Train america tmcc help

- Does it move in conventional mode?

 

- Have set control mode to "CAB-1" or "TMCC" instead of "Legacy"?

Let me know if you need the documentation for the TAS stuff, I have both the SAW and the EOB installation manuals.  Might be of use debugging.

 

I'm betting on the Legacy setting, that's bit me a couple of times.

It says cab 1 setting

CAB1 works fine for the TAS stuff.  Does it run in conventional, that was a good question?

need to try that today.  does it need the battery to run as that is not in?

The battery just insures continuity of the sound when power is interrupted for direction changes, it's not needed for operation of the locomotive.

tried running it without tmcc on the track or traditional and it comes up on sound in neutral and horn and bell work etc but as soon as your turn off the voltage to got to forward the sounds goes off and does not come back on when you turn transformer back on.  it stays dead.

One last test, is it drawing any power when it goes "dead"?  Measure the current draw and see what you get.

 

Sounds like the board may have taken a dive.  You can first try swapping the R2LC, it's the same as in most Lionel locomotives.

The Trainman RSD 4/5 does not use TAS components. They are actually Lionel components. The problem you are describing seems to be loose connections somewhere. Pull off the shell and check all connections from the motors to the DCDR. Then check all connections at the DCDR.

If they're the standard Lionel modular electronics with the motherboard, this will be much easier to diagnose.

 

As stated, first thing to check is all the connections.  I'd look closely at the motor connections, I had one of those break and had the exact symptoms. 

 

The sound not coming back in is perplexing, since the sound and the motor drive only share the R2LC in common.  Well, obviously power, but it sounds like you're getting power.

John,  Not true about connections.  The DCDR-S FM3 installed in GP-30s with Odyssey have 2 wires coming from the 8 pin connector on the DCDR.  One goes to the serial data on the R2LC, but the second wire connects to the RS board via the motherboard.

 

I don't know if this is applicable to the ATLAS RSD4/5, but I have wonder what the wire to the RS board does.

 

I would try using a battery in conventional mode and see if the sounds stay on (diesel in neutral) with a direction change or if they still go out.  G 

The wire to the RS board brings the motor speed information to the RS board.  When you do an ERR install, you connect leads directly to the motor for the same purpose.

That is interesting, why wouldn't that information come from the R2LC which commanded the set speed?  It is interesting that an 8 pin connector is used when in application only one or 2 pins are used.  I wonder what the growth will be.  G

The R2LC commands the speed, but the motor driver actually knows what it's doing with the motor. 

 

I think the extra pins are for testing, many of the boards I've looked at have a bunch of test pins.  I'm assuming they're for the debugger to program the FLASH on the board.

Well I took the shell off and after very close inspection I found only one loose wire: the wire to the center roller of one truck.  Everything else was connected.  Will have to try the lhs for an exchange or refund or repair.
I hate getting engines with no run feature, had way more than my share of it.