Rev L TIU issues

Ben,

 

I've got 3 online for over 2 years with no issues.

Do you use them

Ben,

   I have 2 that have been running for years, with absolutely no problems,

are you sure you have everything hooked up correctly?   Ben with 6 TIU's you must have a big layout, my layout is fair sized and I only need 2.

PCRR/Dave 

Ben with 6 TIU's you must have a big layout,

 

Dave, check it out:

 

www.njhirailers.com

 

I have 2 that have been running for years, with absolutely no problems,

 

The newest "Rev L"  hasn't been out that long

 

 

I have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS with my two Rev. L TIUs, which handle my layout in super mode, ever since they came out!

The newest "Rev L"  hasn't been out that long

Since late November/early December, 2010.

Barry,

   If you rememeber I got mine in late October, it was faulty NIB, and it was replaced in early Nov, then I had to wait till the next shipment arrived, to get my new AIU, which was also faulty NIB with my 1st TIU Rev L.  At that point I was ready to strangle someone.

PCRR/Dave

 

Dave

I thought you didn't have any problems with them.  We have had DCS installed since its release   The Rev L is the third generation of TIU's on the layout  I Love the response on them but the fallout is higher than any other generation we have had on the layout.   Four out of six with problems is unacceptable.  We have spares but its not a good record especially since nothing else has changed on the layout except the TIU's

When the Rev. L TIU came out I seriously thought about getting one. But the more I thought about it, the more that small voice in the back of my mind that warns me that something I'm comptemplating probably isn't really such a good idea kept getting louder. Glad I listened.

Another one took a dump tonight  Anybody want to trale Rev I3a for Rev L's    These are really a problem

3rdrail engines, Zstuff 2500 switch machines, now TIU.  What the heck are you NJ Highrailers doing?

 

Your new motto should be if it works here it will work anywhere.

 

Are you sending these TIU in for repair?  It would be interesting to know what MTH finds wrong with them.

Ben,

   You do have a point, if you count the one that was bad NIB then I was only batting 50% as a new product.  However I do believe it was a shipping problem because the AIU was also damaged in that same delivery.  When I build the Books Shelf Ceiling layout we will see how things go when one of them is back on line and being used a lot.

PCRR/Dave

Ben,

 

I had a Rev. L  failure the other day.  It just quit putting out a DCS signal, including the watchdog signal, on all 4 channels. It was fine otherwise.

 

How have yours been failing?

Ben....  I'm curious what the power supply is and  whether you have fuses or circuit breakers between the power supply and tiu.

 

I don't suppose "passive mode is an option with the new Rev.L or would it even make a difference failure wise?

One of my TIU's is at MTH right now for lack of the DCS watchdog on any channel, must be the brother to yours Barry.

The Rev L TIU works just fine in Passive mode as well.  I've had one in operation since they were first made avail and have had no issues.  I do run mine in passive mode running on good quality DC power (Bridgewerks).

 

Like I had said this is the third generation of TIU's installed at the Nj HiRailers  We have 18 Z4K's powering our tracks Not every Z4K is connected through a TIU  We do have fuse protection etc etc   We have had some TIU failures in the past but nothing like the fallout with the Rev L   I have four broken ones on the bench right now  Two have the the 50 volt output poblem on Var1   One doesn't produce any DCS signal at all and one has a dead Vat 1    We are in the process of replacing the power FETS on the one with a dead Var 1   We ran out of spares

Ben,

   Looks like you might be right about the Rev-L problem, I have two other guys who just e-mailed me agreeing with you.  Maybe the one I got NIB that was bad, was not really shipping damage after all. 

PCRR/Dave

I'm not feeling too good about the Rev. L TIU's that I have right now.  One already died and is back at MTH.

I also purchased a new Rev. L TIU after I lost two to Hurricane Sandy.I'm a little worried. So far no problems. One of the Rev. I3 still works after being underwater!

If you open them up and wash the board well, you may get them working after the flood.  You can use white vinegar to cut the calcium deposits as well.  Water isn't as harmful to boards at you might believe, though stuff like relays don't fare so well.  The key is a total cleanup.

