New PS3 engines no longer run in conventional mode

In conventional do a conventional reset with voltage around 10V.  1W and 5B.  After you hear the 2 toots see if it will move.  Sounds like a conventional lock in neutral.   G

I wonder why more remote control engines did not use the toggle switch on the engine as on the K-Line units did. You just turn switch off and you run conventional. The only remote control engine that I own is a K-Line Reading RS-3.  It starts and stops fine and has run only conventional. If you get a schematic wiring diagram for that engine you might be able to figure out how to add this switch.

GGG posted:

In conventional do a conventional reset with voltage around 10V.  1W and 5B.  After you hear the 2 toots see if it will move.  Sounds like a conventional lock in neutral.   G

Thanks GGG. I had forgotten about the conventional mode controls. I will have to build a bell controller since my ZW does not have one. Might take a few days before I can report back.

I have a bell button, if you're interested. No takers on the For Sale Forum, so the price just went down.

I ran an MTH KCS SD40-2, PS3, in conventional on my Grandson's small layout after his TIU blew a fuse. It didn't start up until about 20 seconds after being powered up. There were no horn or bell functions, but it smoked and ran well.  Power is a  MTH Z1000.

PS-3 in conventional mode need the super cap to charge before they start.  That normally takes 10-20secs.  You should see the headlight come on about 1-3secs.  G

GGG posted:

PS-3 in conventional mode need the super cap to charge before they start.  That normally takes 10-20secs.  You should see the headlight come on about 1-3secs.  G

You are right that is exactly what happened.

Gentlemen,

    This is one I really agree with Dennis on, there should be a switch on every engine to let it run in the conventional mode.  K-Line had this one right long ago.

PCRR/Dave 

I finally had a chance to get back to this after several busy weeks at work and a vacation. I borrowed a WBB transformer with the whistle/bell buttons and reset the engines. The SD40T-2 reset ok and resumed normal conventional operation. The SD9043MAC wasn't so nice. The SD9043MAC blew its horn twice after the reset command and then went completely dead on the tracks. No lights, No sound, No directional control. I shut down the transformer for about ten seconds and still nothing when I powered the transformer back up. I let the engine sit for a few minutes with the transformer off and eventually it did power up and operate. I'm going to try another call with MTH's service department and see if I can send the engine in for service.

Found this thread after doing a search of a problem I'm having with conventional operation.  I have a Dash-9 Proto 3 engine that won't run in conventional mode.  I tried the 1W and 5B approach but did not hear any blasts from the horn or any other sound.  When I start it up in DCS mode it seems to run fine, with all movement and sound functions.  Any thoughts/suggestions as to what else I should try?  Thanks.

mike.caruso posted:

Found this thread after doing a search of a problem I'm having with conventional operation.  I have a Dash-9 Proto 3 engine that won't run in conventional mode.  I tried the 1W and 5B approach but did not hear any blasts from the horn or any other sound.  When I start it up in DCS mode it seems to run fine, with all movement and sound functions.  Any thoughts/suggestions as to what else I should try?  Thanks.

So when you power up in conventional mode (no TIU) does it just sit silently?  Could the conventional mode volume adjustment control be turned down to minimum volume?

On the conventional track (no TIU) it revs up and has sound, lights.  When I place it on a test track connected to a TIU, it sits silently until I use the DCS remote for start-up.  Then it has sound, movement etc.

Mike,

mike.caruso posted:

...I tried the 1W and 5B approach but did not hear any blasts from the horn or any other sound. 

Just to be clear, are you doing this from the DCS remote with the engine set to conventional mode on a Variable Track?

Or are you doing this from the transformer?  The timing can be a little tricky.  Here's a video illustrating the timing on a Z-4000 and a Z-750 with the double-horn-blast acknowledgement.

stan2004 posted:

mike.caruso posted:

...I tried the 1W and 5B approach but did not hear any blasts from the horn or any other s

Just to be clear, are you doing this from the DCS remote with the engine set to conventional mode on a Variable Track?

Or are you doing this from the transformer?  The timing can be a little tricky.  Here's a video illustrating the timing on a Z-4000 and a Z-750 with the double-horn-blast acknowledgement.

 

Stan, the video helped because I don't think I was pressing the buttons fast enough to get the desired result.  (I was kind of doing a "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi" method)  Just now I tried to follow the video, and after two or three attempts the double horn blast sounded and now she's off and running. Many thanks.  

Barry, thanks to you as well for taking the time to help.  I think I may have not stated my dilemma clearly enough, in that I wasn' trying to get it to run conventionally on the track with the TIU.  That's just a test track in the basement, used for loading engine info into the remote....which I then bring to the Club.  My home layout doesn't have any command wiring.  Yet.  LOL

Thanks to both, and may you have a Happy Thanksgiving!  

For what its worth, I sent my SD9043MAC engine back to MTH twice on my dime and both times MTH claimed no problem found and yet I still have problems with it every time I cycle power. Basically what I got out of one of there tech support representatives is that there is a capacitor on the board that does not drain down in time and does not allow the board to reset. I need to sit there and wait for like 2 minutes with the power off or my engine will not move when I turn it back on. You would think the second time around, they would just replace the PS3 board and be done with it. I'm quite irritated with MTH having called them a half dozen times about this. 

I have a similar situation with a starter set ES44 loco.  When it starts in conventional, it tries to move forward but stops almost immediately and goes into reverse.  Runs in reverse fine, but no neutral and no forward.  In DCS mode, it is fine.  Called Mikes and was told to load the chain file into the loco and that would repair it.  Spent tonight doing that and it's no better.  Any ideas?

Do a conventional Reset procedure or the unlock procedure.  Sounds like it is locked in reverse.  G

Thanks for the input, guys.  I did the conventional reset today at the store and it was very finicky (took several times), but now everything is fine.  I should know to come here before calling MTH.  You guys have much better answers than them!