PROBLEMS WITH THE PFA BUTTON

What is your signal level when you check it with remote n tiu should be close to a 10

Once your in PFA mode you have no control until the sequence is finished. I  think there is four parts to the sequence cycle to each one using the DIR button. In the last sequence the engine will ring the bell and move out at the speed it came in on, when the bell stops ringing you have control.  On my pike the PFA button is off limits unless you are competent with its operation. 

As far as taking off to fast , did you set your acceleration speed ?

Hope this helps

Clem

You can press the PFA button and cancel the sequence.

Thank you John I forgot that, thats why its off limits to my self also.  I usually play it one time when I first get the engine, then very seldom. 

I think you should make Don take a drug test

I have had several replies to this and I wish to acknowledge all of them.  First, I was asked my signal strength.  The suggestion was to check it with the remote and TIU.  How do I do this?

Don has been suspended till further notice for joy riding in company equipment.

I tried hitting the PFA button again but not only did it not work, nothing worked.  It was as if the remote had lost connection with the track.

Finally, I know MTH created this.  But what purpose does it serve?  I run freight trains.  I can understand something akin to a pilot coming on the com and saying, "good afternoon ladies and gentleman, this is your pilot speaking.  Like to welcome you aboard crash and burn airlines."  But "Well Don it looks like we've been directed to a siding track to let another train go by."  First of all, you have to be on the track the other train is using, and this sounds like something that would be said while you are moving, not sitting still inside a railyard.  "Dispatch this is Renegade 69."  "Go ahead 69."  "Roger we're bored and would like to leave, how about throwing the Chesapeake switch and letting us the hell out of here."  "No."

Now that's entertaining television

I only use PFA when the engine is stopped.  The announcements are geared to a stopped train (arriving at xyz station, all aboard,  waiting in the hole for another train, etc.).

First thing about the set speed function, would be to set the accel rate to the #1 so that the engine does not appear to jump to a high speed setting. Even if you don't change it, knowing that the engine adjusts quickly, I'd recommend using a couple of steps to get up to full track speed. Set the engine at 15 MPH for example and then another setting like 25 MPH.

 The PFA sequence is activated by pressing the PFA button, and then the red direction button after you hear the bell start ringing and when you wish the engine to stop, or play the next sound sequence. It will accelerate at the end to the last speed the engine was at before you pressed the PFA. So again use the accel rate to change just how fast the engine goes up to that speed or slow the engine before pressing the PFA!

He said the direction button did nothing, as did the Estop. It sure sounds like no signal.

Obviously, the controls have to reach the locomotive for them to be acted upon!

Again all great replies, thanks again.  In reference to using PFA on a stopped train, I agree 100%.  I did that this evening with my CSX ES44AC.  Nice little diddy about being cleared to take the track headed for wherever.  On that same note, yes, it does appear that the 8888 incident was due to complete loss of signal, as the most important button for just such an occasion did not respond.  As for the accel rate settings, I will play with that, did not think of that.  Thanks for the help on that one.  Did experience something this evening and if this is along the lines of bad signal power, I need to know why and how to address it.  My CSX engine WAS on the track, even though the remote said it wasn't.  I checked all trucks and wheel and they were planted on the rails.  So, did only other thing I could do and moved the engine to the terminal track piece and tried again.  All of a sudden it was on the track and I selected it and I ran it.  So why didn't it register no more than 3 feet away on a parking track?

I've seen ENGINE NOT ON TRACK many times after selecting an engine.  Usually, if I press the START button anyway, the engine starts up.

I can't answer your question as to why it registers only 3 feet away and I don't know why mine start up even though they are "not on the track", but I'm interested to see what answers you get.

Sometimes, when you come across a signal issue like you may be experiencing here, it might be helped somewhat by cleaning the track. Give it a good wipe down, i find that sometimes it helps when one of my PS loco's gets wonky.

From the DCS manual;

Track Signal

DCS allows you to test the power distribution to your track, so you can find and repair weak spots.

1. Go to the active engine list and select the Proto-Sound 2.0 engine you will use to test the track signal.

2. Scroll through the softkey list and select the softkey under More.

3. Scroll down to Track Signal in the complete softkey list.

4. After about a second the LCD will show you the track quality in the form of a number that gets updated once per second. For most operations, a number of 5 or higher is strong enough to run your layout. For especially data intensive operations, such as Proto-Cast and sound set downloads, your may find that a higher number is required.

5. When you are ready to stop checking track signal and return to normal operations, press and hold the S5 softkey under END for 1-2 seconds until the LCD returns to the active engine screen.

After cleaning the track and checking signal level, if it's anything lower than 10s, you might try a few things.

Remove any Lionel (TMCC and/or Legacy) equipped engines and powered cars from the track. In fact, remove all other brands and equipment. Like cabooses and pass cars. Just test one engine for signal, at a time alone on the track. 

If you have anything drawing power from the same source as the track, remove it.

If you have a car with lights push it around the track and watch to see if it dims as it goes round.

Try connecting the outside rails together.

Make sure all track joints are solid. If any problem areas you may have to solder them together.

What brand and model of track? What power supply? how big is the layout? How many power connections?

What model TIU? any lights connected for signal?

