DCS Remote Thumbweel Skiping

I would say, "No."  Not solved.  Condition still encountered.  On some, I get the speed reducing if I increase speed too fast.

Nope not solved...works the same way

Thanks guys!  As I feared.  Bummer. 

I also have a first-generation model.  Not only does it often skip, but it's slippery!   Sometimes when I'm doing a lot of switching, I'll use a rubber thumb cover from an office supply store (the kind you would use to turn pages or count money.)  IMO the ergonomics of the thumbwheel are dreadful.  Hard use of the "push-to-enter" feature can eventually cause the thumbwheel to crack.  And servicing these remotes is a headache best left to experts. 

Several years ago begged Mike Wolf to make a new / redesigned remote, to no avail.  It's also a shame the DCS Commander has a limited feature set and doesn't operate the older Proto-2 locos, because I don't always need walk-around control, and like the tactile feel of that controller MUCH better! 

I think the company's strategy is to encourage users to control their trains from touch screen devices.  If you have PS3 locos, you could also control them with DCC; some of the 3rd party DCC hand-helds have better ergonomics than the DCS remote.

One more thing... on pretty much all of my locos, I set the Accel to "1" and Decel to "2", so even if the remote skips, the train doesn't suddenly speed up or slow down.

IMO, the thumbwheel is the biggest failure of the DCS remote.  They should have spend the extra ten cents and gone with an optical encoder design instead of the discrete contact based design that quickly deteriorates!

Ted S posted:

 It's also a shame the DCS Commander has a limited feature set and doesn't operate the older Proto-2 locos, because I don't always need walk-around control, and like the tactile feel of that controller MUCH better!

The DCS Commander works with ALL PS2 & PS3 locomotives. The engine will need to be factory reset in order to have the proper DCS ID to operate with a DCS Remote Commander.

EDIT: I meant to say the DCS Remote Commander

noswad posted:

should I expect a brand new one to still have this issue.

I have a brand new one and it has that issue. 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

IMO, the thumbwheel is the biggest failure of the DCS remote.  They should have spend the extra ten cents and gone with an optical encoder design instead of the discrete contact based design that quickly deteriorates!

I have 3 DCS remotes. Only one, had the thumbwheel in need of replacing. It was my first and well over 10 years old (15?). The other still two work perfectly.

I think heavy thumb pressing can accelerate their demise. Our grandkids have played with mine since they were old enough to run the trains. So I know that they have had some good use and still work well. I think the design of the wheel housing is a weak spot.

 My girl presses our remotes upstairs so hard, I could hear the plastic stressing. After wearing out a few remotes and telephones, I tried to coach her on not pressing so hard. I think some users get confused when a remote takes longer to do it's job? So they press harder to get a reaction.

You really should try the wifi app.... works lots better - no error messages; no engine not found.... fabulous, really.... 

MikeH posted:

noswad posted:

should I expect a brand new one to still have this issue.

I have a brand new one and it has that issue. 

same

Same with mine.  You got to go slow.  Just don't drop these remotes.  The wheels break easily.

I've noticed on 2 of my remotes that if I move the thumbwheel slightly between clicks the smph increases or decreases. I find myself constantly grabbing a remote over smart device as I know where all the buttons are without looking at the thing...and it's easier to drink a highball or a beer with remote in one hand and drink in other! 

Engineer-Joe posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

IMO, the thumbwheel is the biggest failure of the DCS remote.  They should have spend the extra ten cents and gone with an optical encoder design instead of the discrete contact based design that quickly deteriorates!

I have 3 DCS remotes. Only one, had the thumbwheel in need of replacing. It was my first and well over 10 years old (15?). The other still two work perfectly.

I think heavy thumb pressing can accelerate their demise. Our grandkids have played with mine since they were old enough to run the trains. So I know that they have had some good use and still work well. I think the design of the wheel housing is a weak spot.

 My girl presses our remotes upstairs so hard, I could hear the plastic stressing. After wearing out a few remotes and telephones, I tried to coach her on not pressing so hard. I think some users get confused when a remote takes longer to do it's job? So they press harder to get a reaction.

I'm not talking about breaking the thumbwheel supports, I'm talking about the encoding contacts on the thumbwheel.  An optical encoder would allow smooth control, not the up and down random jumping of the speed that the DCS remote does.  I have four of them, and all but one have lousy thumbwheel control.  Contact cleaner fixes them temporarily, but they quickly develop bad habits again.

I concur with GRJ.....optical is they way to go!! I use Lionel's TMCC with remote to control my Smoke Fluid Loader (the DCS Remote was just NOT cutting it with this accessory) and it works "slicker than snot" . GRJ even confirmed that the Lionel remote's red dial is optically controlled (this was in a OGRR Forum post quite a while ago regarding getting my Smoke Fluid Loader to work).

