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I thought I would talk about how to get your ps3 steam engine to run in conventional with a z controller. I had my trains put away for three years. I had to take down my layout to have space to care for my mother.

So my daughter who is now 21 said let's put a train around the tree tonight. Sounds easy doesn't it. Except for one thing I could not get my engine to run. At first I thought battery so I left it on the track to charge. Yeah after awhile I remembered no battery in a ps3.

So I was confused I could not get the engine to operate. That started a three hour search and now it runs like a charm. So if you are having the same problem here is the fix with far less time figuring it out.

First I found out you have to switch the toggle switch from DCS to DCC. Sounds simple but I did not have that switch just a hole.

With some extra reading I found out my train did not have this switch. I had to take the shell of the tender and find the plastic jumper and remove it.

I was extremely happy and put it on the track. Everything looked good the lights worked the sound was great but it would not move. Now what I'm already into this project for over 2hrs.

Well from what I could tell from reading it was locked in neutral and I now needed to reset the engine. Like I knew how to do this. So some more searching for how to do it with my z controller.

Well I found you had to push the W button 1 and the B button 4 times at around 10 volts. Let me tell you thats not easy to do. I think it took me 10 times or more to get it right.

However I finally did it correctly and now everything is fine. A little over 3 hours now I have to remember to put the jumper back if and when I go DCS.

I just thought I would give this info out if anyone struggled like I did tonight.

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You should not have to touch the DCS/DCC switch to go from 3-rail DCS operation to 3-rail conventional. Just put it on the track and turn up the juice. 

If you have to be flipping switches or removing wire jumpers, you've got an issue. 

Resets on early PS3 going from DCS to conventional was common, now it is the "no coast stop" problem that is common. 

For PS-3 that jumper locks it in DCS mode.  Removed, it would be DCC.  As stated, neither effect the conventional operations.  Being able to sequence the bells is the trick.  The MANUAL discusses all of this.  As there are other features you can use like PFA, or firing couplers, or turning on or off a light function.

Once you get the sequence down, it is a piece of cake.  G

Well your probably all correct about the jumper now that I have done some more reading. Funny though the engine never had any life to it until I took the jumper out.

In any event if runs like a charm now. So if it was only the reset then that makes it simple. But when your trying to figure out why you can't get power and then get if in motion I guess you try anything, lol.

Later tonight I'll put the jumper back in place

Engineer Joe is correct. Normally, when a PS3 engine is run on a regular basis, it will start up in 4-9 seconds. When it doesn't run often, the capacitors get very low on juice. I ran an engine the other day that hadn't been run in about 6 months or so, and it took about 15-20 seconds to start up. Another engine took longer. It's just a side-effect of not using a battery and replacing it with capacitors.

Ok like I thought after you all told me i put the jumper back in. What can I say I was tired and searching. There was no need to do this step at all.

All that was needed was the engine reset. 

The power part? Still do not know why it took so long to power up. I had it on the track for a good half hour until I realized a ps3 doesn't even have batteries.

In any event it runs fine in conventional just takes maybe 10 secs for the engine to power up.

So all is well and now I can drive the cat nuts.

 

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