Adding engines to DCS layout from unpowered siding - DCS Remote Commander tip

[Rayman4449]

If you have a powered up layout in current operation there may come the time when you will want to use an unpowered siding or staging track like I do where you add the engine to an unpowered section of track, add power and drive it off.  

 

When you add power to a DCS engine, it first looks for a 'watchdog' signal which is sent by the TIU only when first turned on.  After the TIU is turned on, the only way to trigger this signal to be sent again later is to hit the 'READ' button on the remote. (which is easy enough)  But this idea just brought up (and many thanks to Chuck for sharing this with me) is the use of a DCS Remote Commander box passively connected to each siding. (set pictured below)  These were created for inexpensive starter O gauge sets intended to control just one engine.  However if you connect the DCS Remote Commander box to a siding passively (ie. Connect the red and black terminals to the siding) when the siding is powered up it will generate the watchdog signal automatically so you dont need to hit the 'READ' button when powering it up.  (Also note that it does not matter what power polarity the DCS Commander box sees, it will still transmit the watchdog signal and the engine will still receive it so just connect a wire from each rail to each terminal and go.)

 

Why this is important:  If a DCS equipped engine receives track power without receiving the watchdog signal it assumes that it is supposed to run under regular analog track power and will power up and start running.  So if you want to run an engine under remote control you will want to make sure you send the watchdog signal to the engine at the time it is powered up so it waits for remote commands.

 

http://www.mthtrains.com/content/50-1033

 

 

 

Great tip and will be buying a couple of these for my two staging tracks on my layout.  I'm trying to find out now if the box is available separately.

 

If anyone is looking for these let me know and I can get a price for you.

 

 

Raymond

[Bart]

Yes, I would like two.  I've had DCS locomotives start up and runaway in the garage after a momentary short in the garden.   Now I have to shut down operations in order to connect a dead staging track and start back up.  This sounds like an excellent solution.

[Rayman4449]

What you can currently do is when you apply power to the staging track, hit the read button on the DCS remote at the same time.  That will resend the watchdog signal but yes totally agree this is a nice and seamless solution.  As far as pricing, they will run $46.50 + shipping (Imagine not more than $10 insured for shipping for both.)  I expect shipping for just one unit to be cheaper.  If you are interested I'll let you know when my order comes in.

[Rayman4449]

I did confirm by the way that the box is not avail separately so have to buy the set.

[Rayman4449]

The shipment of remote commanders is here in case you are still interested.

[Rayman4449]

I tested them yesterday and they work brilliantly.  They only need to be connected passively to the track section and will self-power up from the track power via their track connection ports just like the TIUs will.  They are not polarity sensitive (for the purposes of getting them to send the watchdog signal) so regardless of what power polarity you feed them they will still send the watch-dog signal and the engines will still and wait in silent DCS Command mode waiting for remote commands.

[du-bousquetaire]

Hi there:

I have the very same problem on my track which has an indoor terminal (out of sight from out doors) and since this is indoors, when I still had problems making my DCS work correctly, I installed cab control type of toggle switches to control each siding separately. As when I had a short outdoors (my switches are hand made with live frogs and are therefore insulated beyond the frog with insulated rail joiners. If an engine arrives from the end of the switch which is not the one the switch is thrown to, it automatically creates a short.) ( I also took the precaution of increasing the distance between the wing rail and the switch blades so as not to have shorts when the engine goes through a switch, These are very nasty because they are virtually invisible operation wise, yet can really create havock in the indoor terminal!) All of my other engines stored indoors would start and head for the yard throat. This actually created a very big problem solved thanks to Raymond when an A-B-A set started for the three way switch at the yard throat and the lead engine automatically shorted out but the trailing one kept running and burned out two traction motors! The way I now solve this problem is to put only one engine on a section of track. When I want to use this engine during a session I go indoors after stoping or slowing the outdoor trains. I call this engine on my handheld, and then I flip on the track voltage with the toggle switch and immediately as the engine starts up, I hit the shutdown buton. This stops the engine, I can then start her up again and take it outside or wherever it has to go. This works very reliably, now that I have a Bridgewerks power supply. The only limitation to this is: only one engine to one cab. If you have two engines you need to have two handhelds and call both engines and stop them simultaneously. I have not tried this because so far I only have one handheld. I may be able to try this soon however. However this solution sounds very interesting also. Just a suggestion to help others especially those beggining in DCS.

[Rayman4449]

Hi there Simon,

 

If I understand correctly where you talk about one engine per remote, are these both engines in the same consist?  If so what you will want to do is create a Lash-up in the remote and add each engine you want in that lash-up then give the lash-up a name.  Then when you select that Lash-up name (it will then be it's own engine ID in the remote) it will start both engines up at the same time and control both (or more) all with the same remote commands.  Is that what you meant?