Service TMCC switch track ???

A little bit of a ride, but I would call modeltrainstuff in Cockeysville.

Other than that, Lionel Customer service.

Only 15 minutes. I'll start with them I guess.

I tried to get a TMCC SC-2 repaired with no success.

Had to replace it.

Hope I have better luck with this 

GeoK,

    Is your light on the switch blinking when you try to program or is it not lighting at all.  Do your other switches program correctly with your remote?  Also remember your remote control must be charged up decently to program the FT CC switches.

PCRR/Dave

I've replaced several buttons on the command switches, they are a very cheap button and are prone to failure. 

When I press the button, no light blinking of the switch occurs.

Neither of my 2 switches blink respectively.

I'm using 2 different CAB-1's

All other functions on the CAB's work

I  will try a fresh set of batteries in the CAB's

The batteries in the CAB-1 have nothing to do with the ability to get the switch into programming mode.  If you press the button and it doesn't enter programming mode, one of two things is happening.

• It's not seeing the TMCC signal.
• There is a problem with the switch.

It makes sense what you said about the button.  Light should blink when I press it independent of anything in the CAB-1.  I am getting confusing results. I thought new batteries solved the problem, but not so.  I'll close the circuit manually with a short wire and see if it blinks then. I was not aware it also needs to see the TMCC signal to enter the programing mode.  I guess that signal comes from the black box connected to the track and not the CAB-1

The cab one "talks " the the command base/black box. The black box then sends" one side"  of the signal through the one wire connection to the outside track rails.

The "other side" of the signal is transmitted through the ground wiring in the walls of the room that the base is plugged into via the command base ground lug on the wall plug.

The "difference" between the signal broadcast through the room wiring and the signal broadcast through the outside track rails initiates the command that is received by a given TMCC/Legacy item via an antenna attched to the item.

If I understood Dale Manquen correctly

I can understand that a signal is required to program, but not why a signal is required to ENTER the program mode as indicated by the blinking light.  The instructions do not require any button to be pressed on the CAB-1 to enter programing mode, but only the button on the switch track to be pressed.  I do not think the black box is emitting a signal continuously, but only in response to a signal from the CAB-1, thus no signal should be required to ENTER programing mode as I reason thing out, UNLESS the black box is indeed emitting a constant signal that is required to be present when the switch track button is pressed..????

GeoK,

   It is not just the blinking light, I have a 060 switch with a light that does not blink but it does program, the reason I ask about a decently charged hand held is, that it has to grab the signal from the track to program into the Cab1 or Cab 2.  If your other CC switches are programming into your hand held, you definitely have a switch problem.   Guns or GGG maybe able to repair the switch for you, or maybe not.

PCRR/Dave

it has to grab the signal from the track to program into the Cab1 or Cab 2.

I thought the programing resided in the command base, not the CAB-1 itself, because I do not have to program each CAB-1 separately.

I'm working with my very first CC switches.  I have only 2. 

Without turning on the remote, I can get the lights to blink on a command FT switch, and if I kill the power to the base, the light will not blink.

The programming for the switch actually resides in the switch, the command base can have a name associated with that switch # if you desire.

My 2 switches are intermittent in regard to the programing and operation.

Sometimes they work perfectly, sometime not at all.

Right now...dead in the water. Lights on constantly, no blink when I press program button. No switching action when commanded to do so.

They were working fine this morning.  Frustrating.

The only change I made was hooking up an SC-2 to a coal loader. Are there any known comparability issues with SC-2 also on line with the switches? I had a defective SC-2 that I mounted this afternoon in a coal loader. Aux 1 &2 were the only functioning parts of it.  Works great.  Took it off line but didn't make a difference with the 2 switches. 

Without turning on the remote, I can get the lights to blink on a command FT switch, and if I kill the power to the base, the light will not blink.

 

I missed this.  It implies that without pressing any button on the CAB-1 and just having track power on, but NOT the base, the lights will not blink and the switch will not enter program mode when you press the button on the TMCC switch itself.

Maybe I have a base problem.....?

Correct, if you don't have a TMCC signal that the switch detects, it won't enter programming mode.  I've verified that with several switches, unplug the base, no blinking lights.

Did you get them from Lionel or DigiKey?

Is there a source for the connectors on the edges of the Motor Driver and Receiver PC boards in this TMCC switch?

I bought similar buttons from Digikey, they had the same PCB mount, but the stem was slightly larger around.  I just enlarged the hole a bit on the switch and they dropped right in.

The connectors are doubtless JST connectors, that's what most of the other ones are.  I don't have a switch apart right now, so I can't verify the exact product line.

GeoK,

   You definitely have a base problem of some kind, remember however just because the LED light is out, it does not mean the switch will not program.  However the base must be plugged in to initiate programming, even if the LED light has been damaged and will not light.  My switch programmed even with a damaged unblinking LED light, as long as the base was plugged in.  The switch programmed & works perfect even without an LED light.

PCRR/Dave

I'm leaning toward a base problem also, Dave.  I'll check it out.

The LED light was never out,Dave.  It was lit, but it just would not blink even when I shorted out the push button switch with a jumper.

Hi I just noticed this thread. I had the same problem with one of my 14 cc fastrack switches. I never did Figure out why it just stopped being able to be programmed even though everything else on it worked fine. I replaced it and put it aside for now because to have Lionel repair it would have cost as much as the whole switch did. I was going to try to replace the TMCC board but could not find a source. Lionel recommend two possible vendors but neither had the part and referred me back to Lionel and it died there lol

It will be interesting to see how you guys make out getting the part And then if it solves the problem as I hoped it would.