Reading T1 DCS board problem?

Do you have any other MTH engines with PS-2? I would check my other PS-2 controlled engines and see what it does with that transformer and track. Could be a transformer issue or could be an engine issue, however you must check that transformer with another engine that you know works well.

Lee Fritz

Thanks for the reply.  All my other PS2 engines run perfectly on this track and the other tracks on the layout so its not a power problem.  I even have another Reading T1 Blue Mountain & Reading Premier T1 and it has no issues on this track or other tracks on the layout.

I just ran the engine in conventional with a MTH 750 Transformer on a separate track away from the big layout.  And it did the same thing.  Started slow, sped up slow again then shut down.

Did you check the spacing of the tach reader to the tape?  Does this happen with smoke off?

Yes JOHN, smoke is off and tach reader is about the thickness of a dime.  Tach reader is in about the center of the tach tape.  It also happens with the smoke on too, slow fast, slow speeds.

Do you have any binding in the gear train when you turn the flywheel through a full rev of the drivers manually?  I'm running out of ideas, my next step would be to put the board on the tester.

I just went through this with my Santa Fe 4-6-4.  It would act like the tach reader was going (slow down and speed up). The chuff would be interrupted when it was doing this.  It would also go dead (lights out) and then come back to life.

It turns out that the tether was going bad.  I replaced the tether, which fixed it completely.  It runs like it always did.

Wiggling the tether around with the engine powered up (but the tether plug seated firmly) should reveal whether or not the tether is the problem.

If the tach reader is going, it will cause the speed to vary, but not make the whole machine shut down.

Changing the tether is inexpensive (I got the replacement for about $10.00) and very easy to do.

Does the loco have the wireless tether or the Anaconda?

It's a PS/2 upgrade Craig, it has a 10-pin tether.

JOHN there is no binding on the wheels what so ever.  I turned the motor by hand and all is good both ways.

I will try another tether I have and see if it did anything. 

Changed the tether and started it up and took off like a rocket then stopped , sped up and then stopped again. 

At some point you need to start replacing tach tape, tach reader, double check pin continuity.  Is the flywheel loose and not spinning fully?  G

Well changed out the tether again and had some interesting things happen.  I started it up and ran nicely for about thirty seconds then stopped on a straight.  I wiggled the tether and it started to go full speed without me giving it any command with the DCS remote.  Then I wiggled it again while holding the engine and it went in reverse without command then whistle started to blow.  Then it shut down.  Did a factory reset and deleted the engine and then added it again, and still the exact same thing happened.  I think it is in the male part of the tether.  I did put three tethers on and get the same results.  What would my next step be?

When the engine misbehaves does it completely go dead or drop into neutral... power pick up problem?   Is there continuity between the center rail rollers.  Maybe only one is working. 

GREGG,

  It goes dead.  Stops and then shuts down.  That is when I got to go and wiggle the tether.  It starts up and does the jack rabbit start and off it goes to the races without any command from the remote.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

It starts up and does the jack rabbit start and off it goes to the races without any command from the remote.

That's most likely because it's coming up in conventional in neutral, looses power for a second, gains power back and takes off in conventional with 18 volts in the tracks.

Once it looses power and gets it back without seeing a DCS watchdog signal, that's perfectly normal behavior.

Hi BARRY,

  So what do I do?  I checked the continuity of the pick up rollers all is good with that.  I checked each side and traced it back to the plug all good.   Any ideas?

What is the thickness of a dime?  If I recall, the gap should be 0.75-1.2mm.

Remove the wire nuts on the red wires coming from the pick up rollers and circuit board. Re-twist the wires and re-install the wire nut. Also check the screws holding any ground wires to the chassis. You may have a bad ground.

Thanks DAVE, I'll try that tomorrow.  Also I'll check continuity of other wires.

Since you changed the tether, but wiggling it causes a problem, you need to make sure none of the pins on the locomotive side have broken their solder joints.  Touch each with a soldering iron to make sure they're connected, that's what it sounds like from your description.

BINGO  JOHN!!!!!  I did a check of all the male joints and wiggled them while the tether was hooked up and saw they were indeed moving.  I hit each of the male pins with the solder iron, and put everything back together.  Started it up and ran perfectly with all the other commands from the DCS remote.  Who would've thought that the pins would come loose?  Thank you all for all the suggestions that you have given me.

It's really not that uncommon, I'm a little surprised that George didn't beat me to that one, he usually hits that right away.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

It's really not that uncommon, I'm a little surprised that George didn't beat me to that one, he usually hits that right away.

Because in his first post he said he check the solder joints at the tether connection and they were all fine!  G

GGG posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

It's really not that uncommon, I'm a little surprised that George didn't beat me to that one, he usually hits that right away.

Because in his first post he said he check the solder joints at the tether connection and they were all fine!  G

GEORGE you are correct I did check them by eye but when I attached the tether and did the wiggle that is when I noticed the movement.  Us GEORGE's gotta stick together.  Thanks again for your expertize.

GGG posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

It's really not that uncommon, I'm a little surprised that George didn't beat me to that one, he usually hits that right away.

Because in his first post he said he check the solder joints at the tether connection and they were all fine!  G

Check twice, solder once.   I was surprised you didn't jump on that, because I know you've pointed out that to me in the past.  When he said he replaced the tether and wiggled it and still got the issue, it pretty well narrowed it down, at least in my mind.  Besides, you can't always believe what you read on the Internet!

IT certainly sound like it, but when he said he changed the tether and checked the joints, what am I suppose to say, change it again and check it again?  Lots of the other suggestions are valid too, especially a loose flywheel.  At least he found it. G

All's well that ends well.