NO ENGINE TO ADD PROBLEM

Very possibly the engine's DCS ID# has gotten out of the usable range. I suggest that you attempt to recover the engine:

• Place the engine on a track connected to TIU #1.
• Ensure that it's battery is full charged.
• Make sure no other engines are getting power.
• Turn on power to the track.
• On a DCS Remote, delete any other occurrences of the engine.
• Enter: Menu/System,/Engie Setup/Recover Engine.
• If the engine is recovered, attempt to add it to the DCS Remote.

This and a whole lot more about DCS is all in MTH’s “The DCS Companion 3rd Edition!" This book is available from many fine OGR advertisers and forum sponsors, or as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

Attempted to recover engine as per above using dedicated test track. NO ENGINE RECOVERED.

Attempted to add engine again. NO ENGINE TO ADD.

What now?

If the lash-up is still in the remote delete it or move it to a different ID ,  now  try adding the engine again.( I thought MTH fixed that bug)

I see that you did a conventional reset. I still have to ask did it run then?

I also see it has a new battery. Does it play full shut down sounds right now?

How strong is the track signal?

Gregg,

If the lash-up is still in the remote delete it or move it to a different ID ,  now  try adding the engine again.( I thought MTH fixed that bug)

That bug was corrected in DCS 4.3 and higher. Regardless, it couldn't be that bug because that's not how the bug manifested itself.

Remote reset would be an option This would clear out any ID conflicts however everything will be deleted . If the reset is not an option I would delete the lash-up , it's not much good the way it is now.

If this runs in conventional, stays silent when in DCS but can't be found....do the recover engine more then once.  If still no go you may have a board problem if this is not some conflict with your remote.  If you have another remote that is clear you can try it, or take to LHS or friend and try it there.  IF it won't load on a cleared remote, and can't be found with a recover engine.  Chances are it is a board problem.  If this is PS-2 3V swap the Power supply board with another engine and retest.  G

Problem solved.

My test track used a defective TIU.

When I did a recover engine on my working layout, the engine was recovered. The I was able to add it to my remote. BINGO.

Thank you Barry et al.

Now I have to determine how to address my TIU. It blinks 2 times. How do I switch it back to address 1?

try remote/menu/tiusetup/edit tiu address push scroll wheel change tiu to 1 from what ever one it was then when you power up again the led should blink ounce!

Alan

Now I have to determine how to address my TIU. It blinks 2 times. How do I switch it back to address 1?

If you have only one remote and it has only TIU #1 in it, do as Alan suggests above.

However, if the remote has more than 1 TIU listed, things are a bit more complicated. If that's the case, please provide the following information before proceeding:

• How many TIUs do you have and what are their DCS ID#'s?
• How many remotes do you have and what TIUs are available in each when you enter:

Menu/System/TIU Setup/Edit TIU

Barry Broskowitz posted:

Very possibly the engine's DCS ID# has gotten out of the usable range. I suggest that you attempt to recover the engine:

• Place the engine on a track connected to TIU #1.
• Ensure that it's battery is full charged.
• Make sure no other engines are getting power.
• Turn on power to the track.
• On a DCS Remote, delete any other occurrences of the engine.
• Enter: Menu/System,/Engie Setup/Recover Engine.
• If the engine is recovered, attempt to add it to the DCS Remote.

This and a whole lot more about DCS is all in MTH’s “The DCS Companion 3rd Edition!" This book is available from many fine OGR advertisers and forum sponsors, or as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

I've found on our layout that the only sure way to get a good solid engine add is to do it on a track connected to Channel 1 of TIU 1; do not have the "no engine to add" problem any longer, nor do rogue engines get "disappeared" into the never-never land of one of the other TIUs ... So my successful setup for it turns out to be that" TIU 1, Channel 1, powered by transformer one handle one."  Engine can sit on one of those "engine terminal tracks" for weeks and be found immediately when addressed.  Parked on tracks powered by other channels or TIUs and they will get dropped.  At least on our layout.

Any idea why this is the case for us?

Kerrigan,

Any idea why this is the case for us?

About the only thing I can imagine is that you have TIUs listed in your DCS Remote that have a higher DCS ID# than the TIU upon whose tracks resides the engine that you desire to add, and that these TIUs are not actually available to the DCS Remote, i.e., not present or present but not powered on.

When adding an engine on a remote higher than one of the missing ones, this would cause the remote to search for a long time before either:

• Being turned off (typically by removing a battery) due to operator impatience (understandable).
• Also being turned off after generating can error message.
• Finally finding the engine after getting past the missing TIU that was causing the problem.

This can't happen when using the DCS App, since the app actually polls the available TIUs every time it does a Refresh and will only look at TIUs that it previously found when doing an engine add.

Your "workaround" of only adding engines on TIU #1 ensures that an engine will be found before the remote gets hung up looking for a TIU that simply isn't available to it.

You can test this hypothesis by having no engines powered up and attempting to execute an Add Engine command.

Now I have to determine how to address my TIU. It blinks 2 times. How do I switch it back to address 1?

 You could just factory reset the tiu... this  will change it from TIU #2 to  Tiu number 1. However  The remote must be able to communicate with tiu #2 before you can edit or factory reset it

A lot depends on how much stuff is installed in the remote and to   which tiu are your engines associated with.?

If your engines are running fine with tiu #2(a two blinker) they're associated with tiu #2

To keep the association use the edit command which might mean deleting tiu #1.   this  opens up and makes  tiu #1  available to edited to. Confusing right??

REV I TIU. Connected to Z4000 through Fixed In then to test track through Fixed Out. Red to center rail; black to outside rail.

Remote address 1. TIU address 1. TIU blinks once.

Watch dog signal present.

READ finds TIU 1 NO ACTIVE ENGINES.

Remote RESET; no engines added.

Cannot add DCS engines. Get NO ENGINE TO ADD message. 

Suggestions please.

Weird!! You were able to recover the engine but now can't add anything after a remote reset? Check your wiring, red to center rail from the tiu.

Greg,

I was not able to recover the engine on this configuration-- that was done on my layout once I knew what to do.

This configuration is where I need help.

Ok  , I would cycle power to the tiu & remote before doing anything, then  I suppose we have to make sure the dcs signal is turned on with.... Menu/DCS set up/ AON (turns signal on to all channels)

I would use a small test track when trying to add ( you are)... Does the engine remain dark & silent when power is first applied indicating the engine is getting the watch dog signal.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

Kerrigan,

Any idea why this is the case for us?

About the only thing I can imagine is that you have TIUs listed in your DCS Remote that have a higher DCS ID# than the TIU upon whose tracks resides the engine that you desire to add, and that these TIUs are not actually available to the DCS Remote, i.e., not present or present but not powered on.

When adding an engine on a remote higher than one of the missing ones, this would cause the remote to search for a long time before either:

• Being turned off (typically by removing a battery) due to operator impatience (understandable).
• Also being turned off after generating can error message.
• Finally finding the engine after getting past the missing TIU that was causing the problem.

This can't happen when using the DCS App, since the app actually polls the available TIUs every time it does a Refresh and will only look at TIUs that it previously found when doing an engine add.

Your "workaround" of only adding engines on TIU #1 ensures that an engine will be found before the remote gets hung up looking for a TIU that simply isn't available to it.

You can test this hypothesis by having no engines powered up and attempting to execute an Add Engine command.

I checked the remotes and only see the two TIUs I have, TIU 1 and TIU 2 .... am I looking for the wrong thing or not looking at the right thing?

Kerrigan,