I guess I have to get a spare, have open house here april 20 and 21. the trains will be running two days, I don't need problems. Is there some kind of common denominator with the failure? Like are all the failures happening in super mode or long run times. Right now I only have one TIU and only run a couple of hours at a time. 

One thing that Ben at NJ Hi-Railers had done is stick a muffin fan on top blowing air into the unit, that helps with the cooling and is probably a very good idea.  Just lay it on top with the air blowing into the vents.

Thanks for the pre blizzard humor!!

Since dismantling my home layout I was contemplating selling our older (3 years?) DCS set (which has performed fine) and replacing it with a new one for the club layout. Methinks I'll hold off awhile and just have mine updated by the nice fellas at the York DCS Users meeting in April...

Sounds like Legacy may be a better option for a beginner. Interesting how the race between these two manufacturers has its pitfalls. What do you think Barry? and yes I need your book. but was holding off until I actually had a system to control my layout.

What do you think Barry?

What do you think I think?

 

Let's harken back to those days of yesteryear when every Legacy set was recalled by Lionel...

 

Stuff happens...

I don't hear any solution yet being offered by MTH for the Rev. L failures, is there one forthcoming?  The big difference between MTH and Lionel is Lionel has been offering an extended warranty on Legacy systems and even the one that was three years old I sent back was fixed for free.  I don't see the same offer coming from MTH, unless I've missed it.

John,

 

Are you trying to start a fight were there isn't one, or are you just a bit off your game today?

 

First of all, it's not an "all units" issue. Legacy was an "all units" recall.

 

Second, you entirely missed the point of my comment, which was that any manufacturer can have a hardware issue from time to time, and that's not a reason to choose one command control system over another.

No fight here.    I was just wondering if MTH might consider an extended warranty if this turns out to be a bigger issue with the Rev. L TIU's.  I've already had one, and apparently others are having the same kind of issues.  Has MTH even acknowledged there's an issue?

 

I agree that it's not a reason to pick one system over the other, there are lots of other factors to consider.  After all, I want the DCS system to work well, I don't need the aggravation.

Let's harken back to those days of yesteryear when every Legacy set was recalled by Lionel...

 

Wow, did not search the history books on that one. That sounds like it was worse than the Santa Fe incident in California. Was the Rev L a push to market because of the impending new release of Lionels updated Legacy system? I was actually looking at a few DCS w/ Rev L. because I wanted a relatively new system even without the newer USB connectivity. You're the wiz, I'm the sponge. Enlighten. 

Was the Rev L a push to market because of the impending new release of Lionels updated Legacy system?

No, it was not. If I recall correctly, it was some time after the introduction of Legacy (2 years or longer?) that the Rev. L was released.

 

Functionally, the Rev. L is head-and-shoulders above any TIU ever manufactured before. I can say that with conviction, since I've owned and operated Rev's G, H2, I, I3, I3a, and L.

 

At present, I'm running 2 of my 3 Rev. Ls and a Rev. I3a. The third Rev.L is at MTH for repair after running flawlessly for 2+ years on my layout.

 

Like I said, stuff happens...

You mean the TIU that I just sent back to MTH with no DCS output on any channel isn't a technical problem?  You need to keep up instead of rehashing old news.   The MTH tech that I spoke with certainly thought that was a TIU failure, maybe you should call them and impart some of your wisdom so they realize that it's not a problem.

John,

 

Hey, John, congratulations! You finally got one right! Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn occasionally.

 

Regardless, as indicated, you provided several of us with some real amusement back then and demonstrated how you could be really stubborn and unwilling to learn from those with more extensive subject matter knowledge than you possessed.

 

ok cook. Just trying to get my bearings on this stuff. Sounds like it might be time to get that I3 replaced I may need to call on you once I get a tiu (any tiu at this point).

Well Barry, if you're done being amused, perhaps we could move on.

Well, I'm really confused.  Building a new layout and was going to buy a MTH TIU and Controller.  After following this topic I am not sure what to do.  

Buy both  They are great