More Issues with a Q2... Updated....Suggestions?

Odds are that the engine's battery needs charging or replacing.

I'm curious how you can do a factory reset if you can't find the engine? Unless the software isn't tell you the truth... I'm serious  and not doubting your post.  I know I can reset my tiu (eventually)  when it is  not even powered according to the remote.  I can understand deleting the engine and then adding it back  each time if the battery is low. hope the engine has the same ID in both remotes.

Lets hope it's just a battery issue. Battery test... turn off track power,(not shut down with remote) sound sounds continue on for at least 6 or 7 seconds min.  I'm not familiar with ps-3  but suspect the sounds should continue on as well

On the programming track, with the remote tethered, I can add it; start it; shut it down; etc.... Once I shut the transformer down, and power it back up, the engine won't start...  

 As just an operator, I'm always interested in finding solutions to these kind of problems. It would be cool to have the engine on a programming track hooked up to a computer with the loader program. See what address comes up on the board. Power down, and then after powering back up, see what address the loader sees for the engine.

Mr Muff, sure sounds like the battery, or the battery leads.

Engine IDs stick with the engine  Your engine,s ID number was created when the engine had a good battery, .  It seems on power down(layout) your engine reverts back to the ID created when the battery was good. Without a good battery you can't have  a different  ID stick It reverts back to the old ID, That's part of the reason we're trying to get you change or test the battery.

Joe,s suggestion of using the loader would give you true ID of the engine.

As I said about 20 hours ago:

Odds are that the engine's battery needs charging or replacing.

Barry,

To charge an engine battery on the track, all I need to do is to make sure the engine is on the track when power is applied, correct?  It does not need to be selected, correct?

Mr. Muff,

Which Q2 do you have. The early one with 8.4 battery or later one with the 2.4 battery.

You are correct, Bob.  But do be careful, because occasionally a loco will start moving silently due to a signal sent to another loco, or a spark incident to a derailment.  I've had locos move up against a bumper and sit there, wheels locked due to traction tires, which does not do the motors any good.  Best bet is to invest in a charger, unless your loco is one of the old PS2's without a port.

I would never go away from layout and leave power on

Bob,

To charge an engine battery on the track, all I need to do is to make sure the engine is on the track when power is applied, correct?  It does not need to be selected, correct?

I'd connect the engine to a TIU channel output with alligator clips, laying on it's side, in DCS mode so it stays silent. A power interruption should not cause it to go into conventional mode. It does not need to be selected in the remote.

In the future, I suggest investing $10 or so in an MTH battery charger.

The earlier one with the 8.2 volt. I have ordered some batteries and will try changing this one. It's got to be ten years old. 

Yup, we have a couple of MTH battery charges, maybe we need to just cycle the engines through recharging now and then. We have quite a number that have never been on the track, just like this one. 

MM,

   Consider a BCR, I love em.

PCRR/Dave

Mr. Muff,

The older engine has no charge port. If it's the original battery, it may no longer take a charge. You can use a regular battery just to see if it will retain its ID#, but look out for white reside. Sometimes old NiCd batteries leak and the white powder causes a poor connection.

Dave - where would I get them. Tried searching Harbor Freight and Radio Shack. Do you have a part number. Harbor Freight had a good deal on batteries. 

Good idea. That's likely the issue, isn't it, that the engine can't retain it's assigned number in the remote? Makes sense. 

10 years old and you wonder what the problem is? 

Trouble with a BCR is the cost compared to batteries, unless you do as gunrunnerjohn & roll your own.

Well, got a battery and opened her up..... There's no battery in it.... as a matter of fact, there aren't any leads to which one could add a battery..... Do the battery cables plug in someplace?.... Look like I will need to get a battery harness and add it....

 Look in the tender. I believe all of them are in the tender.

its in the tender.... the manual was wrong.....

Wow! The manual is wrong. I just looked on line.

After charging up on the programming track Friday night, it ran great all day Saturday. Today's project is to check the fuses in one of the TIUs, and to open up the case on one of the Z4000s. With a snap sound, one of the handles went limp. Do you guys still put light bulbs on the output side of the TIU? 

Light bulbs are not necessary for the Rev. L TIU, if that's what you have.  The older versions may or may not be improved by using the bulbs.  Normally, I believe they were at the end of the track segment, farthest from the TIU output.

Light bulbs, if used, should be placed either across the output of each TIU channel being used or, alternatively, across the entry to each terminal block.

Typically, light bulbs only increase signal strength when used with TIUs that predated the Rev. L. However, if a Rev. L yields less than a signal strength of 10, a light bulb may improve signal strength.

This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

Glad to hear she's back on line.... Thanks for the update.