The Latest DCS Problem

When last time you checked the batteries in your remote.

I changed them tonight, after the second or third time I tried loading the ES44 into the DCS system. 

i would try reseting he remote and tiu and then try again! if you have another remote and tiu i would try them one at a time to determine if it is a tiu or remote problem .

Alan

also make sure dcs is turned on!!!with remote

I have 1 PS2 engine and 1 PS1 engine.  I have quite a bit more in TMCC engines along with pretty much all the TMCC and Legacy/LCS system components.  I've long wanted to add DCS into this mix, but every time I read something like this about DCS or look at the 600+ pages in the DCS manual/books I decide to spend my money on more Legacy components.  

I have a lot of MTH rolling stock and I've long liked their offerings.  I've done star AND twisted wiring for my layout in anticipation of this.  But it seems like it's plenty frustrating and I want this to be an enjoyable pastime.  I already have a job.

Connect the TIU's Remote Input port to the Remote with a curly, 4-conductor telephone handset cable and see if things improve.

This and a whole lot more is all in “The DCS Companion 3rd Edition!" This book is available from many fine OGR advertisers and forum sponsors, or as an eBook or a printed book at OGR’s web store!

Barry, I'm on page 148 of your second edition. Should I forego all this?   To be perfectly frank, I'm not sure where, in the year 2016, I'm supposed to find a curly telephone cord, an item that became obsolete more than a decade ago. I'll check with my retired neighbor, as he may have stored away an antique phone in his attic ...  

Still easily available. Walmart still sells them. eBay amazon. bought one half a year ago at Walmart.

Paolo posted:

Still easily available. Walmart still sells them. eBay amazon. bought one half a year ago at Walmart.

Add Radio Shack (if your area still has one), Lowes and Home Depot as places that I've recently seen them for sale.  Not sure where the misconception that they're hard to find is coming from. 

Are you saying no MTH engine will load properly and operate now?  ES44, RS1?  How about the MohawK.  If nothin is working besides checking wiring too and from TIU, try switching to Fix2 (with TIU powered via Aux input or Fixed 1) and see if things improve.  You may have a hardware fault on the TIU.  It should be repairable.  G

I'm not sure where, in the year 2016, I'm supposed to find a curly telephone cord, an item that became obsolete more than a decade ago. 

Any office supply store (OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples), Walmart, or Amazon, to name a few. I believe that Home Depot or Lowes have them, as well.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

I'm not sure where, in the year 2016, I'm supposed to find a curly telephone cord, an item that became obsolete more than a decade ago. 

Any office supply store (OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples), Walmart, or Amazon, to name a few. I believe that Home Depot or Lowes have them, as well.

Barry, you didn't mention Radio Shack and I've seen them there.  Now if you still have a Radio Shack in your area...

Tony

Saw my neighbor outside earlier and he found one of those old phones in an box in his garage, so I'm in luck.  Taking boys to Boy Scout event so will need to get back to this a little later.

GGG - I have all 4 TIU channels already established as I have 4 discrete main lines. I gave the Reader's Digest version in my OP, but suffice to say, I went through all the steps (and some permutations) listed in my OP on all four mains/channels with several different Premier locomotives and my little RK Scale RS-1. 

Peter

Do  you use a programming track (or equivalent) when adding engines ?  This type of thing might happen if you don't.

I agree with Gregg and disagree with those who aren't agreeable.  When adding an engine, do not have any other engines on powered tracks.  Things can---and do---happen!

I didn't follow my own advice last night when trying to add a new engine to my wifi.  Result was that two engines already in the system got re-added with new addresses, which were promptly stored in the engines.  I had to use my remote to add them to the remote.  They came in with the newly-assigned numbers, which meant I now had the same engine(s) in 2 places in the remote.  Had to delete each from its original number and then change their new ID number to the old one.

I would not do any resets of remote or TIU.

We originally had a problem when using more than one TIU that pushed us into loading all the engines using only one TIU. I assume this issue is behind us, but I'm wondering which rev level did the fix. I still load all engines using TIU #1. I am loading engines on the layout with multiple engines and sometimes have the issues described here. I may go back to a single track.

I only had the engine I wanted to add on the given track.

 I only have one TIU (?).

Will give an update later. Thanks for all the quick replies.

What do you mean by "given track?"  Gregg & I mean have no other engines on the entire layout sitting on powered tracks.

