I installed an AC Commander and a Railsounds board in a modern (1990s) FM Trainmaster engine. The engine runs fine, but the only sound I get is a constant diesel rev - no horn, bell, crew talk, couplers, or volume control. I tried the re-set option with no results. Obviously, something has to be replaced. I this condition the result of a bad commander board or a bad railsounds board?
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Well, it sounds like the RS Commander isn't getting serial data. Is the AC Commander operating correctly? Did you check the harness that supplies the power and serial data to the RS Commander?
Gunrunner, the harness looks OK. Connections are tight and wiring appears in good shape. One thing I noted is that the diesel rev sound comes on immediately after I turn on power to the track, although the engine does not move until I log on to it and give it a command. Does that tell you anything?
Yes, as John mentioned the RS is not seeing the Serial data so it thinks it is in conventional. What RS board did you install? Is it command capable?
Swap R2LC with another. Could be a bad RS board also, or incompatibility. G
Like George says, time to know exactly what parts you're using.
Thanks or your replies. I installed Electric RR products purchased before the move to 3rd Rail, namely:
AC Commander for post-war open frame motors, and their latest Railsounds Commander
Like you, I suspect that something needs to be replaced. Would it be the main board, the sound board, or, possibly, both?
No way of knowing without testing them. It's probably not both of them. Do you have another ERR equipped engine you can test the sound board in? If so, try that and see if the sound board is good. Same for the R4LC on the Cruise Commander, test it in another engine.
There should be no difference between the old stuff and the current 3rd Rail stuff, I've installed a ton of both without seeing any difference.
I do happen to have some extra boards and other ERR engines, so I'll try your suggestion. Thanks for your help.
That should narrow it down to the offending component. Obviously, if it doesn't, you may want to recheck the wiring.