running 2 MTH engines (one a PS2/3 upgrade, the other a recent PS3) on separate tracks with one TIU

@Fred Crider posted:

My DCS handheld remote cannot find the PS2/3 engine; it can find the PS3 engine. Do I need more than one TIU?

No. One TIU can run up to 99 engines.

I’m curious, how do you have the tracks wired to the TIU?

If you have 2 separate tracks. Remove the engine that added. Place the one that wouldn’t add on the same track and try. If still a no go. Place the engine that added on the other loop and see if it responds. If nothing else. With your one working engine. Perform a track signal test on both loops.

Is the one that wouldn’t add coming up silent ?   I found on some engines you have to be patient. Many times I will get messages such as no engine found. Sometimes just wait a bit and next thing the engine is found and added.

You don’t need another TIU. not sure how you are wired. You may need to use more than 1 channel if that’s how your wired.

transformer to fixed in  then fixed out to track

Both engines have been added to remote for over a year, but only one will run remotely at a time

Rewind.

Take each engine and have it be the only one on the track.  Once you verify you can start it up, do a factory reset of the engine.

Repeat with the second engine.

Now put them one at a time on the track and add them to the remote.

You're ready to run them together after this process.

Thanks very much. I'll do it tomorrow.

Maybe I was not clear. will that work on 2 separate track loops?  I don't want to run them on the same loop at the same time.

Sure they will, I have four PH180 bricks powering four power districts on my layout through the four channels of the TIU.  I have one powering my 140 foot mainline folded dogbone loop, one powering my two smaller loops and my subway, one powering my turntable and it's service loop, and one that powers all my siding tracks.  I can run as many MTH or Lionel engines on these loops as I can control without crashes at once.

ok thanks again

Okay now  with a little more info.. If this is a new setup. It sounds like it could be a track issue on the loop with the PS2 engine that’s not responding. You have 2 loops it sounds like on one channel and 2 engines that are both in the remote.
  I’d for now focus on your working PS3 engine. Run it on both loops and do a track signal test. At a minimum you should see 8’s to rule out anything related to the track or wiring. If your seeing good numbers re try your PS2 engine. Anything less or some really bad numbers. Separate the 2 loops by putting them on 2 different channels. You can piggyback the in wires to feed 2 channels such as Fixed 1 and 2. If no big improvement. You will have to describe your wiring to the tracks themselves.  I’d do a thorough track cleaning and then the engines wheels and pickup rollers just to make sure the numbers you are seeing aren’t related to the engine or dirty track.
Once you know your trackwork and wiring are sound.  Then you can focus on getting the  PS2 engine up and running.

@Fred Crider posted:

My DCS handheld remote cannot find the PS2/3 engine; it can find the PS3 engine. Do I need more than one TIU?

I believe that the PS2 engine was an upgraded version to PS3, but obviously without confirmed details and information, we only have the original post.

Why this matters:

PS2 is polarity sensitive to the DCS signal coming from the TIU. PS3 is NOT polarity sensitive. I know that the power is likely AC, but specifically I'm talking about the red and black output terminals posts to the track. Red should go to center rail, black to outer rails.

Again, if reversed- a PS3 engine will detect and work either polarity.

A PS2 engine on reversed DCS polarity- will not be detected by DCS and most likely run in conventional.

Another thing to add to Vernon's post is you didn't  tell us how you are powering the TIU.   Fixed 1 or auxiliary powered. 

@Vernon Barry posted:

A PS2 engine on reversed DCS polarity- will not be detected by DCS and most likely run in conventional.

I would also test the engine with just power and no DCS signal to see how it works. If it runs, kill the power quickly and see just how long it takes to shut down. Report back.

A dead battery in a PS2 engine will cause issues. Wrong polarity will also do what you described.

If it doesn't run at all, you've found the issue.

How do you test polarity other than red terminal to center rail, etc?

This has a PS/3 upgrade kit in it...super caps no battery

Polarity isn't an issue with any PS/3 board, including the PS32 board.

thanks to all of you.  Still having no luck.  I will keep trying your various suggestions, as I'm sure I've overlooked something.

Things I'm not sure of are:  track signal test     and   checking polarity other than by observing red TIU terminal to center rail.

Fred Crider

As others have said, check your polarity. The PS2 engines (and PS2-upgraded) can only see the DCS signal on the pickup roller in 3-rail. In 2-rail mode, there's a polarity switch that will throw it from the "Engineer's" side to the "Conductor's" side rail.

As for another TIU, you only need that for a very large layout and would need to set up "Super TIU" for proper operation. That's a whole new conversation, but not difficult.

@AGHRMatt posted:

As others have said, check your polarity. The PS2 engines (and PS2-upgraded) can only see the DCS signal on the pickup roller in 3-rail. In 2-rail mode, there's a polarity switch that will throw it from the "Engineer's" side to the "Conductor's" side rail.

He has a PS/3 upgrade Matt, no polarity issues.

First get your Proto 3 engine up and running at about 5 s mph.  The Track Signal test can be found using the soft keys on the remote. Push the S5 soft key. It will have an arrow above. You will hit it a few times and eventually the word More will be above soft key S4. Press that soft key and a menu will come up. Scroll up and down with the remotes thumbwheel. When the cursor is beside Track Signal. Push down on the thumbwheel and select it. You will no longer have control of the engine.

Your remote should show a number 1 thru 10. Run the loop a couple of times. It should stay consistent. A couple of blips of a bad number can be just dirty track. But you should see 8’s or better. Preferably all 10’s. You press another soft key to exit the test and then just press engine to bring your remote back to controlling the engine.

All this should be covered in the manual.

Thank you.   I don't have the manual in print form.  This should help, once I get it running

This is confusing, first you said PS-2/3.  Is that PS-2 2 and 3 rail.  If so polarity matters.  If it is an upgraded PS-32 board installed.  Did they add the DCS/DCC switch?  If so must be in DCS mode.

You also stated it has been in remote before.  Test the defective engine conventionally.  Does it start up and run?  If not you have a problem with the engine not necessarily related to DCS.  If it does work conventionally.  By itself on the track, do a recover engine.  Must be TIU # 1 and I recommend doing it on the Fix 1 output.  If it recovers, you can delete the old version of the engine from remote and now do the add.  G