with the part nowhere in sight. I was considering buying another MTH european steamer but now I'm not so sure. My dealer was not very enthusiastic either. MTH needs to take a lead from Lionel on customer/parts service!  I hope I get my Bavarian back before 2016. 

4-8 weeks is about right on parts right now, though a dealer who orders on the web should see it in about 6 weeks. 

 

Do you know your dealer, the only reason I ask, is I have seen folks complain that the dealer doesn't really order the parts in a timely manner either.  G

Yes, I know my dealer. He's been very good and reliable. I also know the tech he has that works the repairs, a very fine fellow as well.  However, you did make me think that maybe I'm being unfair in that it probably took a week or so to get to the engine and diagnose the problem.  I'll give it another month then start to bug him.  Thanks for the sanity check.

Another month and my Dealer advises my part is still on order at MTH. It's going on 6 mos. now and that seems unreasonable given the responsiveness of Lionel in comparison. Are there any 3rd party vendors I could turn to for Proto 3 parts?  I'm told it's the tach reader.

E-mail me, I have the PS-3 tach reader in stock.  G