Need help with Proto 2 MTH E-6 Loco

hi Ray..... Will the leading "A" unit operate without the trailing "B" and "A" unit?

Ray,  Is the battery connected and fully charged, and good?  If not the resets won't take.  Also if this is the 5V version it could prevent the engine from coming out of neutral.  I would install a fully charged battery, then test again.  Otherwise, if neither A unit tries to move when you attempt to throttle up it may be that the 5 pin harness for the motors is disconnected in the lead A. This assumes you can hear the relay click when changing directions. I check the above issues first.  G

G, The battery is fully charged.  I tried resets with or without both A units connected but nothing works.  Lately, I have just been checking with only the lead powered A unit.  It is a 5 volt system and uses the kind of battery about the size of a 9 volt one.

Ray

check the motor 5 pin connector. G

I checked the 5 pin connector that goes to the other powered A unit.  Is their another 5 pin connector somewhere?

Ray

Ray,  The lead A is self contained PS-2 so if it won't run and the 5 pin is inplace, the battery is new, a factory reset was done and everything else works but motion, I would think that you may have bad motors (they can fail in pairs), but that doesn't explain why the Trail A wouldn't attempt to move and push the Lead A.  Do you have an amp meter on the transformer?

Marty's comment about does it work in conventional should also be tried, do a feature reset with the bell/whistle buttons.

Until you figure out why the lead A won't move you won't be able to get to the next step on the Trail A.

With sounds down, do you hear the relay click when changing directions?

I maybe time to send to a tech to test the boards and evaluate the issues.  Some light issues can be fixed on the 5V boards, and determining why no motion needs to be resolved.

I am a tech and can do this if you don't have one locally.  G

George, sounds like he only checked 5 pin in slave and not on the 5V board.  On one end of the powered A with board  you will see a 5 pin plug.  It will have 2 white wires and 2 yellow wires.  That is your motor plug.

George & Marty,

   Before he sends the engine in for repairs have him install a brand new battery or a BCR, I have seen so many of these batteries read good, when they are not, that

we always try this and most times the battery is the problem, it's one of the reasons I recommend BCR's to everyone.

PCRR/Dave

Dave, you are very correct.  Despite what the experts say, a good battery tested under a load can still be a problem. 

 What exactly do you mean by the engine won't enter conventional mode?

What are you using for power?

What version of DCS is loaded in your system? just wondering if it's 3.0??

Engineer Joe, Maybe I should just say engine will not start up in conventional mode.  Normally any DCS engine when placed on a track where the DCS signal is not present will start in the conventional mode when power is applied to the track but this engine won't.  I am using a MTH Z4000 transformer.  This engine is Proto 2 equipped.  It an ACL A-B-A set with both A units powered.  It is a 5 volt system.  Lights and smoke unit did not work on these units prior to complete failure.  Engine ran for several weeks without lights or smoke.

Ray

What is your set up for the track.  I would remove the TIU to ensure no DCS Signal present and try to run the engine in conventional.  Maybe on a short test track away from the layout. 

When you turn off track power to you hear the normal shutdown sounds for 4-8 seconds, or do the sounds go away abrubtly before the sequence is completed?

If sounds play normally at shutdown then I think it may be time to have a tech with a bench tester, test the board.  I do think you may be seeing a failure of one of the microchips that controls the lights and motor FETs/relay preventing motion.  The 5 pin in the lead A is pretty straight forward from the connector to the motors.  G

It is not taught, but I have found if all the lights are out and the smoke fan on a 5V board, there is a chip that controls fets that can be replaced to restore those functions.  The sporadic motor operation is a different issue.   G

Final disposition of ACL E6 MTH A-B-A.  Whole set was sent back to MTH in Maryland today after talking with tech for diagnosis and repair.

Thanks to all those who responded to my post.

Ray

Ray, should have sent it to me:-)  Let me know what they tell you.  G