So Lost with DCS Loader-Please Help

Try exiting the loader, shutting down the TIU, leaving the TIU off, starting the loader, and following the instructions as they come up on the screen.  You may have to tell the program on what port the TIU is.

Ben,

All I want to do is change sound files in my engines

First, you need  to find out what's causing the remote not to be found. Since you didn't say exactly how far you actually got in the process, consider all of the following:

• Did you remove the cable between the TIU's ProtoDispatch and ProtoCast ports after updating the TIU? If the cable is still in place, you can't update the remote. You must remove the cable and cycle power to the TIU after updating the TIU's software.
• Your remote must be turned off when the update process starts. When asked to hold down the remote's power button, you must do so and continue holding it down until either told to release it or the process completes (after about 5 minutes).
• Make absolutely certain that you're plugged into the TIU's Remote Input port, not into the AIU port. If you're in the AIU port, you can damage the remote, the TIU or both.
• Make sure that the cable connecting the remote to the TIU has 4 wires, not 2. If it's not 4 wires, the process won't work.
• Check to make sure that there aren't any bent pins in either the TIU's Remote Input port or the remote's port.

This and a whole lot more is all in "The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", now available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book from MTH's web store site! Click on the link below to go to MTH's web page for the book!

I did all things mentioned. Disconnected all wires and restarted the loader and followed the directions in order. The status area in the loader screen says searching for TIU, but never finds it. Remote is off. Proto jumper wires disconnected. This is my first time using any of this, the usb to serial wire is brand new and operates on windows 7. The TIU is about 3 years old, maybe 4 at most. Not a rev L. DCS system has worked flawlessly since purchase. Like I said before, this boggles me that I could update the TIU, but then the loader can't find the TIU to update the remote. And the cord for the remote has 4 wires, as I purchased a second remote that was ver 2.30 and my brother updated it to ver 4.10 so it would match the remote that came with my TIU. I understand I need to update them both to ver 4.20 before proceeding with sound changes, but I cannot update the remote that came with the TIU, haven't even tried the older remote yet.

Ben,

Since you were able to update the TIU, we can rule out the TIU, cable between the PC and the TIU, the Loader Program, and the Windows environment. Therefore, the problem is almost certainly one of the following:

• One of the things I mentioned above
• You're not following the instructions even though you think that you are
• The remote is defective.

There really aren't any other possibilities.

Ben, your remote may want new batteries.

Ben, When the loader program is open, have you clicked on "options" and then "serial port" to force the program to not use autosearch?

It is important after a malfunction such as you describe to shut down the DCS system completely--TIU & remote--and exit the loader program on the computer.  Then restart the program but do not turn on any components of the DCS system until the screen instructions tell you to do so.

My TIUs and my remotes are far older than yours, both having been purchased the week after DCS was first released.

Robert,

He's been successful updating the TIU. The Loader Program knows where is the TIU.

Every time I've ever seen where the Loader Program updates the TIU successfully and fails to update the remote, the problem has never been the Loader Program or Windows. It's always been the remote (batteries, stuck button, etc.), the phone handset cable, the pins in the jacks, or operator error.

Also, it's never been necessary for me to reboot the PC once the TIU upgrade has been successful. I've done literally a dozen operations back-to-back, e.g., TIU and remote updates, sound file transfers, cloning remotes, etc., without ever quitting the Loader Program between processes.

Once the Loader Program finds the TIU, it should be good to go from its perspective regarding upgrading the Remote.

Well I tried everything again, to no avail. Replaced batteries in remote. Also tried my second older remote that my brother upgraded to ver 4.10. Still nothing. Status area in the loader still says searching for TIU on COM3, after about 1 minute or so, a box pops up that says WARNING, The DCS loader is having a hard time finding a TIU connected, check connections and retry, I retry and same thing happens. I fail to believe I have 2 faulty remotes. No bent pins in the connectors, the telephone cord was only used once to upgrade the older remote, and was purchased specifically for that and used for nothing else. It has been in the cabinet in my train room until now. Tried restarting the DCS Loader and same thing. Just out of curiousity, I also tried to send a new sound set to an engine, and would you believe, the exact same scenario. WARNING, The DCS Loader is having a hard time finding a TIU connected to COM3. Tried autosearch- nothing. Tried different USB port, nothing.

Still lost,

Ben

Barry, last time I uploaded, I had a similar problem.  I also have a R-S USB>serial cable. On the theory that the program could have opened improperly, I closed it and reopened it (didn't reboot).  Also it was having trouble communicating with the TIU on the comm port, so I went to the options menu.  In Ben's situation, he should try everything, because there must be an issue somewhere. 

WOnder of checking the cable by using it as a tether and then twisting and working would disclose whether it had an intermittent connection?

During my adventures in TIU upgrading, the one last thing I did that got my loader to see the TIU was to remove the nuts on the end of the cable. It didn't look like it came any closer, but it made enough difference to make contact.

I never did get my USB-serial adapter to work--even after I found the driver CD in the package and installed it, but I suspect now that it was just barely out of contact (I wound up using an old laptop with a regular serial port and a regular serial cable--after removing the nuts threaded onto the thumbscrews).

---PCJ

Try updating the TIU again. See if that still works.

If it doesn't, make sure that the red LED on the TIU is lit.

RailRide refreshes my memory.  On my old Rev G TIUs, it is difficult to push the series cable plug into the TIU socket, as the hole in the case is a bit small.  Needs a good push and some wiggling.  Could be that it barely made contact when Ben did his TIU & got dislodged a tad when he reset the cables to do the remoite.

What operating system are you using on your PC?

Ben, can you go into Windows hardware manager and determine to which port TIU is connected?

Have you tried turning off the antivirus protection and firewall?  Yes, I know it worked once, but things happen....

Alo Ben,

Maybe you can try another version of the Loader.

Here my quote from my last post:

"Problem solved.
I replaced the loader ver.2.2 with ver.2.3
And loading sound file to the engine done well.
I haven't try to loading the Code Chain File (DSP).
I do not know why ver.2.2 doesn't work.
So, if I want to getting (backing up) the sound file from the engine I'll use ver.2.2, for sending the sound file to the engine I'll use ver.2.3."

The point is, try to use different version of the Loader for different purpose.

Sincerely,

Yudo

I've had the same thing happen to me..that is the DCS Loader program can't find the TIU when updating the remote.

What I had to do is hook the TIU back up to the layout and have an engine on the track. Power up the TIU and track then open the DCS Loader and click on the send soundfile to engine tab. After the DCS Loader found the TIU I'd click cancel the send soundfile to engine tab and then go to send the code to remote and everything would work.

Hope that helps?