And when I add engines to DCS, I have to push the DCS remote's thumb wheel at an angle to get the remote to accept a letter. Pressing the thumb wheel straight down does not work for me/my remote.

Just my 2 cents......

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Engineer-Joe posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

IMO, the thumbwheel is the biggest failure of the DCS remote.  They should have spend the extra ten cents and gone with an optical encoder design instead of the discrete contact based design that quickly deteriorates!

I have 3 DCS remotes. Only one, had the thumbwheel in need of replacing. It was my first and well over 10 years old (15?). The other still two work perfectly.

I think heavy thumb pressing can accelerate their demise. Our grandkids have played with mine since they were old enough to run the trains. So I know that they have had some good use and still work well. I think the design of the wheel housing is a weak spot.

 My girl presses our remotes upstairs so hard, I could hear the plastic stressing. After wearing out a few remotes and telephones, I tried to coach her on not pressing so hard. I think some users get confused when a remote takes longer to do it's job? So they press harder to get a reaction.

I'm not talking about breaking the thumbwheel supports, I'm talking about the encoding contacts on the thumbwheel.  An optical encoder would allow smooth control, not the up and down random jumping of the speed that the DCS remote does.  I have four of them, and all but one have lousy thumbwheel control.  Contact cleaner fixes them temporarily, but they quickly develop bad habits again.

I understood what you were saying. My thumbwheels work fine in that regard. I have never had to clean them. Maybe you should swap yours out? Were they bought used? Well, even my used remote works perfectly.  The one wheel that wore out did start to skip. I do know what you're describing here.

 The very post above this talks about pushing at an angle so I figured that's where this complaining would lead to. 

Junior posted:

I concur with GRJ.....optical is they way to go!! I use Lionel's TMCC with remote to control my Smoke Fluid Loader (the DCS Remote was just NOT cutting it with this accessory) and it works "slicker than snot" . GRJ even confirmed that the Lionel remote's red dial is optically controlled (this was in a OGRR Forum post quite a while ago regarding getting my Smoke Fluid Loader to work).

And when I add engines to DCS, I have to push the DCS remote's thumb wheel at an angle to get the remote to accept a letter. Pressing the thumb wheel straight down does not work for me/my remote.

Just my 2 cents......

I get a kick out of comparing with the big red knob on the TMCC remote control. Mine works but it's worse than my DCS versions. Maybe it's just the older TMCC engines I run?  The knob wonders all over before the engines react and then they usually over react to speed commands.

"You really should try the wifi app.... works lots better - no error messages; no engine not found.... fabulous, really.... "

The wifi is like boiled beef tongue.  You either like it or not.

Hey RJR....

Boiled beef tongue.....really? There's an image I won't soon forget! 😁  

Junior posted:

Hey RJR....

Boiled beef tongue.....really? There's an image I won't soon forget! 😁  

How about "Headcheese"!!

Hey Engineer-Joe....

Didn't mean to make it an "official" complaint....its more of a nuisance (but I'd be ecstatic if there was a fix for it). Especially when adding TMCC engines.....

OMG.....LOL!! Totally forgot about Headcheese! I'm originally from the Midwest.....my brother used to eat it with VINEGAR poured over it! I wouldn't touch the nasty stuff! Too, too funny!!

Junior... I just threw up a little in my mouth.. YUCK!!

You just made headcheese worse!

Sorry H1000......didn't mean to gross you out!

H1000 posted:

The DCS Commander works with ALL PS2 & PS3 locomotives. The engine will need to be factory reset in order to have the proper DCS ID to operate with a DCS Remote Commander.

Let's please clarify this...  Per the DCS Commander manual, pulse code is superimposed on flat-line DC.  It was my understanding that early 5V Proto-2 locos should NEVER be run on DC.  Any MTH Techs want to weigh in on this issue?

Also since the output is DC, I imagine that it's not advisable (or even possible) to wire a DCS commander in "passive" mode.  If it's wired in active mode, it becomes the primary voltage supply to the track, and cannot operate TMCC/Legacy on DC.  So if  you want to run Legacy AND DCS locos at the same time, you're back to using a TIU and "dumbwheel" remote 

Junior posted:

Totally forgot about Headcheese

Fellas!  As a man of southern Illinois German extraction, I love headcheese.  Lately, it's Oberle spicy headcheese (Ste. Genevieve, MO).  Don't knock it til you try it.  Who doesn't dig on swine?

Ted S posted:

H1000 posted:

The DCS Commander works with ALL PS2 & PS3 locomotives. The engine will need to be factory reset in order to have the proper DCS ID to operate with a DCS Remote Commander.

Let's please clarify this...  Per the DCS Commander manual, pulse code is superimposed on flat-line DC.  It was my understanding that early 5V Proto-2 locos should NEVER be run on DC.  Any MTH Techs want to weigh in on this issue?

