MTH DCS System & Engines

do any other engines work on your tiu and remote? also did you try a read from the remote left bottom corner and what did remote report back? this will tell you if the remote is communicating with the tiu, it should say found tiu  and then say one tiu found and then show if it found engine!

Alan

If you took both of them to the store and they ran 100% there, it's time to start looking at the TIU and possibly the remote.  Did you try another channel on the TIU to power the track?

No other engines work as I deleted / reset both.  The TIU and hand held are communicating and are reading each other. I forgot to mention I spent an 1-1/2 on hold yesterday trying to get an MTH service tech to help.  He n I went through everything to no avail.

The LED in the TIU is lit and flashed 1 to indicate channel one. I also switched the voltage input / output to # 2 same results

@Tbrd35 posted:

After having my MTH DCS System up & running for nearly two years I just purchased two new MTH G/N F-7 PS3 Diesels. Set up went well except for the Lash up, it was not successful but not a priority at the time.

The two engines were identical except for numbers 274 & 274 B.  274 made one trip around the layout and stopped dead. 274 B worked fine. THEN the lights on "B" stopped working other than the side markers.

  I took them to the store they were purchased at, they were reset and worked fine there.  At home neither would work, the 274 would light, smoke and sounds but would not respond to functions on the hand held control. SO on advice from the dealer both were deleted and an attempt to re-install was done. Nothing. The hand held was reset along with the TIU in hopes another re-install would happen, nothing. Yesterday many attempts were made at reset/install and no luck BUT 274 B did light up once, smoke and have sound but again no response from the controller. Short of returning the TIU & the hand held has anyone ever had this issue before? It always happens when grandkids are on the way for the holidays

Thanks,

  Pat

Are these MTH Premier F7s ?    What is the MTH  #  ?

Yes 22-21235-2 & 36

I have had a similar issue with some MTH engines. Please take them back to the store and ask the store to reset the engines on their DCS system. They need to factory reset the engines using their remote so the IDs are cleared. Make sure they do NOT reprogram these engines in their system before you leave or they will assign IDs to the engines. Sometimes the engines need to be reset on the system that they were first programmed (IDs sometimes overlap between two systems). I have had this issue when moving engines between my layout and my father's layout. Make sure to delete them out of your remote as well. When you bring the engines back home, you should be able to start fresh. If this does not work, there may be a deeper problem.

@Tbrd35 posted:

Yes 22-21235-2 & 36

I purchased a new pair of Up F7s  # 20-2136-1 and # 202136-2

I had some inconsistencies in running them in a lash up .

I did a continuity check and found that only the left side wheels worked with the ground .  On further investigation with my PREMIER Gp30s ( which had no problems in lash up      that all wheels were ground ( outside rails ) . 

I opened up the F7s and connected the two brown wires from the trucks to the black ground wires from the trucks and closed up the additional brown wire from the 2rail / 3 rail switch.  All wheels now had ground and no problems with the lash up.

  Some slight difference in the pushing and pulling between the two F7s in lash up may have led to some loss or weak contact of the wheels to the rails as well as possibly some slight dips and rises in the Railking track.   ...........OR..........

@Chris1985 posted:

I have had a similar issue with some MTH engines. Please take them back to the store and ask the store to reset the engines on their DCS system. They need to factory reset the engines using their remote so the IDs are cleared. Make sure they do NOT reprogram these engines in their system before you leave or they will assign IDs to the engines. Sometimes the engines need to be reset on the system that they were first programmed (IDs sometimes overlap between two systems). I have had this issue when moving engines between my layout and my father's layout. Make sure to delete them out of your remote as well. When you bring the engines back home, you should be able to start fresh. If this does not work, there may be a deeper problem.

Good luck.

Add them on a test track with nothing else powered up.

If you use fixed input #2 or others than fixed #1, you do know that you have to power the TIU with the aux power in, right?

Sure sounds like it's the engines, yet sometimes certain engines will point out problems with your set-up.

How strong is your track signal?

Your SKU numbers are 2 rail engines.  Are you running them on two rail track or three rail with rollers installed?

@David Minarik posted:

Your SKU numbers are 2 rail engines.  Are you running them on two rail track or three rail with rollers installed?

Wow Dave....great observation.😮

Can't appreciate this forum enough with all the gray matter available.

I copied the SKU#'s wrong  mine are indeed three rail as the worked briefly I did see above that one said have the store do a reset which they did but they also tested them on their test track and they worked so they must have assigned them a number or something

  I have tried them all on a test track to no avail.

Pat

I have tried the other engines that did not go to the store and they cannot be restored

DCS 6.1 in the TIU and remote?

@Tbrd35 posted:

The LED in the TIU is lit and flashed 1 to indicate channel one. I also switched the voltage input / output to # 2 same results

If you can't add and operate any engine, stop looking at the engines and start looking at the TIU and track wiring!

@Tbrd35 posted:

No other engines work as I deleted / reset both.  The TIU and hand held are communicating and are reading each other. I forgot to mention I spent an 1-1/2 on hold yesterday trying to get an MTH service tech to help.  He n I went through everything to no avail.

Wait ....

is it no other engines work... or..... no, other engines work?

@Tbrd35 posted:

The LED in the TIU is lit and flashed 1 to indicate channel one. I also switched the voltage input / output to # 2 same results

it indicates what address the TIU is set to. as in #1, 2, 3, 4,or 5

@Chris1985 posted:

I have had a similar issue with some MTH engines. Please take them back to the store and ask the store to reset the engines on their DCS system. They need to factory reset the engines using their remote so the IDs are cleared. Make sure they do NOT reprogram these engines in their system before you leave or they will assign IDs to the engines. Sometimes the engines need to be reset on the system that they were first programmed (IDs sometimes overlap between two systems). I have had this issue when moving engines between my layout and my father's layout. Make sure to delete them out of your remote as well. When you bring the engines back home, you should be able to start fresh. If this does not work, there may be a deeper problem.

He has DCS, he can do anything the store can do to the engines.

To help simplify this, you can remove TIU from layout and test engines in conventional. If they run chances are the issue is the TIU.  We already know this since at least 2 trains ran fine at the shop, but not on your layout.

As far as TIU you do know your address and your remote talks to it.  Now how about all your connections are they fine.  Is the track clean, are the engine wheels and pickups clean.

Build a simple circle on the floor and connect your TIU to it. Use one train that worked at the store.  Add it see if it works.  If so do a signal strength test.

If you getting power to the track and the engines staying quiet and they have power, they are seeing a DCS signal.  It may not be strong enough to add or operate the engine, but they see it.  The TIU may need repair. 

BUT I have seen plenty of trains left sitting that have dirty wheels and poor pickup continuity that they do not get track power.  That is not the issue with the F-7 since the ran at the shop, but could be the issue with other trains.

Also, if PS-2 you need to make sure batteries are good and fully charged.  The conventional test will show it they are.  If no shutdown sounds when track power turned off the batteries weak or dead.  G