Need Help Wiring A QSI Reverse Unit

You could go at it from the other direction. Use your ohmmeter and ring out the connections on the loco. usually the inner two pins are power and ground and the outer two pins are the motor leads.

It's possible that your reverse unit is already wired correctly, but if you put the plug in upside down, that will cross the hot and ground, and let the smoke out of the wires.

There is no plug on the locomotive, it has been completely stripped bare except for the motor. I don't want to go experimenting and fry the reverse unit. I have sent an email to QSI Solutions but I probably won't hear from them for a few days. I am assuming the 4 black wires are for getting power from the frame and rollers to the DCRU and back to the motor motor but I'm not sure which is which. It says that it was originally designed to be used in Williams Crown Series Steam locomotives so I guess that is what the plug will fit into but I'll need to track down a wiring diagram for that particular engine series.

Jerry

Jerry,

Does anything on this link help:

http://www.qsisolutions.com/downloads/index.html

Seems like there's another online place that has a lot of info, but I can't think of the name right now.

HAH!  Try here:

http://www.the-scaled-tin-rail.com/

Bob, I couldn't find much on either page there is some info that I can use but I really need to find out the plug wiring. It's never easy is it?

Jerry

Roy, you were right about the plug configuration. Just tested it out on a can motor I had laying around and it sequences beautifuly, no guts no glory right? Nothing in the board gets hot so it must be right. Thanks for that bit of info, the little guy will be happy that his train is running like it should. Now he'll probably want the smoke back too!   

Jerry

As you have found out the 2 inner are AC and the 2 outer are motors.  If you look at the underside you might see markings such as AC and ACG.  AC is center rail and ACG is outside rail.  M1 and M2 are motors.  For AC it won't matter which is which unless you try to add a horn board later.  G

I'll have to remember that when I go to put it in the engine permanantly, I can see some of them in the photo. It would be nice if the instructions on things like this were a little more clearer and straight forward, something like this wire goes to this etc... I do plan on adding a Steam Tru-Blast later but that should be easy...RIGHT?. Now my next big project like this is gutting out the PS1 from my C&O Alleghany and adding a Dallee reverse and sound. I talked to them at York and I was pretty impressed with what they had. Won't have the same whistle but I did hear a couple that I did like. My main concern with that one is the smoke unit, not sure if it's tied into the PS1 board or if it can stand alone.

Jerry

If your adding separate sound, no issues as it connects to AC power separately.  I was refering to adding a QSI or MTH horn which plugs in to the DCRU.

For PS-1: Smoke stands alone, but why would you want to remove the PS-1 if your sticking with a conventional unit?  Anything wrong with it?  You will lose sounds, coupler and directional lighting.  G

I'm tired of dealing with someone powering it up and causing "reprogramming" issues. I've had to reset it a number of times plus I never really liked PS1 to begin with. I just want simple, turn it on and it runs trains. I don't want to have to reset anything because something went wrong. I like real basic trains, nothing fancy, maybe chuff but thats all.

Jerry

Jerry

Jerry, it sounds like you are ready for a Dallee reverse unit. It comes in either a 2 amp or 4 amp design, has understandable color coded wiring and instructions, and is dead nuts reliable. If your son's loco is a light duty such as a KLine or small Lionel with a canmotor, the 2 amp unit would do the job, the 4 amp unit was originally designed to replace American Flyer tender thumpers, but is easily adapted to canmotors by connecting two wires in the harness together permanently. Either unit would probably fit under the hood of the loco if it is a steam loco, eliminating tether headaches. Check their website for full details. 

I knew it all along.