upgrading versions on remote tiu

Chris,

If you have a copy of The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition, everything that you need to know is on pages 131-136. (If you don't have a copy, you should get one!)

An alternative source of information may her found here

.

This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

Chris, is your version 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3?  All units have to be4 the same version.

If the new TIU is not new, power it up and count the flashes to see what ID # it has.  If it's other than 1, forget the next paragraph.  A new one should be 1.

Hint to make life easier:  before doing anything with the new TIU, change the current TIU ID to #2, and then check that everything works.  Reason is that your new TIU will come in as #1 and the result can be a nuisance to untangle.

AFAIK, upgrading from 3.1 to 4.3 should be a simple upgrade process, the same as you'd do for something like a 4.2 to 4.3 upgrade.  It's been a while since I upgraded a 3.1, but I didn't have any issues.  I think the 2.x upgrades had a few wrinkles, you may lose all the settings in the TIU.

Chris,

   As Barry indicated purchase his book and follow the process, or have someone up grade the TIU for you. 

PCRR/Dave

The tiu works. My other one is 4.2 upgraded.  I have the companion  at work.  Ill have to open it monday.  Thanks all!  

Yes.  Newer computers without serial ports must use.

You may need a driver for the serial cable. When I did my upgrade a few years ago, I bought a Radio Shack USB-serial adapter, then puzzled over it for awhile when the system wouldn't recognize it.

Then I found an install CD hidden between the cardboard backing of the blister pack, installed it, and then the cable was recognized and given all the settings and stuff a serial port usually has.

By then the actual upgrade was accomplished on an older laptop that still had a serial port, and I found that a pair or threaded nuts on the cable connector's thumbscrews were just barely preventing it from making effective contact with the TIU's serial port. Once I removed them, the upgrade finally proceeded without incident.

I had a long-winded post that detailed the whole circus that eventually solved the root problem (a loco that needed a 'recover engine' feature that wasn't yet present on my particular TIU), but the post seems to have expired--none of the unique words I used (such as "postmortem") yielded any search results.

---PCJ

good advice.  that is where I was going to source the cable.  its good to know that the cable exists!  my work computer has a port but more openings than what the serial port connector I have, has.  so at least you can adapt this.  even my older Pentium tower at home does not have one either!  neither does the laptop.  even my work place laptops we have does not have them. 

I guess since this is not the Rev-L, I am at the mercy of technology! 

well, radio shack I went, got the Serial and USB connector.  a stereo cable.  followed barry's instructions in the companion.  worked great.  The cable needed to have a driver.  CD was included.  the loader program installed, I got the files loaded up and it took a few tries with the cable recognition, but it worked and I upgraded the TIU and Remote.   Thanks all

That is the same cable I have been using for several years, with no problems.  I can recommend it.  Be sure to install the drivers if your OS needs them.