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Can i use the 5.0 loader to clone one remote to another even though the TIU and both remotes are all 4.20 ? I enjoy excellent stability using 4.20 . I have several 4,5 and 6 engine mu's/lashups that perform well in the 4.20 environment ,member engine settings ,ID's etc all stay put. Thanks in advance.

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Dave,

   In reality you should upgrade all your equipment to the latest revisions, mismatching them can lead to some unexpected problems.  A while back I had a run away Train on my 3rd level, because of a mismatched Hand held Remote Control and TIU, after Barry advised me to make sure all my DCS equipment was matched, and to the latest revision if possible, I eliminated the problem.   Some unexpected crazy control problems can happen when you mismatch your DCS Packages.  

PCRR/Dave

Dave,

Will a remote with v 4.2 software work with a TIU with v 5.0 software?

Yes, it should "work". The questions is, "how well and will there be issues?"

There were significant changes made between DCS 4.2 and 4.3, and additional changes between 4.3 and 5.0. I would strongly advise against mixing DCS versions on a layout.

Thanks to all for the input.  Turns out the new TIU/Remote have v5.0 software, so it turned out to be a moot point for me.

On a side note, my prior TIU was rev H.2 and the layout has many engineering filters.  I installed the new TIU Rev.L to make sure it worked and to do a signal test (yes, without removing the filters against recommended practice).  I have 3 loops (about 20' x 20') with sidings coming off the inside main.  Signal test was all 10s on the inside main.  Mostly 10s for the outer two mains with some 9s and 8s mixed in, but at one particular spot on the layout.  The strength overall is slightly less than with TIU rev H.2 and filters, but not by much.  I still need to test the yard and the sidings, but so far so good.

Dave

Barry,

Thanks for the input.  I tested the yard last night with Rev. L and the readings were all over the map.  Clearly the filters are having an impact, at least in the yard.  I did the test with both the H.2 and L for comparison.  The layout and yard are stable with Rev H.2 and it's been this way for 8 years without a problem.  My reason for getting the new TIU was two-fold, one was to have a back-up on hand if one were to fail.  The second was to get an additional remote so I could have remotes in each operating area of the layout.  I'd love to start removing filters to see how Rev L might work on its own, but then I would be messing with Rev H.2's stability.  And the filters are soldered to the rails so I would have to cut them to take them out, then solder them back together if the filter was still needed.  Sadly my layout is challenging for a DCS set-up, modular (25 mods total), molex plugs between modules, terminal strips at each end of every module to attach the molex plugs, and control panels with toggles.  The layout was originally wired pre-command systems.  When I put DCS in, I did re-wire as much as I could (isolated grounds for each main and the yard, setting up blocks where I could in the yard etc).  That and the filters is what got me to a stable condition.  The yard is funky because I have longish runs from the control panel toggles to the track blocks (where some of the blocks are spurs),  just the opposite of what is recommended (I think I read you want to make the longest wire runs from the TIU to the terminal block, the shortest run from the terminal block to the track.

If and when Rev H.2 dies, I'll put Rev L into service and tackle the signal balancing then.

Thanks for the suggestions, though.  It's just that I'd rather be running trains now than tackling what could become a challenging signal re-balancing act.  Well, maybe not challenging, but doing it the first time 8 years ago sure was and those memories still linger...

Dave

RJR,

Yep, I know, but I still wanted a back up TIU, thus I pulled the trigger on the complete system.  I am going to put up another post under a new title about my trials and tribulations of trying to re-address my engines, part of an effort to organize my remotes' engine list.  Trying to get my engines in the 1 -XX slots so that when friends come over, their engines will get addressed to higher numbers and then appear below my engines in either the active or inactive list.  I re-addressed mine a couple of years ago to the 50-XX slots for a similar reason and that worked fine until today, for some reason trying to get them into the 1-XX slots does not work every time.  Not going very well, probably will post tomorrow once I get my thoughts together.  I thought maybe I needed to reset the remote to erase the existing addresses, but that didn't work. Just reloaded them to whatever address the TIU assigned and everything works, but the addresses are all over the map.

Dave

  I thought maybe I needed to reset the remote to erase the existing addresses, but that didn't work. Just reloaded them to whatever address the TIU assigned and everything works, but the addresses are all over the map.

 The only way to change an engine address is with the EDIT engine address command under the engine set up menu.

There are a couple of exceptions... An engine  factory reset removes the engines address and the engine will load back to the remote at the lowest available  remote  ID.

Engine IDs stick with the engine so if you delete an engine it still has it's ID number.. It's just longer in the remote.

A good battery with proto-2 is required  to make changes else the engine will revert back to it's old setting.

 When adding use a programming track ., one engine at a time, everything else on dead tracks or off the layout.

 No need for a programming track  when  editing  the address.

 

Last edited by Gregg

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