Update!! DCS Signal Issues

Lima, I'd call MTH and geta return authorization.  You paid for the warranty; let them fix it.  Tech support may tell you something to check.

Use latest loader program.  It's the best and does work with 4.2.

Need to clone some remotes with 4.20. Will the current loader work?

The current, most recent Loader Program is 2.3.4. You should always use the most recent Loader Program.

The 8 is the issue.  If your comfortable doing it I would remove the shell and make sure the wire harness coming out of the PS-3 board is not near the doughnut shaped signal transformer that is next to the 8 pin connector.  I would also pull the 40 and 8 pin connector carefully and not by the wires and reseat them.  Clear the area around the signal transformer.

Check any ground screws for good continuity.  You may have to scrape the bottom of the screw to get better conductivity.

Reassembly carefully, making sure body post, and edge of shell can't catch and pinch any wires. 

Test engine signal strength.  Should be 10, try with other engines again.   G

Will try that this evening.

The current, most recent Loader Program is 2.3.4. You should always use the most recent Loader Program.

Barry i tried downloading this version the other night and can't find it on mth web sight anymore, where can i download 2.3.4 loader program!?

Alan

http://www.protosound2.com/

GP38 board images. Don't see the doughnut. Should they be wrapped tight like this?

(Friend took images, right side up in camera and computer)

To the right of the white 8pin connector and left of the black Capacitor, looks like the orange and 2 gray wires are drapped near it.  Clear them away.

Thanks, will relocate them and try again. Did a Feature Reset, any advantage to a Engine reset? (Mistakenly did a read once without knowing the consequences:-)

Factory reset clears memory, but I don't think that has anything to do with DCS signal strength on the board.  G

George,

I don't think that has anything to do with DCS signal strength on the board.

You are correct.

Thanks guys, saves me from having to re-enter it.

Ohm meter reads the same between all 8 wheels, under 2 on the lowest scale.

Moved wires and get better response when the unit is running by itself, nearly all 10's.

Place another MTH locomotive on another block and signal drops down to between "out of range" (0?) to max of 4. Lifting the second MTH loco off the tracks the signal strength immediately jumps back to 10's.

Is the signal strength reading based at all on the TIU to engine portion of the transmission or the engine back to TIU part? Or both?

Lima,

Is the signal strength reading based at all on the TIU to engine portion of the transmission or the engine back to TIU part? Or both?

This may help. From The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition, page 56:

DCS Signal Strength

DCS signal strength is a number, from 1-10, that's calculated based on the number of data packets that the TIU sends and receives back from a PS2 engine that's performing a DCS signal strength test.

During the test, the TIU sends a continuous series of data packets to the PS2 engine. The PS2 engine is expected to reply to every packet that it receives, however, some packets are either not received by the engine or the response is not received by the TIU. Regardless, the TIU calculates DCS signal strength by counting how many response packets the TIU receives from the PS2 engine out of each hundred data packets the TIU sent, and then looks at a sliding scale to determine the signal strength that should be reported. The scale is not linear, rather, it is such that 87-100 packets equates to a DCS signal strength of “10”, 80-86 equates to a “9”, and so 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!

So then the second locomotive is somehow blocking either the sent data packet, the response data packet, or both for this locomotive then?

This might be worth of sending a note to MTH Service.  The next step would be making sure that signal transformer had good solder joints on all 4 legs. (No cold solder joint.   Did you pull the 40 and 8 pin connector and reseat them?  If there is a high resistant at the pin connections from some corrosion that may also cause it.  If it still had DSC signal drop after that, I think the board has some issues.   G

Lima,

So then the second locomotive is somehow blocking either the sent data packet, the response data packet, or both for this locomotive then?

I would look at it it a little differently.

Since any DCS (PS2 or PS3) engine causes interference with the problem engine, it would appear that the issue is on the part of the problem engine, not the engine's that are causing it grief.

Does the problem occur when the additional engine is simply drawing power, or must it be started up, as well?

 If this helps out????

I had a problem engine also. It happened to be a PS2 engine. It was affected by two others, another PS2 and a PS3.

 To get to the point, this engine seems like it's weaker in signal gathering. It pointed out an area of the layout where the signal suffered. It happened to be next to where I park a freight train in a siding. It's where I park my engines at the end of a session. I fixed the wiring so the signal is stronger, and the engine was fine after that.

 I had to separate my entrance track into my engine yard, from the main. Seems like if I had ten or more engines on the same TIU channel, the signal would dip. This engine would be the first to re-act.

 I use that engine to test signal whenever I add to the layout. It works well, it's just a pickier engine. I could not find any flaw in the engine's wiring or pickups. It had a problem when it was new and the board may have taken a short. Still runs to this day.

Just simply sitting there dark would do it, then just lift it off the track and the issue would be gone.

Pulled and re-installed the plugs. Got some messages from another member with nearly the same problem. Said to cut the cable tie wrap, move the wires, push the caps down, and then place the wires over the top of them. Your idea to move them away from the coil was a good one, guess I just couldn't move them far enough bundled tight like that. Seems to be 10's now so we will run it for some time and verify.

Thanks to all of you for your help with this and other members questions here on the OGR Forum. Hated to have to take it apart, hated more having to send it back

 G

See update in OP.

what is OP?

Original Post.

Good to hear you got everything working properly again.