RJR posted:

What do you mean by "given track?"  Gregg & I mean have no other engines on the entire layout sitting on powered tracks.

Sorry - I should have been more precise. I mean each main is electrically isolated from the others and I can power each up separately. I did just that. Powered down mains 2-4 and tried to add the ES44AC (and others MTH engines) to main 1, which had no other locomotive or car on it at all. I repeated that step on main 2, with main 1, 3-4 powered down.  Peter

mopac01 posted:

I have 1 PS2 engine and 1 PS1 engine.  I have quite a bit more in TMCC engines along with pretty much all the TMCC and Legacy/LCS system components.  I've long wanted to add DCS into this mix, but every time I read something like this about DCS or look at the 600+ pages in the DCS manual/books I decide to spend my money on more Legacy components.  

I have a lot of MTH rolling stock and I've long liked their offerings.  I've done star AND twisted wiring for my layout in anticipation of this.  But it seems like it's plenty frustrating and I want this to be an enjoyable pastime.  I already have a job.

Well, I don't want to derail my own thread, or start a debate, but as I've stated in various threads over the past few years in this forum, Legacy and DCS, in my experience, are very different.  In short, I believe DCS is a more complex system, allowing for greater possibilities.  But I think the complexity of DCS makes it a lot more quirky.  We entered the hobby almost 5 years ago buying  MTH exclusively, and followed Barry's wiring DCS protocol.  But I would be lying if I said my children - who are incredibly technically savvy - are happy with it.  They "put up" with it.  There has been a regular stream of nonsensical faults.  We bought Legacy with the VL Big Boy and it has performed flawlessly in these past 2 years. Uninterrupted "fun-wise" there is no contest.  Again, this is just our experience.  I'm sure there are lots of folks who have had different experiences.  

Peter

O.K., here's the play-by-play:

Tried curly telephone cord - it did nothing.  

I then reset the TIU and handheld remote, powered down and placed my RK Scale RS-1 on main 2 (nothing else on main 2).  With everything else powered down, I powered up main 2.  The engine's headlight came on and within a few seconds, the engine started into its start-up sequence itself.  In parallel, I went through the steps on the handheld to add this engine to the DCS system. This was successful (!).  Same process for the ES44AC. Again, the engine didn't sit dark and silent, but went  into its startup sequence itself. Adding it to DCS was also successful - but when the handheld confirmed it had been added, the handheld displayed the unique name we gave it when we added it/named it a year ago (so not sure what gets "reset" when I reset the TIU and handheld?).  So, the questions I'm thinking about in order to understand what just happened last night are: 

1- what would cause these components to need to be reset?

2- MTH engines are supposed to sit dark and silent until a command occurs, yet this didn't happen - why?

Peter

Peter,

the handheld displayed the unique name we gave it when we added it/named it a year ago (so not sure what gets "reset" when I reset the TIU and handheld?).

That's normal. The only thing that deletes a Custom Name is an engine Factory Reset.

1- what would cause these components to need to be reset?

It could be any number of things. Regardless, resetting the TIU didn't do much except delete any Custom Sounds and Record/Playback sessions, all Z4K Tracks, and all TIU Tracks except for those associated with TIU #1. The real solution was resetting the remote, which deleted all of your engines.

2- MTH engines are supposed to sit dark and silent until a command occurs, yet this didn't happen - why?

That's a relatively frequent occurrence with some PS3 engines, unless the voltage is raised immediately to 18 volts. This is done either by setting a TIU Track or a Z4K Track to start at 18 volts, or by using a fixed voltage brick with a fixed channel or a variable channel set to fixed mode.

This will also happen with some newer PS3 engines if the thumbwheel is used to move SMPH up from zero, even by 1 click. This is an intentional design feature.

I'd be interested in knowing how you power the TIU channels and what version of DCS you're using. I may have missed this information in your earlier posts.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

Peter,

the handheld displayed the unique name we gave it when we added it/named it a year ago (so not sure what gets "reset" when I reset the TIU and handheld?).

That's normal. The only thing that deletes a Custom Name is an engine Factory Reset.

1- what would cause these components to need to be reset?

It could be any number of things. Regardless, resetting the TIU didn't do much except delete any Custom Sounds and Record/Playback sessions, all Z4K Tracks, and all TIU Tracks except for those associated with TIU #1. The real solution was resetting the remote, which deleted all of your engines.