E-STOP should shut down the TIU, so I would think there is a problem with the remote communicating with the TIU and engines. I would try re-seating the boards in the TIU and remote.

After cleaning the track and checking signal level, if it's anything lower than 10s, you might try a few things.  My responses are in this color using your questions

 Remove any Lionel (TMCC and/or Legacy) equipped engines and powered cars from the track. In fact, remove all other brands and equipment. Like cabooses and pass cars. Just test one engine for signal, at a time alone on the track.  Keep reading

 If you have anything drawing power from the same source as the track, remove it.

All of my outlets I have in the room are wired to the same breaker. Only the outlets at the cabinet shelf where I keep my equipment are powering the powered equipment, i.e. the TIU, the Brick, the Base 1L box, and a Transformer I hooked to the variable IN 1 port for my grandson’s train.

 If you have a car with lights push it around the track and watch to see if it dims as it goes round.

I have lighted caboose cars for four of my five trains. The test I ran earlier this week showed a dead spot, I guess, in one switch track, but mostly I see flickering due to the natural bumpy ride all cars get on a model train track.

 Try connecting the outside rails together.

Not an electrical engineer, not familiar with this. How?

 Make sure all track joints are solid. If any problem areas you may have to solder them together.

I did the best I can do with what I have to work with in a less than square room. Due to curve needs for one engine, and the fact all but one of them have to have 060 or higher curve, I can’t cut the corners as sharp as I would have liked. Off shoot parking tracks that use switch track led to 17 switch track pieces that are working but several lamps are dead. In the process of trying to make my curves and straights meet in the middle and the fact that you are working with non-customizable lengths, no cutting and re-pinning, what I finally got, is what I have to live with. I did the math, I bought the pieces, I have them as tight as they can get without precisely cutting a piece or two to eliminate the odd stretch and bend at certain points.

 What brand and model of track?

Brand is Lionel, Model is Fastrack.

 What power supply?

This could be some of the issue due to my lack of electrical knowledge. No one I’ve told this has come back with any “Oh god, not that.” Responses. I use a 180 watt Brick creatively engineered at the plug in point that is wired directly to the Fixed IN 1 port of a DCS TIU. I have Z1000 MTH transformer wired to the Variable IN 1 port that is hooked via the TIU to a set of wires leading to an elevated shelf I plan to put my grandson’s old conventional on, and run it with the remote and not the transformer dial. Transformer dial is currently in the full off, no power, setting. (all the way to the left).

how big is the layout?

3 “squoval” tracks. 3 tracks hooked together by switch track allowing the engine to snake its way off the outer squoval, to or through track 2 and then to track 3 which leads at the very top straight and very bottom straight to off shoot parking tracks so I can get the trains off the main lines so I can run other trains and not just the one I can’t find a home for. The outer most track has a straight away on each side of about 15 feet then it 084’s to a top and bottom straight of about the same length. As the layout snakes inward you can reduce the length maybe 4 inches. By the time you reach a parking track you go from the north end to the south end maybe 14 feet. Squoval means square oval.

 How many power connections?

Right now. One. I have a piece of straight in the middle of the top straight of the outer most track nearest my cabinet with a wire running through a hole into what will be under the bottom shelf to hide the wires, hooked to a terminal block screw set 1 (of 12, not 24). The block is wired to the Fixed OUT 1 port via the terminal blocks two big red and black, you can’t miss us unless you’re stupid connection points. 16 gauge wire. I also have a Base 1L box grounded to the black wire leading into the TIU from the terminal block. The brick, the TIU, the transformer and the Base 1 are all plugged in to one of two outlets that run along the wall above the second shelf of a cabinet in which I call my operations center.

 What model TIU? Version 6.0 software. MTH Item number 50-1001

any lights connected for signal? Saw that in the DCS manual but again, not electrically savvy and not sure just what the heck that accomplishes since I am not familiar with all the harum scarum crazy cooky things electricity does to itself when it is powering a device. “noise”, continuity, I do know the bigger the wires the better the flow, but in this case, 16 is about all you can really graduate too due to small surface areas to work within. 14-2 with ground is small in the house building world but crane cable in the O gauge world.

Reseating the boards in the TIU and Remote are scary thoughts for me right now.  In the model train world I am barely sitting up and eating solid food right now.  As you can see from all the replies and questions, I could be categorized as still bottle feeding.  Good suggestion, will keep that tucked away in my pacifier pocket.  For now let's see if I even have the track hooked up correctly.   

clem k posted:

Once your in PFA mode you have no control until the sequence is finished. I  think there is four parts to the sequence cycle to each one using the DIR button. In the last sequence the engine will ring the bell and move out at the speed it came in on, when the bell stops ringing you have control.  On my pike the PFA button is off limits unless you are competent with its operation. 

As far as taking off to fast , did you set your acceleration speed ?

Hope this helps

Clem

As Clem K always told me "NEVER PUSH THE PFA BUTTON!"

But did I listen? Nope... I think it was the biggest train wreck Clem ever had ever seen on his layout!

Sorry there Clem!

Why MTH design a button that locks you out any commands for 2 minutes is beyond me...

gunrunnerjohn posted:

You can press the PFA button and cancel the sequence.

yep, found that out WAY to late.