Installed Cruise Commander M - now where does the Green wire go?

The blue wire is the serial data wire and it goes to the R2LC socket pin #24.  If you connect it to pin 2, you're connecting it to track power, that's a REALLY bad idea, and will probably fry the CCM!

Pin 24 is the pin on the edge of the R2LC socket that connects toward the inside of the R2LC and is OPPOSITE the pin on the R2LC with the square pad.

The pin on the socket that connects to the illustrated pin below is where the wire connects for serial data.

Actually, the horn works fine without the green wire.  I have never needed the green wire, and all of mine signal changes.

As bill says, the chuff requires some additional data, what you did shouldn't have affected the chuff.

If you have whistle and bell sounds, its possible you bumped the the chuff  switch or wiring. If you just have start up sounds and nothing else then you will have to change the wiring to get serial data back to the tender.

Bill

Thanks Bill and John. I have all the sounds; start up, shut down, crew talk, including intermittent, random chuff. All the connections seem solid. Where is the chuff switch?

And I meant also to say I am really happy with the performance change with the CCM. This engine lurched up to about 20mph with the old board, now I'd say the low speed is about 4mph. And the cruise means I don't have to keep a hand on the throttle when going up and down my long grades. Overall an excellent, and not my last, CCM upgrade!

Bill, since the connections to the tender have not been changed, I can't imagine why this would affect the serial data.  I've put that CCM in several of the same type of locomotive, I never used the serial data output line.

The chuff switch is under the smoke unit, it's activated by the cam that pumps the smoke puffs out.  Many times for intermittent chuff, you can adjust the chuff switch to fix it.  A little bend of the metal arm is what I do first.

John

    I asked about the sounds  so I could eliminate the serial as the problem. Now that we know the chuff is the only thing not working , we can check the switch and wires. It just so happens I have a K-4 in the shop and this one has the smoke switch under the DCDR. So when installing he could have bump the switch or the wires causing a intermittent or no chuff.

The chuff was fine before installing the ccm. Bill, could you plz have a look and see where that green wire goes?

Thanks John

As Bill said, you don't need the green wire.  I think you simply have either a connection issue or the chuff switch got moved during the installation.

J B

   Did your original motor board have a ten pin connector, if so, did it use two wires. 

Bill

Hi Bill

Nope, just a 4 pin. I found a rev B and 2004 as markings.

By the way, I just tested it without tmcc active and the behavior was the same. Maybe more chuffs, but random just the same. 

J B

 I still believe its the switch or wiring. What about the jumper on the motherboard, did you move it.

Bill

I performed a similar upgrade to my Mikado Jr. By installing a cruise commander (not modular).    However, I had the same issues with my chuff sounds being intermittent, or seemingly locked in a stationary mode, with all other sounds working.  After several teardowns and even swapping boards, I did not get anywhere.  Then I realized it was the cherry switch.  At first I changed it out feeling it must be intermittent since it was soaked in smoke fluid from my overzealous daughter servicing the smoke unit.  But still, I had the same issues.  Then I happened to test the loco without the boiler, and everything worked fine!

I soon realized when I placed the boiler shell back on, the wiring was forced down into the area around the cam and switch.  My switch simply was being blocked, thus no chuffs, or intermittent chuffing.

I really think you should look at the cherry switch and test it, ensure it is free of obstructions, and lastly, ensure it is adjusted correctly.

Take it from someone who troubleshot it the hard way first.   Despite being buried under the smoke unit or boards, the cherry switch was an easy fix.  I just wish I had realized it much sooner.

Bill, John and now Jim, You guys nailed it - the reed switch (once I found it , duh) just needed to be bent up from underneath to flatten it out a bit. Another small tweak and the chuff is back!

You learn something every day in this hobby, I tell ya!

Thanks again for the help!

John