What did you change on your remote to access your son's TIU?  I can't figure why your son's wouldn't work; I have often exchanged TIUs.  Second mistake was resetting the remote.  First was not backing the remote up to a computer.  On remote, be sure that DCS signal is turned on.

I don’t think it’s a problem with the remote as it seems to be seeing and communicating with the TIU.  The issue seems to be within the TIU and that’s what has me puzzled.  Power is getting to the track just fine but, there doesn’t appear to be a DCS signal reaching the track.  Since I can’t get an engine to load I can’t test the signal strength but, when I checked signal strength on my layout Friday, it was a 10 the whole way around.

Of course, that was then and this is now. 🤷

I’ll add one more quirk to this; engines that had been in my TIU before I did the factory reset won’t run now - even in conventional.  I even tried three of them on a test track wired to an MTH Z1000 and zip.

Curt

Did you do as I said:  In remote turn on DCS signal.

Resetting the remote wiper stuff out.  Never reset a remote unless you've backed it up first.

@juniata guy posted:

I’ll add one more quirk to this; engines that had been in my TIU before I did the factory reset won’t run now - even in conventional.  I even tried three of them on a test track wired to an MTH Z1000 and zip.

Curt

If they won't run in conventional, no use looking any further. Do they do anything on powered track? ( no TIU in the chain!)

Try a conventional reset on one, using only the Z1000 with no TIU in circuit.

@RJR posted:

Try a conventional reset on one, using only the Z1000 with no TIU in circuit.

What are the steps to perform a conventional reset using the Z1000? Thanks I’m advance!

Joe; they start up - the horn and bell function but, pressing the directional button or using the transformer handle do nothing.  I’m wondering if I placed these PS3 engines on a friends DCS equipped layout and did a factory reset if that would restore to at least conventional operation?  May need to try that this week.

I have a sense I’m overlooking something obvious here which is nagging me.

Thanks!

Curt

With no TIU in circuit and only one loco on a powered track.  Put voltage to above 10.  Press whistle button once followed by 5 bell button pushes at half-second intervals.  Timing is critical.  If you succeed, two toots.  If not, try again.  I'd try the Z4000.

I would not try factory resetting at this point. 

How do you power your TIU?  Through AUX port?

I agree there's some obvious omission.  Still don't know why son's TIU wouldn't work.  It should have, if set to same ID address as yours.

Have you in your remote turned on the DCS signal????????

@RJR posted:

With no TIU in circuit and only one loco on a powered track.  Put voltage to above 10.  Press whistle button once followed by 5 bell button pushes at half-second intervals.  Timing is critical.  If you succeed, two toots.  If not, try again.  I'd try the Z4000.

I would not try factory resetting at this point. 

How do you power your TIU?  Through AUX port?

ANSWER: Power is supplied from the WiFi unit via the cable. Plugs into the top of the TIU.

I agree there's some obvious omission.  Still don't know why son's TIU wouldn't work.  It should have, if set to same ID address as yours.

Have you in your remote turned on the DCS signal????????

ANSWER: I’m not clear on this.  The remote appears to be linked to the TIU since it can read the firmware version.  I’m assuming this would be from the System category but, I’m not seeing anything that indicates turning on a DCS signal.

Edit to add I’ve scrolled to DCS SETUP; and clicked on All Outputs On.  Still get no engine found.

the power from the WIFI is not enough to run the TIU!

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

I guess OP pulled the post where he mentioned wifi.  I don't have a remote handy, but under the menus there is an item to turn the DCS signal on or off.  Under Menu go to system then DCS setup, and you'll find an item to turn the DCS signal on or off on the individual tracks.

Joe:

This is pretty much how I’ve done it since I bought the WiFi unit a few years back.  Now; I do have connections from the transformer into both fixed one and two but, I believe the TIU powers up only when I turn on the power bar the WiFi is plugged into.  After turning the power bar on, I then turn the transformer on.

Just as a quick test, I ran downstairs and disconnected the cable between the WiFi and the TIU.  When I turned the transformer on, the LED in the TIU did not illuminate so it obviously wasn’t drawing any power from the transformer.  As soon as I plugged in the cable between the TIU and WiFi, the LED in the TIU came on. Not sure if that’s important or not.  🤔

Curt

@RJR posted:

I guess OP pulled the post where he mentioned wifi.  I don't have a remote handy, but under the menus there is an item to turn the DCS signal on or off.  Under Menu go to system then DCS setup, and you'll find an item to turn the DCS signal on or off on the individual tracks.

Thanks!  I’ll try that tomorrow.  I’ve put about seven hours in downstairs today and really need to just walk away from it for awhile.

