Loose wire on TMCC S-4 switcher

Update: changing out the R2LC did not change anything. It still works in conventional, but will not respond to TMCC signals. In Program mode, sounds turn on instantly with ramping RPM sounds. Sometimes the wheels take off at full speed, sometimes they don’t. When I put another TMCC train on the track, it works fine, so the base is working fine.

Does the headlight flicker for the first few seconds after you apply power (before it goes into conventional mode)?

If so you have a signal problem, and since your base seems to be working with your other engines it's probably a problem with the antenna inside the engine causing the symptoms you see.  In fact the antenna may be what your floppy, unconnected wire is to be connected to.

There is usually a strip of brass or copper stuck to the inside of the shell that the antenna wire would attach to.  Do you have such a strip, and is there a wire presently connected to it?

Mike

Thank you for your reply. Yes. I have the antennae and wire. See the gray wire in the photo. It is attached to the third position on the connector closest to the cab.

About this cutoff wire. That is the smoke regulator. It's a well known fact that they often do not use all the wires since there is more than one common wire.

Again, knowing what that device is, and why there might be an extra unused wire is important.

The one beside it with the yellow and black wires is the 5V regulator for additional 5V logic power most likely the Odyssey driver.

So bottom line, none of that is the R2LC antenna wire, and that's why you still have a signal problem.

And so, we go to Lionel support and look up the parts listing and pictures and we find the antenna.

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...witcher-9009-6-28548

And there it is, the flat antenna plate with grey wire, number 3 in the roof of the shell

Also, the motherboard for the R2LC is where that grey wire from the antenna should be plugging into.

I was trying to find a diagram of this board to tell you the exact pin the antenna goes into.

Well darn, more info came up while I was trying to give pointers.

@Vernon Barry thank you for confirming that the loose wire is okay. It didn’t like like it has ever been soldered before, but I wanted to make sure. This engine has been acting up for a few years. It stopped responding on my layout a couple years ago, but used to work on a short piece of test track. I thought the new R2LC board would fix it, but it didn’t. The lights don’t flicker at all. It just comes up with sounds immediately and starts stepping through the RPM changes in RS. Does the same thing in PRG and RUN in that regard. However, in RUN it will behave as a conventional loco. Any additional thoughts?

TTTrains i have this same exact engine and i bet your railsounds power board is bad it will run in conventional but not tmcc but that board is not longer available thru lionel or you can  either check with ERR products or have someone like gunrunner john or GGG on the form here repair at componet level. 

@chessie1971 Thanks. This is the only Odyssey engine I have, so I am limited on what I can swap in and out to test. I am open to having it repaired by someone in the forum. My local guy won’t mess with the modern Lionel command controlled stuff.

You're welcome TTTrains!!!

@gunrunnerjohn @GGG would either of you be interested in repairing my engine?

TTTrains email Gunrunner john or GGG you will get  faster results!!!