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I just completed a TMCC upgrade to a Lionel NYC F-3 with the ERR AC Commander. I also upgraded the dummy A with an RCDR and ERR F-3 Railsounds board. Both units were programmed with the same engine code and all features respond properly to the Cab-2 remote buttons. My only issue is with the dummy A unit when track power is first applied and it fires open the front coupler immediately. If I close the front coupler manually, it stays closed and only responds to the front coupler Cab-2 button. Does anyone know if there's an electrocoupler polarity requirement going to the RCDR pin 8 connector that could be causing this issue? I thought that polarity was not an issue with electrocouplers but this was my first installation using the RCDR board to do an upgrade. Or can anyone offer some suggestions as to what may be causing the electrocoupler to open as soon as track power is applied? Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.
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Where you installing the RCDR and Railsounds boards when reversing the electrocoupler leads worked to stop the coupler from opening upon initial track powerup? The reason I'm asking is that I was told by Jon Z. that the electrocoupler has no polarity. Basically, the coupler is one wire on each end with a coil wire in the center.

I can't imagine how reversing the wires would help.  The EC has a totally isolated coil that is energized by the AC from the coupler triac on the RCDR, the same setup as the R2LC/R4LC uses.  I've never found the "polarity" of the connection to have any effect, and I don't see how it could.

 

The usual issue is a pinched wire if swapping them actually did have an effect, one side is frame ground at the TMCC board.

 

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