2- MTH engines are supposed to sit dark and silent until a command occurs, yet this didn't happen - why?

That's a relatively frequent occurrence with some PS3 engines, unless the voltage is raised immediately to 18 volts. This is done either by setting a TIU Track or a Z4K Track to start at 18 volts, or by using a fixed voltage brick with a fixed channel or a variable channel set to fixed mode.

This will also happen with some newer PS3 engines if the thumbwheel is used to move SMPH up from zero, even by 1 click. This is an intentional design feature.

I'd be interested in knowing how you power the TIU channels and what version of DCS you're using. I may have missed this information in your earlier posts.

Barry,

My set-up is as follows (forgive me if some of my nomenclature is off):

• Each of the 4 mains is approximately 90' long and is discretely powered by its own Lionel PH180 brick. I've measured and re-measured the voltage and it is always a rock solid 17.9 - 18.2 on the rails. In fact, I used the RK RS-1 to measure it today, and its findings were exactly the same. 

• I power the Rev. L TIU via Aux., with a Z500. 
• Each TIU channel is connected to its own, discrete, MTH terminal block via equal length very short runs (8") OGR stranded 14AWG wire.  
• Each terminal block supports one and only one main.  
• Each terminal block has OGR stranded 14AWG equal length wire runs leaving it (the power drops) that run, star-pattern, from the given terminal block to the track block.  
• Each track block is comprised of between 8-10 Atlas O track sections and the sole power drop in each track block is placed dead center.  
• I have jumpered the outer rails on one track section in each and every block.
• We have no recorded sequences, no special tracks or wiring, no TIU track or Z4K track. Just very plain and basic loops.  

Thanks for your help

Peter

Peter,

DCS version?

Barry Broskowitz posted:

Peter,

DCS version?

How do I determine?

Power up the remote and the version will display

Version 4.20

I suggest that you upgrade to DCS 5.0, since it's better-suited to operate the latest PS3 engines. There could be a bug in DCS 4.20, that's been corrected in DCS 5.0, that could be contributing to the problem that you're experiencing.

mopac01 posted:

I have 1 PS2 engine and 1 PS1 engine.  I have quite a bit more in TMCC engines along with pretty much all the TMCC and Legacy/LCS system components.  I've long wanted to add DCS into this mix, but every time I read something like this about DCS or look at the 600+ pages in the DCS manual/books I decide to spend my money on more Legacy components.  

I have a lot of MTH rolling stock and I've long liked their offerings.  I've done star AND twisted wiring for my layout in anticipation of this.  But it seems like it's plenty frustrating and I want this to be an enjoyable pastime.  I already have a job.

FWIW, I may be the exception, but I have not had a DCS error since I set up my more permanent layout over 2 years ago. I followed Barry's wiring guidelines, used #14 & #16 OGR paired wire, MTH terminal blocks, proper track blocking and it's all still working just fine. I added Legacy about a year and a half ago and it has not had any problems either, except my base would not take an upgrade and had to go back to Lionel for repair. However, that was not a layout related problem, it was the base itself.

Prior to my current layout that still works very well I had a few temporary layouts. They were very small and were just thrown together without blocks or any thought at all. Just small loops of track maybe 3' or 4' by 6'-7' or so. Those had the occasional DCS errors, engines not found, trouble adding engines etc. IMO, following the book really worked at least it appears to have for me anyway. 

I have no idea what happened to cause the OP's problems here and the more knowledgeable folks are already commenting and trying to help so I will stay out of that one. I will just follow along to see all the comments and try to maybe learn a few things along the way.

Edit: I just read down further in the thread and the OP (PJB) has wired his layout almost exactly like mine and we are both using Atlas track and OGR wire. The only differences are: I used #16 OGR wire for all my track drops from the MTH terminal blocks (#14 from TIU to terminal block), his layout is a larger (mine is only 6' x16', maybe 40'-45' per loop), I only have 2 loops instead of 4 and I have not connected my outside rails together anywhere.  Interesting.

Barry Broskowitz posted:

I suggest that you upgrade to DCS 5.0, since it's better-suited to operate the latest PS3 engines. There could be a bug in DCS 4.20, that's been corrected in DCS 5.0, that could be contributing to the problem that you're experiencing.

O.K.  Is it as simple as going to MTH website and downloading? Thanks. 

