Welcome to the AGHR Technical information page. The purpose of this particular page is to provide a distribution point for tips and work-arounds for the various systems in use within the O gauge community. You are encouraged to pass on problems and work-arounds for addition to this list. Contributors will, of course, be acknowledged for the contribution (e-mail address will be posted, unless otherwise requested.)

It is my hope, and the hope of the membership of Angels Gate Hi-railers, that we can make the hobby more enjoyable for all of us.

We've been using TMCC at the club for more than a year. Basically, we started using it when several members purchased the Lionel Dash9 with the free Cab-1 and Command Base. We DO NOT USE Powermasters. It was a simple process since the entire layout is common grounded. So, here we go.

Hookup is simple. Connect the command base to the "U" terminal on the transformer (preferred) or a continuously grounded rail (no breaks). The only thing left is to plug in the AC adapter and set the transformer throttle to between 16 and 18 volts and you're ready to go.

Observations

Over the course of a year's continuous use, we've found a couple of interesting things regarding TMCC. This includes the following:

• Wireless remote control is a lot of fun! Enough said.
• The range on a Cab-1 with good batteries can be as much as 100 feet. Our command base at the South end of the main room (85 feet long). We've actually had control over trains while standing in the parking lot at the North end of the building. The signal is going through a couple of walls to reach the base. Needless to say, if you're operating a modular layout and there is another modular group nearby, you should probably get together and share locomotive/accessory ID code information so you don't get odd behavior during operation
• With multiple mainlines, conventional locomotives may be run on the other mainline without any problems. However, because of the carrier signal from the Command Base, TMCC equipped locomotives will not operate in conventional mode with the command base powered up on the layout.
• You don't necessarily have to be connected to the layout to have TMCC control your locomotive. I had a test track on a bench by the staging yard approximately ten feet from the layout. It uses a separate transformer and the power outlets are on a separate circuit (not that this really matters). The locomotive was still receiving a radio signal from the Command Base and was operating in command mode.

DCS Arrives -- April 26, 2002:

Well, we got our DCS systems down at the club in late April, and they work as advertised and then some. We have found, though, that the common-bus wiring in the club layout has some "weak spots" which we're working to remedy. Some areas we've been looking into include:

• Toggle switches to route power to the staging yard. One of the weakest areas in the layout is the staging yard. All tracks, including the run through, are routed through toggle switches. These seem represent a point of signal loss. We're replacing the switches with high-current ones (fatter contacts to reduce signal loss). We anticipate that these replacements will improve the signal strength in the staging yard.
• Tapped connections. We've found that solderless tap connectors represent a potential problem as they make minimum physical contact with the wire and also cut into it. We've replaced most of these with soldered tap splices into the layout buss wired. These improved signal strength.
• Insufficient feed drops. As it turned out, some areas of the layout had lowered signal performance due to a lack of power feed drops. Additional drops were added and signal strength increased.


We've also discovered some very positive aspects of the DCS system. Some of these include:

• Speed control in scale miles per hour. This is one VERY nice feature.
• Engine addressing by name. While setting this up can be more involved, it's easier than remembering which locomotive has what number.
• Independently addressable remotes. In a club environment, one issue we've been concerned about is when two or more people are operating and send commands at the same time -- one signal "steps on" the other. DCS addresses this by allowing each remote to have a different address (one of 15). This allows the TIU to determine which remote is making the command request. Also, locomotive assignments appear to be related to the operator's remote as opposed to just a general ID number. Now this doesn't mean that the radio signal still can't be stepped on, but in our testing, it seems to be less of a problem. As we find out more, we'll post it.
• The ability to re-address the TIU's. Since the club has two DCS kits, and five members also bought kits of their own, I set the club's TIU's to address #2 and #3. Each member's TIU is set to #1 for home use. This allows the use of your home remote at the club without having to re-address all of your locomotives when you get back home.
• Individual sound levels. One big sore spot (at least with me) was that I could program the volume on Proto-1 locomotives to 25%, but the horn and bell were at 100% and non-adjustable. With Railsounds/TMCC, this isn't the case, but only the volume as a whole can be adjusted. Under DCS, The horn/whistle, bell, diesel/chuff volume levels can be set individually, and the settings stay put even when the locomotive is run in conventional mode.
• Everyone has heard about this one, but I'll say it anyway -- FOUR CHUFFS PER AXLE REVOLUTION!!! Enough said.
• Lash-Ups are actually easier under DCS than under TMCC as they're more descriptive. Like TMCC, the lash-up remembers which engines are members and behaves accordingly. Locomotives can also be operated individually.


First impressions of the system are positive. DCS is, in some ways, more complicated to get installed than TMCC, but operationally, it's not that much more involved. It's like comparing two different word processor programs -- both have common features, but they're arranged differently. DCS has more features built into it by virtue of the fact that it is newer technology and software based. I have no doubt that Lionel's acquisition of IC Controls is a strong indicator that TMCC-2 is in development and will probably incorporate additional features. My suspicion is that TMCC-2 will be software based and will, of course, be backward compatible with TMCC-1 either through a new command base or via an interface cable.

DCS  -- One Year Later:

Well, we've had DCS on the club layout's primary mainline and four lines in the staging yard for over a year. Here's a recap of our experiences during that time:

• We've had to send the TIU's back for repairs (the cost of being first, I guess.) They were covered under warranty and MTH was very helpful. Since then, they've been fine.
• We plan to add two more TIU's later and re-wire the layout again for more consistency with MTH wiring recommendations.
• We've upgraded the software twice -- first to version 2.1, then to 2.21. Each upgrade has been a definite improvement.
• Standard operating mode is "Super TIU" mode and all engine programming takes place in the staging yard. Occasionally, a re-read is required, but the remotes seem to remember what's going on with the TIU programming.
• You can't program multiple DCS locomotives to the same DCS address within the same remote.
• Operating Proto-2 locomotives under DCS is a BLAST!

DCS -- What we'd like to see:

• More available engine addresses. Fortunately, since DCS is software-based, MTH could theoretically change over to three-digit (or four-digit) locomotive/lash-up addresses.
• More available TIU addresses.
• A way to hard-wire the TIU's together so that the master TIU could communicate with the other TIUs rather than relying on the radio signal from the remote. This would eliminate the need to walk over to within radio range of the other TIU's. Of course, this doesn't really apply on normal-sized layouts.