I recently purchased a MTH Reading Company MU. The powered unit is in the neutral position and I can’t get it to move in either direction. It gets power and lights up properly.
Since I’m a postwar guy, this is a new element for me.
Thank you,
Jay
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Welcome to the modern era, Jay! It's an era that had all kinds of cool stuff, but all kinds of ways for it not to work.
Lots of people have a hard time understanding the MTH proto sound system when first using one. Myself included. I bet if you searched this forum with a few more key words that describe your symptoms, you'll find lots of stuff to try.
My first suggestion is to open up the engine and remove whatever battery is installed before trying anything else. If it's an older engine that hasn't run for a while, the battery might not have enough charge to operate the protosound circuit properly. You'll want a working battery before trying anything else it you may be risking more trouble.
Others will ask (and so will I) what is the part number? What is the system (PS1, PS2, PS3?) Your troubleshooting will be different depending on lots of variables. It might be something simple like the battery, but some systems can have deeper problems.
Have fun!
Welcome to the forum Jay, if this is your first time.
You will get a lot of good advice here, and some advice that might be a little cuckoo.
The more questions you answer, the better we can diagnose the problem. The catalog number really helps narrowing down the solution.
What kind of transformer are you using?
Putting in a fresh battery is a must. Certain models will get their programming scrambled if you cycle the reverse unit with a bad battery in it. If you have one of those models, there is a relatively simple fix, so do not despair.
Let's figure out what your loco is before wildly speculating (I say just after speculating myself). Yikes.
Before I buy a $20 BCR battery I put in a standard 9 volt battery and let it sit for a few minutes after starting to make sure the electronics are working.
A new battery or a BCR (which is not a battery) is a good idea regardless, but I suspect the unit is an original Protosounds model that either doesn’t like the chopped wave output of the Z-1000 or is staying in reset because he is applying too much voltage from start up.
Without the MTH stock number, we can’t be of further assistance.
You might want to also look for and rule out anything mechanically binding in the motor, gears, etc. - even a thrown traction tire caught up underneath.
It looks like the Reading MU is only Protosound 2.0
Gentlemen,
Thank you very much for your assistance. I will give your suggestions a try.
Jay
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