Barry Broskowitz posted:

I suggest that you upgrade to DCS 5.0, since it's better-suited to operate the latest PS3 engines. There could be a bug in DCS 4.20, that's been corrected in DCS 5.0, that could be contributing to the problem that you're experiencing.

Barry - FWIW, every one of my Premier locomotives, other than the 2 ES44ACs and the RK RS-1 are PS2.0 and were issued before the DCS version I have came out. So it isn't likely that this issue (not to mention all the other bugs) is a glitch between an "older" version of DCS and newer locos - other than maybe in relation to the PS3.0s.  So I still don't really know what prompted this issue now, despite no changes in our operation or components.  Given I like to root cause things, this is leaving me a little frustrated. 

Thanks again for the help and advice to Barry and all. 

PJB posted:

mopac01 posted:

I have 1 PS2 engine and 1 PS1 engine.  I have quite a bit more in TMCC engines along with pretty much all the TMCC and Legacy/LCS system components.  I've long wanted to add DCS into this mix, but every time I read something like this about DCS or look at the 600+ pages in the DCS manual/books I decide to spend my money on more Legacy components.  

I have a lot of MTH rolling stock and I've long liked their offerings.  I've done star AND twisted wiring for my layout in anticipation of this.  But it seems like it's plenty frustrating and I want this to be an enjoyable pastime.  I already have a job.

Well, I don't want to derail my own thread, or start a debate, but as I've stated in various threads over the past few years in this forum, Legacy and DCS, in my experience, are very different.  In short, I believe DCS is a more complex system, allowing for greater possibilities.  But I think the complexity of DCS makes it a lot more quirky.  We entered the hobby almost 5 years ago buying  MTH exclusively, and followed Barry's wiring DCS protocol.  But I would be lying if I said my children - who are incredibly technically savvy - are happy with it.  They "put up" with it.  There has been a regular stream of nonsensical faults.  We bought Legacy with the VL Big Boy and it has performed flawlessly in these past 2 years. Uninterrupted "fun-wise" there is no contest.  Again, this is just our experience.  I'm sure there are lots of folks who have had different experiences.  

Peter

There seems to be a pretty clear consensus that Legacy is more user-friendly than DCS - more straight forward and significantly simpler to set up and operate. But there are are a good number of folks who like operating DCS, and there are those who like to tinker with it. Choice is good, and Barry's guide book is a good reference for DCS operators. But inexplicable and complex problems seem to crop up regularly, and a 242 page book to explain a system to operate toy trains is way too involved for me. If a system is that complicated, it's not my cup of tea, given that my time is limited, and that I am primarily interested in running trains and not managing the operating system.

Just how I roll.

Relative to the OP remarks about his engines predating the DCS version he is using, I've certainly experienced a new version of Apple's OS X introducing new bugs into hardware that predates that new OS by years.   But once the bugs are worked out in almost all cases the older hardware runs better with the newer operating system.   Upgrading to version 5 seems worthwhile even if version 4 isn't the ultimate root cause.

And relative to root causes and those kind folks that have responded to my earlier post, the "unexplainable" anomalies are really what keep making me postpone getting a TIU and WIU.  My sole PS2 engine's board failed 2 years ago.  It'd never been on the tracks more than 30 minutes tops since bought new over a decade earlier.  I could have converted to TMCC but I've always been fascinated by all the possibilities in DCS.  In the end I elected to have GGG replace the board and it stayed DCS but with a newer version of the PS2 board.   Plus there are just some MTH engines that Lionel will probably never make.

I'm now even more excited about DCS with the York announcement of Legacy capabilities beyond TMCC.  And I'll buy Barry's new WiFi book as soon as it's released.  I'll probably wait until this time next year though to see how everything shakes out with the advanced version of the app before I buy the TIU and WIU.  But issues like the OPs long ago convinced me to use TMCC and now Legacy for switch and accessory control.  So DCS will be strictly to operate DCS engines for me.  And that really comes down to wanting to use the cool features of the DCS engines but trying to limit the amount of the system I buy in order to limit the frustrations.   I've had plenty of frustrations with Lionel stuff, including my DOA 990.  But the problems seem more identifiable and understandable.  

But I'm continuing to follow this thread closely since hopefully I'll learn yet something else to help me roll out DCS for myself.  I'm committed to adding it sooner or later.

breezinup posted:

PJB posted:

mopac01 posted:

I have 1 PS2 engine and 1 PS1 engine.  I have quite a bit more in TMCC engines along with pretty much all the TMCC and Legacy/LCS system components.  I've long wanted to add DCS into this mix, but every time I read something like this about DCS or look at the 600+ pages in the DCS manual/books I decide to spend my money on more Legacy components.  