Edit:  Actually I’m pretty sure I did that. I remember clicking the soft key under AON (All On).

Curt

The wifi may supply enough power to let the led light and maybe some minor functions, but not full tiu operation.  Your tiu probably has been running on power from FIXED 1.

Just a hunch... you don’t have the inputs and outputs reversed do you?

@juniata guy posted:

Thanks!  I’ll try that tomorrow.  I’ve put about seven hours in downstairs today and really need to just walk away from it for awhile.

Edit:  Actually I’m pretty sure I did that. I remember clicking the soft key under AON (All On).

Curt

It’s under menu, system, DCS setup.

@Engineer-Joe posted:

the power from the WIFI is not enough to run the TIU!

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

@Engineer-Joe posted:

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

He might have missed that Joe.   Let's try again...

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

@rplst8 posted:

Just a hunch... you don’t have the inputs and outputs reversed do you?

No sir.  I’ve got inputs and outputs labeled.  And trust me; I’ve probably gone back and double checked that at least twenty times today.  😉

Curt

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

He might have missed that Joe.   Let's try again...

You must power the TIU from fixed #1 or the aux power in!

GRJ:

I didn’t miss it! 😉

I’ve got an input from side 1 of my Z4000 to input 1 on the TIU.  As noted above though, I checked earlier and the TIU LED did not illuminate with just the transformer on.

If this indicates I’m not getting power through the Fixed 1; does MTH sell a cable I can plug into my power bar then into the Aux power in?

Idle thought and likely irrelevant but; my fixed input 1 pairs with my fixed output 1 and the track that leads to it is hosting a conventional engine.  It’s running fine.

Thanks!

Curt

YIKES!

Do not connect TIU inputs to TIU outputs!  I hope that's not what you're saying!

GRJ and Joe:

I owe you two a bucket of beer!  Borrowed the power supply cord from the Z1000 on my test track, plugged it into the TIU and things are working properly!  

A huge thank you to everyone who responded.  I’m smiling again and will be able to sleep tonight!  👍

Curt

PS:  GRJ no sir, in is IN and out is OUT.  😉

Sometimes it's the simple things that bite you.  Glad you sorted it out and are back on the air.

Thanks again John!  After seeing how the additional power source worked on mine, I dug out another I had laying around, plugged it into my son’s TIU and now his DCS system is functioning properly as well.

Curt

Are you saying that it didn’t work using the TIU fixed input 1, but did work using a Z1000 on the aux power port?

@rplst8 posted:

Are you saying that it didn’t work using the TIU fixed input 1, but did work using a Z1000 on the aux power port?

That’s pretty much it.  Before I got the WiFi, the only power to the TIU would have been through Fixed 1.  After adding the WiFi, that was putting power to the TIU as well.

Since this arrangement worked just fine for years and I always had 10’s the whole way around my layout when I’d check the signal, I guess I didn’t really think I needed to do it any differently.

Something must have occurred either when I disconnected my TIU to try my son’s on my layout or when I reconnected.  I have no idea what that something was but, given how tired and frustrated I was, it would not be a shock if I screwed something up without knowing.

In any event, the addition of the external power sources solved the problem on both my layout and my son’s.  We had an early morning father / son train running session this morning before he and his fiancée headed to the mountains for the day.

Curt

@juniata guy posted:

That’s pretty much it.  Before I got the WiFi, the only power to the TIU would have been through Fixed 1.  After adding the WiFi, that was putting power to the TIU as well...

Hmm, seems like something is awry in fixed input 1 then.  If your trains are working, that’s good, but the TIU should work fine with power applied to that input. 

I have a Rev. I3a TIU sans USB therefore there is no power coming from the USB so I can’t test this, but maybe it’s a sequencing problem.  For example maybe if there is power applied to the USB port before power to fixed input 1 it then fails to use that input for power?

@rplst8 posted:

Hmm, seems like something is awry in fixed input 1 then.  If your trains are working, that’s good, but the TIU should work fine with power applied to that input. 

I have a Rev. I3a TIU sans USB therefore there is no power coming from the USB so I can’t test this, but maybe it’s a sequencing problem.  For example maybe if there is power applied to the USB port before power to fixed input 1 it then fails to use that input for power?

Beats me. 🤷

I had a Stat professor back in college named Dr. Kelly.  At one point, when I was struggling with a statistical “tree” Doc Kelly told me - “Mr. W, you need to simply accept that some things are and quit worrying about why they are.”

It was advice that served me well in Statistics from that point on and my overriding inclination right now is to simply leave well enough alone. 😉

Curt