DCS Remote Turns Off

Asleep after a while during use?

Asleep after sitting unused?

Got Barry's guide? Might be loose boards

They turn off by themselves after a certain amount of time (I forget how long), which is a great feature because I often forget to turn them off myself.

Lima and Allan,

Thanks for reply.

Yes, it goes to sleep while using.  It turns on and off fine.

Recently had the thumb wheel replaced.  A hinge broke and caused the wheel to do crazy things!  In the process of repairing, the negative wire to the battery broke off, but was repaired before everything was buttoned back up.  Since the repair it worked fine for two weeks until this past weekend.  When it is operating, all the functions seem to work fine.

Will take your advice and get Barry's book this week.

Dan,

From page 158 of The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition:

The DCS O Gauge Companion 158 DCS Remote Turns Off

There are generally three reasons why the DCS Remote will turn itself off. Two are due to the normal operating characteristics of the DCS remote, and the third is not.

The DCS Remote runs on batteries. If the batteries need to be replaced, the letters BAT will appear in the DCS Remote's LCD screen. If the batteries are not replaced, the remote will turn itself off. Further, the DCS Remote exercises power management by turning itself off after a predetermined number of minutes to conserve battery power. Releases prior to DCS 4.0 turned off the DCS Remote after 10 minutes of inactivity, i.e., if a key is not pressed during that time. DCS 4.0 and later allows the DCS operator to select how long, between 0 and 60 minutes, a DCS Remote will wait if it's not been used before powering down. This automatic sleep mode is completely normal behavior and cannot be changed. When the DCS Remote is powered back on, it will return to the last screen it was on when it turned itself off. Note that no loss of data will occur while the batteries are being changed.

If the Engine Control Screen was being displayed, it will now display the screen exactly as it was when the DCS Remote turned itself off, including engine name and speed, as well as any other indicators such as D to indicate the Doppler Loop function is on, L if the PS2 engine displayed is a lashup, M if the external microphone is active, and so forth. If the Track Control Screen was being displayed, it will now display the screen exactly as it was when the DCS Remote it turned itself off, including track name and current voltage.

Another reason that the DCS Remote will turn itself off is due to batteries that are not held securely enough in the battery compartment. Although the DCS Remote has a piece of foam attached to the inside of the battery compartment cover (refer to the figure below), the foam does not always hold the batteries in place well enough to prevent their movement if the DCS Remote experiences a moderate impact on a hard surface. This impact can be due to dropping the DCS Remote or to using excessive force when placing the DCS Remote down on a hard surface. When this occurs, the batteries may shift away from their electrical contacts just long enough to cause the DCS Remote to lose power. When the DCS Remote is subsequently powered up, it will remember the screen it was last on, as well as the engine or track name. However, the engine speed or track voltage will be displayed as "0."

Placing a small additional piece of foam padding and exercising care when setting the DCS Remote down on a hard surface should serve to somewhat alleviate the problem in the future.

Additionally, if a DCS Remote turns itself off and will not turn back on, and inserting fresh batteries does not resolve the problem, check to see if a keypad button is stuck in a depressed state. If so, releasing the button should allow the DCS Remote to be turned on.

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!

Just a thought - did you check the voltages of all four batteries? I was just changing the batteries in my remote tonight, grabbed four out of the drawer, and decided to throw them on the meter before putting them in. Found one was basically dead. (I suspect one of my kids accidentally through a dead one back in.)

Fred

Everyone,

Thanks for your inputs.  It's good to know people are kind enough to help us novices. 

First, Barry purchased your book last night and went to page 158 and followed your instructions.  Checked the batteries and noticed one was raised a little at one end, so placed a couple pieces of electrical tap across the batteries until the cover was fitting tight.  Next, checked the remote turn-off feature and it was set at 60 minutes, so I decided to change it to 45 minutes just to see if it would effect the shut-off.  And Fred, checked two sets of batteries and everything seemed fine.  Checked for any stuck keys and none.  Time to fire up!  It seems to be working fine now.  Used it for an hour running three trains, making switches work, and naturally making the horns and whitles soung.  Love the crazy horn on my SW-8 switcher!  Everything seems to be working fine now.  Whatever it was, its seems to be gone.  Hopefully it stays away. 

Again, thanks to everyone for your inputs.

Dennis Kiser

Chambersburg, PA

If the battery gets loose an comes up like that, the remote loses power.  Some folks add a small piece of foam inside if the cover doesn't have one or it is too thin.  Glad it was an easy fix.  G

I've had to add a piece of thin foam to all three of my remotes, and I've done it for some of our club members as well.  It's an easy fix, and the remote no longer powers down randomly.

Note that without the added foam, just setting it pretty gently on a table might power it down, it didn't take rough handling for the problem to surface.

Den k,

   I use a little piece of bubble pack in mine, has worked perfect for years.

PCRR/Dave