I have a lot of MTH rolling stock and I've long liked their offerings.  I've done star AND twisted wiring for my layout in anticipation of this.  But it seems like it's plenty frustrating and I want this to be an enjoyable pastime.  I already have a job.

Well, I don't want to derail my own thread, or start a debate, but as I've stated in various threads over the past few years in this forum, Legacy and DCS, in my experience, are very different.  In short, I believe DCS is a more complex system, allowing for greater possibilities.  But I think the complexity of DCS makes it a lot more quirky.  We entered the hobby almost 5 years ago buying  MTH exclusively, and followed Barry's wiring DCS protocol.  But I would be lying if I said my children - who are incredibly technically savvy - are happy with it.  They "put up" with it.  There has been a regular stream of nonsensical faults.  We bought Legacy with the VL Big Boy and it has performed flawlessly in these past 2 years. Uninterrupted "fun-wise" there is no contest.  Again, this is just our experience.  I'm sure there are lots of folks who have had different experiences.  

Peter

There seems to be a pretty clear consensus that Legacy is more user-friendly than DCS - more straight forward and significantly simpler to set up and operate. But there are are a good number of folks who like operating DCS, and there are those who like to tinker with it. Choice is good, and Barry's guide book is a good reference for DCS operators. But inexplicable and complex problems seem to crop up regularly, and a 242 page book to explain a system to operate toy trains is way too involved for me. If a system is that complicated, it's not my cup of tea, given that my time is limited, and that I am primarily interested in running trains and not managing the operating system.

Just how I roll.

Because some one writes a detailed book that explains all the capabilities, and methods to get the most out of your DCS system does not mean it is a more complicated system.  The fact that it is a 2 way communication system with more features can.  Look at the issues others have had with Legacy, both hardware faults, communication issues on layout, and size of remote with all the different screens and buttons.  There is a Legacy Group with a bunch of folks that help Legacy users through their issues.

Frankly, this post seems to be more about extending the dialogue about DCS short falls than solving his problem.

When I test DCS engines on my layout, 8x12.  I hook and older TIU version passively via jumper clips directly to the track.  My track is wired for TMCC, hasn't been cleaned in 3 years, has accessories all over it, and I only get 8-10 Signal strength near the TIU and 3-5 on the far end.  GUESS what,  I have no problems loading PS-2 to 3 engines and running them during my test phase.  How complicated is that?

If things get out of whack after sitting for the summer, and your not sure what the problem is, set up a small oval on the floor some where.  Attach you Legacy base or TIU, put on your Legacy or PS engine and test it.  If it works, but not on your complex layout, you have some issue on your layout.  IF It doesn't work, you need to swap engine or Command bases to find out what is wrong.  Test the engines Conventionally to ensure they work at all.  Things break.

Legacy base have poor signal strength, Legacy Receivers fail, TIU signal strength can fail, PS engines can have wiring issues that reduce reception.  All these things are fixable.   If you want to whine about a system, identify the title that way.  G

From GGG above:

Because some one writes a detailed book that explains all the capabilities, and methods to get the most out of your DCS system does not mean it is a more complicated system.  The fact that it is a 2 way communication system with more features can.  Look at the issues others have had with Legacy, both hardware faults, communication issues on layout, and size of remote with all the different screens and buttons.  There is a Legacy Group with a bunch of folks that help Legacy users through their issues.

Frankly, this post seems to be more about extending the dialogue about DCS short falls than solving his problem.

When I test DCS engines on my layout, 8x12.  I hook and older TIU version passively via jumper clips directly to the track.  My track is wired for TMCC, hasn't been cleaned in 3 years, has accessories all over it, and I only get 8-10 Signal strength near the TIU and 3-5 on the far end.  GUESS what,  I have no problems loading PS-2 to 3 engines and running them during my test phase.  How complicated is that?

If things get out of whack after sitting for the summer, and your not sure what the problem is, set up a small oval on the floor some where.  Attach you Legacy base or TIU, put on your Legacy or PS engine and test it.  If it works, but not on your complex layout, you have some issue on your layout.  IF It doesn't work, you need to swap engine or Command bases to find out what is wrong.  Test the engines Conventionally to ensure they work at all.  Things break.

