Similar Problems with TMCC Mikado (6-18079) & TMCC BB1 Pair (6-18364)

Sorry you're having trouble with them JJ.

Can you tell us what sort of transformer you are using? And what remote and base you are using to try and program them?

It would also help to have the manufacturer's name and product number!

Chuck

Product number in the title.

Hard to tell what the problems are from your description.

I think the first step would be to remove the shells and make sure the boards are seated and no loose connectors or pinched wires.

Pete

@rplst8 posted:

Sorry you're having trouble with them JJ.

Can you tell us what sort of transformer you are using? And what remote and base you are using to try and program them?

I am using a K-Line transformer as shown below. In terms of remote and base, I have a Legacy Base-1L hooked up to an MTH TIU so I can control all trains with the DCS remote. However, I do not believe the remote or base is the issue since I have another TMCC engine that runs just fine. When I am programming I swap out the Legacy base for a TMCC base and use my Cab-1 to reprogram engines.

@JJScholten posted:

I am using a K-Line transformer as shown below. In terms of remote and base, I have a Legacy Base-1L hooked up to an MTH TIU so I can control all trains with the DCS remote. However, I do not believe the remote or base is the issue since I have another TMCC engine that runs just fine. When I am programming I swap out the Legacy base for a TMCC base and use my Cab-1 to reprogram engines.

Do you get the same response when running these engine with your Cab1, TMCC Base?

Pete

So a couple of things...

1) You shouldn't need to swap out Lionel bases AFAIK. I'm almost certain you can program new engines from the DCS remote through the TIU connected to the the Legacy Base-1L.  That said, doing it with the TMCC Base and CAB-1 might be more straightforward.

2) The transformer above can put out 20 VAC so I would be careful using that with modern Lionel command engines. I believe they are rated for a maximum of 18V.

2a) I'm not sure what sort of waveform that transformer puts out. Ideally you want something that is a pure sine wave. Someone else here may know more about that particular model K-0954C.

3) When you say the RailSounds from the tender or BB1 "work", when do they turn on? Immediately after applying track power, or after you address them? If the former, that means they are not seeing the TMCC signal. If there are TMCC signal problems, you can try removing the shell and seeing if there is a pinched wire, or in the case of the Mikado a hand rail that is acting as an antenna that is touching the frame.

@rplst8 posted:

So a couple of things...

1) You shouldn't need to swap out Lionel bases AFAIK. I'm almost certain you can program new engines from the DCS remote through the TIU connected to the the Legacy Base-1L.  That said, doing it with the TMCC Base and CAB-1 might be more straightforward.

2) The transformer above can put out 20 VAC so I would be careful using that with modern Lionel command engines. I believe they are rated for a maximum of 18V.

2a) I'm not sure what sort of waveform that transformer puts out. Ideally you want something that is a pure sine wave. Someone else here may know more about that particular model K-0954C.

3) When you say the RailSounds from the tender or BB1 "work", when do they turn on? Immediately after applying track power, or after you address them? If the former, that means they are not seeing the TMCC signal. If there are TMCC signal problems, you can try removing the shell and seeing if there is a pinched wire, or in the case of the Mikado a hand rail that is acting as an antenna that is touching the frame.

Sorry it took me a while to reply,

1.) These are not new engines, so I thought I would need to reassign their IDs before programming into my DCS, however after all that I face the same issues.

2.) I usually keep the knob of the transformer at about 75% of the maximum, is that okay?

2a.) How do sine waves affect lionel command engines? (I have never heard of something like this)

3.) When applying power the sounds immediately come on. This leads me to believe that this is a TMCC connection issue. However, while testing over the past few days I noticed the same problem with another one of my engines, but I found that this problem seemed to arise from the track being dirty, so I cleaned the rollers and track. After doing so it worked perfectly fine. Naturally, I tried to do the same with my Mikado however I still had no luck. The Mikado is used, but I was under the impression that the BB1 was brand new, so it puzzles me that it would have this problem. So the main question that has arisen for me now is what else can I do clean to try and remedy the problem on the Mikado (Other than rollers)? Also, is there anyway of these symptoms could have multiple causes(Is this likely the only reason this could be happening or could the problem not involve dirty rollers but have the same symptoms)?

Note: I forgot to mention in my initial post that the BB1 was initially working perfectly but after running for a couple of minutes the problem occurred very suddenly, does this seem like it could be a track or engine cleaning problem?

Thanks for all the replies! I hope I am cracking down on this problem.

@Norton posted:

Do you get the same response when running these engine with your Cab1, TMCC Base?

Pete

Yes, I have tried using my base and conventional, both produce the same symptoms.

If the sounds come on immediately when using a command base, you definitely have a signal problem. It could be related to house wiring or maybe some part of your layout that is latching the outside rail to earth ground.