DCS Question with Climax Logging Steam Loco 20-3447-1

Occasional threads pop up that a PS3 engine (including diesel) isn't following the smoke on/off mechanical setting when powering up using the DCS Remote Commander...in some cases intermittent as you are experiencing.  I don't know if that qualifies as "normal" but you're not the only one.

Stan,

Thanks for your reply. I sent an email to MTH. Let's see what they say.

Charles

I'm experiencing the same problem with my second MTH engine. Let's see what MTH writes back.

No reply from MTH. Anyone else have an explanation why the engine smokes when the feature is turned off or have a solution? See my first post. Thank you.

The only thing I can recommend is find someone with the full DCS and do a factory reset on the engine and see if that helps.

I know factory reset does not help. It seems to me that the smoke switch is only for conventional running because that is the only time it works on my PS-3 Alco S-2.

I solved the problem dumping the DCS RC and getting DCS. Go figure in the end, I run the smoke unit all the time.

Some PS3 engines had a bad run of pot controls. I had this issue recently with an 0-6-0 and the DCSRC. I use the DCSRC on my inner loop and the full blown on the outer. I would check the pot under the tender to see if it is bad. If it is turned off on the engine, it should not come on via the DCSRC but sometimes it has its "quirks and forgets" but a shutdown/startup cycle clears it up. 

After many emails to MTH, I received a reply. See email below.

"I am sorry to hear of your smoke issue. I have reviewed this with a tech and he says it sounds like your are turning the smoke Pot to off and then putting it to power too quickly. It needs a few seconds in order to read that the Pot has been turned off. So, please be sure you are turning the power off to the track, removing the engine from the track and turning the smoke pot to the off position, then placing the engine back on the track and then power it up again. If this does not answer your question you may speak directly to one of our techs when you call on  a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 12noon and 5pm Eastern time at 410 381 2580."

Per following thread, MTH recently released engine software to fix this:

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...-for-ps3-rtr-engines

I haven't seen much discussion about anyone actually doing this, or any LHS offering this to their customers, etc., but one of the MTH gurus might know the scoop.

Gee, 6 months from your original post and counting...  I admire your patience and persistence!

That seems normal for your engine when used with DSC remote CDR.  The system looks at what the pot setting is then set smoke to that setting.  So if it is off it will be off, if on it will turn on.  It does take a power cycle to make a change.

The issue Stan was talking about was engines that would still smoke lightly even when the pot was off.  That was a software issue.  G