Legacy base have poor signal strength, Legacy Receivers fail, TIU signal strength can fail, PS engines can have wiring issues that reduce reception.  All these things are fixable.   If you want to whine about a system, identify the title that way.  G

 From willygee

From years of automotive and marine electrical troubleshooting i was trained to use the "diagnostic tree"...the use of a test loop or track will vastly improve focusing in on problems....if your engines behave on these "test layouts" (and please repeat these tests multiple times) then that part of the diagnostic tree is satisfied. As GGG stated,now it is time to move on to your layout ... power supplies, track connections and a visual look over  etc. Automotive trained us to start with physical connections and voltage reads concurrent with Ford's famous "wiggle" test.. or jostle these connections with meters attached something i think most operators can handle. If these pass now where getting into increased levels of trouble shooting where advice from the pundits kicks in.

I can't emphasis enough....start with the basics.

GGG - not sure what post you are venting at, but for my part, the primary purpose of my OP was to ask for help with my latest DCS problem.  But, the fact is, as a human with emotions, the constant issues with DCS gets frustrating and I'm sure some of that came through in my posts.  If this thread is going to turn into a debate over DCS, then we should all recognize that people have differing experiences and this leads to different opinions - so I ask that we all please tread lightly I want to keep this thread somewhat on the rails for its intended purpose  

Our experience - we went exclusively with MTH / DCS when we entered the hobby almost 5 years ago, feeling it was the better choice. But in that time DCS has been quite quirky, with random nonsensical faults that regularly interrupt or halt play, despite setting up our layout according to Hoyle (actually, Barry).  Meanwhile, Legacy has been flawless for us.  

Now, if I was in my golden years wanting to tinker, then maybe I'd be O.K. with this.  But I'm not retired. I have a demanding position, and the goal was to get my twin sons (7 at the time we entered the hobby) into toy trains.  So given our experience and desires, it's hard to feel good about a system that constantly ruins our scant play time and puts frowns on their faces.  And, it's even harder to justify when this stuff isn't cheap.  If we bought our sons $500 drones and they constantly malfunctioned, they would have been returned and given one star reviews.  But that's not a fair benchmark, as this stuff costs a lot more than $500, considering locomotives, the command system and remotes. I think if you asked 100 people, "which one would you prefer to spend $1000+ on: (a) a command system and trains that work flawlessly, or (b) a command system and trains that constantly malfunction?" most (if not all) would prefer (a).   Keep in-mind that choice (a) for us would be Legacy, but this is based on our experience, and others may feel very differently. 

We're sticking with DCS for now as we like its features.  And, I'm not dismissing that Legacy may have issues too - it just hasn't been our experience. So, I'm not advocating that Legacy is better - I'm just saying that it has been better in our experience.  

I'll post separately with my update.

With my son's help, we successfully installed DCS 5 into our TIU and remotes this morning!

Not an easy task given how much this process relies on the consumer having just the right components, many of which are obscure or uncommon to have laying around the house in 2016. Luckily, we had an old Windows based computer (we use MacBook Pros and iPads nowadays), located an appropriate serial adapter cable, a 1.5 mm cable (pure serendipity) and the ancient curly phone cord my neighbor loaned me yesterday.  

Is our pike working any more problem-free?  Unknown.  We ran it for maybe 2 minutes, given the upgrade (between locating all the needed items and downloads) took over an hour.  I'll post again with an update. 

PJB posted:

With my son's help, we successfully installed DCS 5 into our TIU and remotes this morning!

Not an easy task given how much this process relies on the consumer having just the right components, many of which are obscure or uncommon to have laying around the house in 2016. Luckily, we had an old Windows based computer (we use MacBook Pros and iPads nowadays), located an appropriate serial adapter cable, a 1.5 mm cable (pure serendipity) and the ancient curly phone cord my neighbor loaned me yesterday.  

Good to know there's an opportunity for operators to class up their layouts a little, and promote efficiency, with different colored curly cords. 

Curly Cord 1959 Advert.

This is unrelated but I think I just shorted the TIU (top channel not transferring power to output side). I opened it up and fuses look fine but I noticed the black wire (its the one that looks like an arc in the bottom photo) is not connected at its top-most end, at top of TIU. Is it supposed to be?  And if so, how and to where?  Thanks 

That black wire is your antenna.