So I've been busy adding things to my MTH Tinplate collection and recently picked up a 384E from 2004, Item 10-1221-1. Due to its age I decided not to attempt to charge the battery but instead installed a 3V BCR before putting on the track. After installing the BCR and placing the engine on the track I powered up the Z4000 and added the engine to the remote. I then pressed start up and the engine started at full volume. I could not communicate with the engine at all via the remote, like lower the volume or shut it off. None of the buttons I pressed had any affect. I turned off the transformer to kill the power.
Not sure if the BCR was any good I put the original battery back in and plugged in the battery charger into the bottom of the tender and let it charge for about 4 hours. After four hours I put the engine on the track and decided to delete it from the remote and then re-add it. I was able to delete it but have not been able to re-add it since. I get the message engine already in the remote but it's not in the list.
The engine ran fine in conventional, forward and reverse. I then put the BCR back in. I've been running for an hour or so and all it good in conventional.
I will say that when I've powered it up on a DCS track after the initial power up I have not been able to hear the little click the engine makes when it receives the watchdog signal.
The software in the TIU and Remote I use on my Tinplate layout is a very early generation, if not the first generation software.
Andrew
