No Whistle bell or chuffing when in motion

Sounds like the locomotive is not "communicating" with the tender, possibly a tether issue. I'd check the tether wires for breaks or shorts,sometimes these can rub against the trailing truck wheels, check the alignment of the infra red lenses if its wireless as well.

Don, what is the engine? 

Marty its a early TMCC Camelback.

Hello Don.  Do you have another TMCC steamer that you can borrow the tender and try with your engine?  If you put your tender on the tracks with no engine, do the Railsounds come alive?  Without having my hands on the engine, I would tell you to pull the Railsounds power board and Railsounds audio board and plug them back in.  Also, please check for a broken wire on the RS switch.  If you do these checks and still have no luck, pull both chips on the Railsounds audio board and reinstall them.  Let us know how this goes.

If it is one of the earlier boards there is a possiblity that one of the op amps/ampliers may have failed. The sounds were mixed.....I would do a reset....Then suspect one of the amps...

He did the reset. From having worked on many, I would start with the power board then the volume pot. Before going there, I would want to know if the Railsounds come alive with just the tender on the track. This older stuff could also show a bad speaker connection. If I had it in front of me, I could get to it fast. Fortunately, Don is a sharp guy and knows to test what we are telling him.

Marty tender is alive with sound standing still, pot controls volume fine, replaced the tether it was crushed almost flat, this was purchased used, engine otherwise runs fine smokes well. Will check power board and reseat connectors in tender and try this.

He most likely has conventional Railsounds audio board in the tender. What product number is it specifically? We did make command ready camelbacks with conventional railsounds in the past. Conv RS will not accept serial data! But chuff goes to pin 21 on audio board, not pin 17 on the R2LC, which is what is required for command operation. Mike

Don, throw the product number out while we have Mike available.

Product number is 6-28744.

Even if it is conventional RS it should still have chuff and whistle/bell.  He doesn't have any of it.  Does this use a cherry switch for chuff?  Even so still doesn't explain no whistle or bell does it?  G

That engine does use a cherry switch.  The fact that he has no chuff, whistle or bell is his issue.  If he has whistle and bell with the tender  standing alone, something is going on between the tether and R2LC board.  Could also need the audio chips reseated.

 

Don, did you have whistle, bell or chuff before you replaced the tether?

 

Don, your locomotive has a 4 pin tether.  Take your continuity meter with the engine and tether plugged together and verify continuity between R2LC pins 3 and 4 to pins 3 and 4 on the Railsounds power board.  This is your ground connection.  Next varify continuity on pin 24 (serial) on your R2LC board to pin 10 on your audio board.  I will only be online tonight and will be gone for a few days. 

 

Test continuity between the Railsounds power board and Railsounds audio board.  Pins 1 and 2 on the audio board to pins 1 and 2 on the power board.  Next pins 3 and 4 on the audio board to pins 3 and 4 on the power board.  Next pins 5 and 6 on the audio board to pins 5 and 6 on the power board.  Next pin 11 on the audio board to pin 11 on the power board.  Next pin 12 on the audio board to pin 12 on the power board.  Next pin 17 on the audio board to pins 17 and 18 on the power board.

 

If no luck, call me next week and I can help you out.

Had nothing before, now checked connectors in tender boards again, reseated have now got chuff, whistle, bell and added TMCC sounds in command or conventional, however it gets sporadic if thats the right word, kicking in and out, when in motion so whats still loose or faulty, the Pot with switch next to it all one board in tender or speaker. Your thoughts?

Great work Don.    Pop your audio board out and pull both chips and reseat them and life should be good.  If that is not the culprit, change the volume pot.   Are your rollers good and clean and rolling free?

Lionel is showing this engine as a Tmcc. I would suspect serial data is not reaching the tender. Do the coupler and rear light work. If the coupler works, are you getting the release sound.

 

Bill

Bill, you are correct.  He has it working now and the sounds are a bit nasty.  I told him to pull both chips on the audio board and reseat them.  Next in the food chain is a bad pot.   Am I missing anything, please throw it out to help  as Don is a great guy and I want to help him.  Those speakers have held up pretty well.

Reset audio chips and no change soo its the pot, got one and life is now good! Thanks Marty( Your a gentleman and a scholar) and gang for your help!