TMCC loco stopped running

Since the loco won't move in conventional mode either, have you checked to see if something is jammed in the gears?  Do the motors rotate freely by hand?

Eric,

 

Thats pretty much what happened to mine!  It might be worth just checking that the boards are seated properly by removing them and re installing just in case its a bad contact and/or corrosion.

 

CHEERS MIKE

Thanks guys

 

I have done the usual things , checked for loose wire, reseated boards, checked motors, but no joy

 

That is why I wonder if its stuck in an odd mode or the motor control board has gone bad 

When you say "checked the motors", did you unplug the motor plug and power the motors to see if they run?

 

Assuming you have anther TMCC locomotive, one of the simple diagnostic steps would be to swap the R2LC and reprogram to see if that helps.  The motor drive signals come from the R2LC through the MB to the DCDR connector and then through the cable to the DCDR.  The two main active components are the R2LC and DCDR in the picture.  The R2LC is the easiest one to swap, hence I usually try that one first.  However, you can also swap the DCDR, and it's the more likely issue.

 

I have spare boards for these, so I just perch the DCDR on top and plug it in for a test.

Well it is the DCDR, what happened was that the motor came loose and must have shorted the back of the board as it was flying round ! very sad

 

Anybody know where I can get a replacement board or an ERR equivalent or is it $100 from Lionel the only option, part 691DCDSHM5

 

If you shop around, you should be able to do better than that.  Truthfully, for less than $100, I'd go for the ERR Cruise Commander M, it'll give you cruise capability and completely replaces the DCDR.  Check with Boxcar Bill on the forum here, he sells them at a discount.  The list price is $84.99 for generic TMCC locomotives, so I'm guessing you can do better than that.

 

Folks here may have some DCDR modules from upgrades as well, I've seen quite a few move through here and eBay, typically for around $40-40.

Hi Marty

 

The model is 6-28208 Burlington Northern TMCC U33C #5734

 

The one thing left to do that I haven't done yet from all the advice is remove the DCDR and look at the plug underneath as I understand that these have given trouble in the past

 

Where on the board can I check for the correct voltages ? so that I can check that the 5V DC supply is arriving

 

Thanks John for your previous advice, just to confirm the motors run fine with 12VDC applied direct to them

As Marty says, one of my first steps is to reseat all boards and connectors, that is a common issue.  If you end up deciding on the Cruise Commander M, note that it would be the $89.95 list model for Odyssey locomotives, FYI.

Firstly, Marty thanks for helping

 

I have got 5V at the motor sensor board, so that seems OK, when I unplug the 4 pin connector it goes away so it looks like the 5V feed from the R2LC board is OK

 

I haven't removed the board to check the connector underneath is that worth doing

Marty, thanks for the drawing, I have traced the wiring back from the 6pin Molex and I have found the problem, when I wiggle the red wire on the 2 pin Molex plug on the main board the engine runs, having said that I have no idea how to fix that, I guess it must be a new plug and wires with connectors attached ?

Did as you suggest, I now have power to all pins

 

Now I have a new fault, when the engine runs in TMCC mode the throttle goes from nothing to full power , in conventional mode it works fine

If the whistle/bell still works in neutral, it sounds like the sensor on the flywheel is disconnected or broken.  Did you check the wiring between that and the TMCC board?

Thanks for all your replies

 

The ERR M is now installed and its a different engine, works brilliantly with very smooth speed control, a pleasure to run

 

The next step is to save up and upgrade my other TMCC engines to the ERR board

I did the upgrade to a K-line RS-3 with the cruise commander and absolutely love the slow speed control that it offers. About the only thing that I thought about doing is installing a switch to turn the speed control off/on if I want to do a MU. Other than that it is well worth the money. I showed a customer of mine the difference between same units with and without and they couldn't believe the difference. Glad it's working for you.