Also since the output is DC, I imagine that it's not advisable (or even possible) to wire a DCS commander in "passive" mode.  If it's wired in active mode, it becomes the primary voltage supply to the track, and cannot operate TMCC/Legacy on DC.  So if  you want to run Legacy AND DCS locos at the same time, you're back to using a TIU and "dumbwheel" remote 

Okay Ted I think we are two different wave lengths here. I (mistakenly) thought you were talking about the DCS REMOTE COMMANDER.

I'm pretty sure that I have run one of my PS2 5v engines on DC power via the newest DCS Explorer and with the TIU via a FIXED channel.

MikeH posted:

Junior posted:

Totally forgot about Headcheese

Fellas!  As a man of southern Illinois German extraction, I love headcheese.  Lately, it's Oberle spicy headcheese (Ste. Genevieve, MO).  Don't knock it til you try it.  Who doesn't dig on swine?

 

Mike, I'm sorry but I might have to report this for vulgar content!

H1000 posted:

Mike, I'm sorry but I might have to report this for vulgar content!

I can tell you're more of calves brains man.  There's a place right next to my house.  Let me know if you're ever in St. Louie! 

I load all my sound files on the bench with DC power, that includes 5V boards.  They load fine and run on the test set.

Looks like this conversation has taken on a life of it's own......I haven't laughed this hard in quite a while 🤣! Thanks guys!! You made my day. 👍👍

After reading the responses to my comment about the wifi, I am convinced that there are some things in life which are less preferable than the wifi.

I actually do have 2, but since I usually have much going on on my layout at any given time, I find that I just can't flip through screens fast enough and therefore prefer the remote.  I did use the wifi's a few months ago.

I've noticed the lag/skipping with the thumb wheel when scrolling quickly (i.e. locomotive mph bounces around). It's probably because I try to spin the thumb wheel as fast as I spin the scroll wheel on a mouse. This is one case where I much prefer the speed control function on the app.

Lou1985 posted:

I've noticed the lag/skipping with the thumb wheel when scrolling quickly (i.e. locomotive mph bounces around). It's probably because I try to spin the thumb wheel as fast as I spin the scroll wheel on a mouse. This is one case where I much prefer the speed control function on the app.

I repaired this one 3 years ago as i did not have a replacement...very smooth and still working.used this to clean and lube.

Lou1985 posted:

I've noticed the lag/skipping with the thumb wheel when scrolling quickly (i.e. locomotive mph bounces around). It's probably because I try to spin the thumb wheel as fast as I spin the scroll wheel on a mouse. This is one case where I much prefer the speed control function on the app.

The difference between physical contacts and an optical encoder.

willygee where did you buy the chemical?

Got it at local GM dealership where my friend is a tech..Wurth dist supplies the dealership. Every bench has these hanging around.

thanks willy for the info!

Alan

After I bought my DCS System, I was at the LHS and heard another lamenting the issue with his remote thumbwheel.  
He was buying a replacement. 
Which at that time, was a complete assembly. 
So I bought one. 
Then time passed, and the Thumbwheel cradle in my DCS Remote broke. 
I was able to swap it out, buy a new cradle, and have a rebuilt spare-

Which is a plus since now you cannot buy the assembly, only certain parts. 

It’s like the DCS Remote has become the LocoSound of the day-which the owner of LHS I bought that set from “assured me” MTH would build on that platform, and not abandon it-

And this is why I have MTH WI-FI. 
Because old smart phones are cheap and easy to get if you don’t have any laying around. 
And the system works quite well. 

As does that LocoSound Christmas Train-

Haven’t done any Maintenance whatsoever on it, since I bought it in 2002, even on its original tires🚂😁

https://youtu.be/rKwSprEpWLc

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Engineer-Joe posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

IMO, the thumbwheel is the biggest failure of the DCS remote.  They should have spend the extra ten cents and gone with an optical encoder design instead of the discrete contact based design that quickly deteriorates!

I have 3 DCS remotes. Only one, had the thumbwheel in need of replacing. It was my first and well over 10 years old (15?). The other still two work perfectly.

I think heavy thumb pressing can accelerate their demise. Our grandkids have played with mine since they were old enough to run the trains. So I know that they have had some good use and still work well. I think the design of the wheel housing is a weak spot.

 My girl presses our remotes upstairs so hard, I could hear the plastic stressing. After wearing out a few remotes and telephones, I tried to coach her on not pressing so hard. I think some users get confused when a remote takes longer to do it's job? So they press harder to get a reaction.

I'm not talking about breaking the thumbwheel supports, I'm talking about the encoding contacts on the thumbwheel.  An optical encoder would allow smooth control, not the up and down random jumping of the speed that the DCS remote does.  I have four of them, and all but one have lousy thumbwheel control.  Contact cleaner fixes them temporarily, but they quickly develop bad habits again.