Erratic MTH Engine

Sounds like maybe dirty track and the engine center rollers could be dirty along with the wheels causing the signal loss once enough oil and crud builds up and then interfering with the DCS signal.

The rocket start is likely the TIU has not fully booted up on power up to send a DCS signal to the engine and of course the dirty track/contact issue would add to that.

The dirt on the track might not be visible until you clean it and see the crud on the cleaning cloth or scrubber.

I hope that helps!

Your used TIU could have a damaged or weak DCS signal output on that channel. That easily explains why you often have control issues and now have gotten worse. By all means, track being dirty, loose connections and so forth can contribute to signal loss.

Highly recommend you use or test using a different TIU output channel.That said, in order to do that, the logic of the TIU needs power- so the one way many people start out per the manual is powering and thus using fixed1. So, fixed 1 takes abuse and then can degrade the signal. The other way of powering the logic of the TIU is through the aux in port. Point being, to use fixed2, you either have to provide power to aux in, or power fixed1 at the same time.

Example similar scenario https://ogrforum.com/...c/169233314716855997

and this massive 12 page topic https://ogrforum.com/...-aghr-and-mth?page=1

Is this the only engine you own with DCS?…..any other PS2 or PS3 engines in your roster?…..if yes, how do they behave on the same track?……that would start eliminating variables….

Pat

@Stinky1 posted:

It won't respond to anything, not even the Emergency Stop.

Hmmm

I have to check this. I'm thinking the stop trips the system? Not just the engine.

I always thought the same thing Joe. The E Stop only needs to communicate with the TIU and shut that down. Not the engine itself.

Correct, the E-Stop kills all channels of the TIU and forces you to power cycle both the remote and the TIU to restart.  It actually doesn't do anything directly to the locomotives.

Dropped your remote lately?

I'll try cleaning everything.  Only the remote is used. The TIU I purchased brand new a few years ago. And yes, when the NS engine behaves wildly I can't access most things on the remote. Not even the E stop. HOWEVER the only thing I can access is the green Engine button, so I can still select another operating engine on the layout and fully control and shutdown all the remaining engines. But when I go back to the NS it still has no control. Horn blaring bell clinging and speed is constant but still running at whatever speed it was set at. So then I must kill the power. Also I have 8 more PS3 engines that don't have problems on that track. Something else unusual is when I added the engine it automatically assigned number 28. Well I only have 13 engines in total. All 1-12 but the NS gets number 28 every time.

so inside the remote ( and the tiu! ) are boards that just plug in. When they are rough handled, these boards can unseat themselves causing the behavior you're seeing. It maybe partially unplugged or maybe the thumbwheel is failing. It even could be stuck issuing a command and that's why you seemingly loose control.

next time the engine acts up, plug the remote directly into the TIU remote jack in using a 4 wire phone handset cord.

Joe’s advise is sound, and I’ll add,…..take the offending engine off the layout completely, and run some of your other engines through their paces,…..using as many remote features as possible ……again, eliminate the variable,……if all the other engines behave as they should, and you have full control, then I’d suspect a problem with that engine. Could be something as easy as reloading the files for the boards for that engine…..COULD BE doesn’t mean it is, their also could be a pinched wire, a rubbed through wire, etc,….if you determine the fault is in that locomotive, it’s time for an exploratory……

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Joe’s advise is sound, and I’ll add,…..take the offending engine off the layout completely, and run some of your other engines through their paces,…..using as many remote features as possible ……again, eliminate the variable,……if all the other engines behave as they should, and you have full control, then I’d suspect a problem with that engine. Could be something as easy as reloading the files for the boards for that engine…..COULD BE doesn’t mean it is, their also could be a pinched wire, a rubbed through wire, etc,….if you determine the fault is in that locomotive, it’s time for an exploratory……

Pat

it's just that he stated he can't activate the Estop feature which I believe means a loss of communication between the remote and the TIU.

So I'm confused why everyone seems to point to things like dirty track or engine issues?

I guess I'd have to recreate where the remote is stuck talking to the engine and see if that doesn't allow the estop to function?

MTH TIU Remote & 4 Conductor Phone Cord. | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

@Engineer-Joe posted:

it's just that he stated he can't activate the Estop feature which I believe means a loss of communication between the remote and the TIU.

So I'm confused why everyone seems to point to things like dirty track or engine issues?

I guess I'd have to recreate where the remote is stuck talking to the engine and see if that doesn't allow the estop to function?

I agree with you Joe, my only suggestion added for diagnostics is to eliminate the variable……

Pat

I agree with any troubleshooting suggestions for issues like this. I don't mean to be stubborn here. I follow your work and admire it. I know almost everyone posting here and respect there comments.

Sometimes my mind is trying to recreate the problem while I struggle to convey the correct words.

@Engineer-Joe posted:

I agree with any troubleshooting suggestions for issues like this. I don't mean to be stubborn here. I follow your work and admire it. I know almost everyone posting here and respect there comments.

Sometimes my mind is trying to recreate the problem while I struggle to convey the correct words.

Joe, you’re fine, ….I’m with ya 100% …..I do the same thing in my mind!!…..I’m running that fellas layout in my head 1000 times a minute ……attempting to duplicate the failure ……in my mind!!

Pat

Hi you said Something else unusual is when I added the engine it automatically assigned number 28. Well, I only have 13 engines in total. All 1-12 but the NS gets number 28 every time. I would try a feature reset and factory reset on that specific engine, then make sure you delete the engine then when you add new engine the new id number will not be 28 but some lower number!

p.s. the other issue you can have with a ps3 engine is the lead dress of power wires near the toroid coil interfering with the signal severely!

worth a try! I've had that happen before and corrected id number!

Alan

@Alan Mancus posted:

Hi you said Something else unusual is when I added the engine it automatically assigned number 28. Well, I only have 13 engines in total.

Normal operation.  If the existing engine number is available in the remote, it'll be added in that number position.

If it always put it in the lowest available number slot, people that have two remotes would constantly be removing and adding engines because their number kept changing when they added it to a second remote.

Update. Trouble engine ran fine tonight. After 30 mins my middle loop engine came to a smooth stop, sat for about a minute, then proceeded. Picture shows engine stopped. Remote reading 20smp.

Now that I'm home ill be cleaning track tonight. Ill see if anything improves.

@Stinky1 posted:

Update. Trouble engine ran fine tonight. After 30 mins my middle loop engine came to a smooth stop, sat for about a minute, then proceeded. Picture shows engine stopped. Remote reading 20smp.

So then proceed as Joe suggested, this maybe a remote communicating to the TIU issue, ….

Pat