No brake squeal on Lionel TMCC loco with Pullmor

There are only two wires on the microswitch, it's the sensor that controls motor RPM sounds.

Have you got it going at a good clip and used the brake button on the remote?  That should get the break sounds.

John, so we've confirmed that two wires is correct.  That's good, and it's what I thought, because I didn't recall ever seeing a third wire.  Also, as I said, the two wires appear to be connected securely at both ends.  I have tried maintaining a high speed and then decelerating using the throttle (rapidly) as well as using the brake button.  There is absolutely no way I can produce any brake squeal at all.  Any other ideas?

Thanks.

Keith

Hi, according to the manual for your locomotive, you should use the aux code of 8 when resetting, not 5. Perhaps this may make a difference. Also, I believe that the brake squeal only functions when you use the brake button. Hope this may help.

Thanks, Nicole.  However the reset code of 8 that's stated in the manual for this locomotive is wrong (Lionel evidently forgot to change it when they picked up this part of the text from another manual).  When you reprogram using 8, it not only doesn't activate brake squeal, but it stops the strobe light from strobing and reverses the on/off commands for the strobe light itself.  If you look at http://www.thetraindoctor.com/reset.shtml, it's clear that the correct reset code is 5.  The brake button does not activate brake squeal when using reset code 8 or 5.

Other ideas?

Keith

Code 5 or 8 wouldn't affect this issue at all, and as Keith observes, 8 will turn the strobe output into a smoke output.

Does the prime mover RPM go up when you increase speed?  If so, I'm at a total loss.

This may or may not help you. I've got a Legacy diesel that loses its brake sounds once in a while.  The odd part is the interior cab light stays on when the diesel is under way during the brake silence. A slap on the cab roof straightens everything out. Brakes sounds back and cab light shuts as engine starts moving. Disassembly is not warranted yet but could this relate to your situation?

Pull the boards and reseat them on the mother board.  G

If you have a Cab 2, try it in Cab1 mode.

Bill

"Does the prime mover RPM go up when you increase speed?" -- Yes.

"If you have a Cab 2, try it in Cab1 mode." -- No difference.

"Pull the boards and reseat them on the mother board." -- Which board(s) should be removed and reseated?

Keith

There's only three boards, just reseat them all.  Once you're in there, it's simple.

I pulled the boards and reseated them. No change to anything. Everything works on this engine except that the brake squeal is absent.

I wonder if the prime mover RPM going up and down as speed is increased or decreased, which works fine, is controlled by the current draw from the Pullmor and not by the cam on the rear axle? Is it possible that the cam on the rear axle controls only the brake squeal? If this is the case, could the problem be that the microswitch that's actuated by the cam is not working?

Before the brake squeal disappeared entirely, I was able to get brake squeal occasionally--I don't know if there was or wasn't any consistency in the conditions in which the brake squeal worked. Is it possible that something in the microswitch was degrading and now has degraded to the point that it doesn't work at all? Is it possible that the copper strip on the microswitch has softened from use and now needs to be bent a bit to ensure that when the cam strikes the strip that the microswitch is actuated?

What do you guys/gals think?

Keith

Disconnect the cam on the axle, the prime mover will remain at idle all the time.  It does indeed control the prime mover RPM sounds.

When the engine is moving at a medium clip, press the brake button on the CAB-1 or Cab-2.  Does the brake squeal occur?  Not sure if you are just trying to activate it with the throttle, or actually using the brake button, which always should inject the brake squeal.  G

No brake squeal with the brake button on either the CAB1 or CAB2.

OK, we know the cam/microswitch is working because the primer mover RPM sounds go up and down as speed increases and decreases.  I reseated all three boards.  All connections are snug.  All TMCC and RailSounds functions work normally with both the CAB1 and CAB2--except there is zero brake squeal with the brake button or throttle with either.

Could Sherlock Holmes solve this mystery?

Keith

I would try a different sound board from another diesel or another radio board.  Also try different momentum setting.

Bill

Must be a defective part.  Question is which board generates the squeal.  I think Bill's advice to swap in different boards.  I am thinking the RS board is defective for that function.  Especially if the Brake button slowed the engine down, but did not induce the sounds.  G