I have installed MTH upgrade kits from PS2 to PS3 on my Triplex and Hudson steamers. Unfortunately I can’t change the DCC address. In fact, I can’t read or write any CVs with my Marklin Central Station 2. So far I have also upgraded an F3, Dash-8 and GG-1. No problem with those.

Am I the first and only one trying to run the upgraded PS3 steamers with DCC?

blid

I'm checking into this and will get back to you.

Check the MTH HO forums for experience running ps3 w dcc. There have been fair share of issues including cv programming. I also believe some dsc functions like smoking whistle are not availabe w dcc control. 

In this case with it being isolated to the steamers there is a particular issue that just needs to be narrowed down.

I have now borrowed another controller, an old Marklin Central Station “Reloaded” (ESU software). It wrote a short address successfully. In other words, my Marklin Central Station 2 is causing this problem.

I have ordered an ESU Lokprogrammer and will come back when I have tried that one.

blid

Thanks for posting the solution here.  I have created a pinned topic to create a list of DCC equipment that has been found to have issues controlling/programming the Protosound 3 boards:

 

I promised to come back when I had tried the ESU Lokprogrammer.  One word: disaster!

It was not able to read any CVs and now the engine doesn’t respond to the CS2 anymore.

The Lokprogrammer has a “cab mode” for testing functions and driving. To verify that I had contact with the engine I pressed F3 (start up) and the sound came on for about one second. I used the provided power adaptor and forgot that 1-gauge engines need more than 15VAC 700Ma. I swapped to my usual power source but by then there was no response from the engine in DCC mode. I have to open the engine to change to DCS – not fun.

I don’t know what to say now.

I decided to try the Lokprogrammer once more. This time just writing with no previous reading. First resets: 8 to CV8 and 55 to CV55. Then address 34 to CV1 (the address it should have already). All writes were reported failures.

After that I tried the CS2 and the engine (address 34) started with no problems!

You should probably take the time to install the DCS/DCC switches.

Unfortunately I don’t think I can do that kind of work anymore.

blid

Wanted to reply that have been working with blid offline and he has things running.  

 

After summer is over I think he and I are going to do some additional testing to see if we can narrow down exactly what was going on with the difference between the steamers and the other engines.

Unfortunately I have not had much time for OneGauge since my last post in this tread. However, I now have my own CS1 Reloaded (old Marklin controller with modern ESU firmware). After reading some tips from a Marklin-user forum member about programming MTH H0 PS3E+ decoders with Marklin CS2, I tried them on the MTH OneGauge PS3/2 Upgrade decoder in my Hudson. No success. Then I tried to write a long address with the CS1 Reloaded (firmware 4.1.2). Success!

I have now loaded the latest firmware (4.1.4) and written a long address to my MTH PS3/2 Upgrade Triplex. For some reason I had to reset the decoder first. 8 to CV 8 and got the short address 3 back. Then just wrote the new long address and pressed the symbol for sending it to the track. Nothing seemed to happen, but the engine now responds to the long address. The programming was on the main (POM).

It seems like these engines require more power than the CS1 Reloaded provides on the programming track.

blid

 

On ‎06‎-‎12‎-‎2016 at 1:27 PM, blid said:

The programming was on the main (POM).

 

My F7 also uses too much power on the programming track, so I'd had to leave it at address 3.

Does this mean you can program CV29 (long/short address usage) on the main too? I never considered trying that.

 

Jens

It depends on the controller obviously. With a modern controller that talks to the MTH decoder on the main (POM), you only have to give the address. Long or short, and the controller takes care of all the CV:s, CV1/17 + 18 +29. My Marklin CS1 Reloaded (with the modern ESU firm ware) did that even for the steamers.

Hmm ... 

Have to try that, even though it doesn't matter much.

Thanks.

Two warnings.

 I use my programming track pieces when I program POM too. No risk of changing other decoders by mistake. Just switching the feeder plugs to the tracks.

When the controller does the CV changes “behind the scene” you don’t know what will happen to the other bits in CV 29. The controller probably sets value 32 (one for long address and zero for short) and sets all the other bits to zero. Here is one description of the CV 29 from dccwiki.com:

Well, if I can program CV17 and 18, I can program CV29 also, so it shouldn't be a problem.

But again, it's mostly out of interest, as I'm fitting ESU decoders in the F7s anyway.