MTHTrains 20-20304-1 Operator'S Manual Download

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PS 3.0 Enhancements

There are 4 options for operating your MTH Proto-Sound 3.0-equipped engine;

-Conventional AC

-Conventional DC

-DCS [MTH Digital Command System]

-DCC

When the locomotive is placed on the track and power is applied to the track the

locomotive will detect the type of control system being used and respond accordingly.

Below is an overview of the 4 different systems.

**NOTE: You’ll need to have the DCC/DCS switch set correctly if your using
one of those two modes. It is depicted below in Figure 7, located underneath one
of the Trucks

Here are some of the exciting changes incorporated into your new MTH Proto-Sound 3.0

Locomotives. More advanced features such as Custom Speed Tables and Advanced

Consisting can be found in the DCC section of this manual.

Conventional (Analog) AC/DC Start-up/Shut-down

Your new MTH PS3.0-equipped locomotive no longer has batteries. It uses Super

Capacitors to hold the engine board alive for a short time when you shut off or interrupt

track power. Because of this, when you first apply track power to your PS3.0-equipped O

Gauge engine, you will notice the headlight comes on but nothing else. This is perfectly

normal. The capacitors are charging up during this time. The wait time depends upon how

long it’s been since you last applied power to the engine. Typically it will take 1-15 seconds

to fully charge.

NOTE: The 1-15 second charging wait time ONLY applies to

conventional AC track power.

Once the headlight shuts off, the engine will play its start-up sounds and all the lights will

come back on, simultaneously. Smoke too if you have it turned on.

The capacitors hold enough charge to play the full shut-down sounds. Also, the capacitors

allow you to operate your engine in conventional mode just like you would any other

conventionally-controlled engine. Finally, because there are no batteries, you will notice

there is no external charge jack on the engine.

** NOTE: The DCS/DCC Switch is located
underneathone of the trucks underneath
the Engine.

Figure 7: Changing from DCS to DCC Mode

DCS/DCC Switch

Premier

ABA Diesel Engine w/ Proto-Sound® 3.0

Alco FA-2

Summary of Contents for 20-20304-1

Page 1: ...PERATOR S MANUAL Compatibility This engine will operate on any traditional O 31 Gauge track system including M T H s RealTrax or ScaleTrax or traditional tubular track It is also compatible with most standard AC transformers See pages 47 and 48 for a complete list of compatible transformers power packs and wiring instructions ...

Page 2: ... Lubrication 3 Priming the Smoke Unit 3 Connecting the A B A Units together 5 PS 3 0 Enhancements 6 Conventional AC DC Start up Shut down 6 DCS DCC Switch 6 Programming Track for DCC operation 7 Loading Engine Firmware 7 LED Lighting 7 Modes of Operation 7 Conventional AC Operation 8 Proto Sound 3 0 Conventional AC Operating Instructions 9 Activating Proto Sound 3 0 Conventional AC Mode Features 9...

Page 3: ... follow the lubrication points marked L shown below Do not over oil Use only a drop or two on each pivot point Priming the Smoke Unit When preparing to run this engine add 15 20 drops of smoke fluid through the smokestack see Fig 2 We recommend M T H ProtoSmoke fluid Do not overfill the unit or the fluid may leak out and coat the interior engine components If you choose not to add smoke fluid or h...

Page 4: ...nit Control Figure 2 Adding Smoke Fluid Figure 3 Controls Location Add Smoke Fluid The Smoke Unit Control Potentiometer is located underneath one of the Trucks as depicted in Figures 3 and 4 The Volume Control Potentiometer is also depicted in Figures 3 and 4 See page 10 for more details Figure 4 Smoke and Volume Potentiometers ...

Page 5: ... plugs into a receptacle under the A Unit s rear truck When adding the Trailing A unit its wire harness plugs into the rear of the B unit The receptacle is polarized so that the harness can only fit one way DO NOT FORCE THE PLUG INTO THE RECEPTACLE one with speaker Plug Receptacle Couplers Figure 5 Connecting ABA Units Figure 6 Correct way to Connect wire harness plug into the receptacle The top o...

Page 6: ...when you shut off or interrupt track power Because of this when you first apply track power to your PS3 0 equipped O Gauge engine you will notice the headlight comes on but nothing else This is perfectly normal The capacitors are charging up during this time The wait time depends upon how long it s been since you last applied power to the engine Typically it will take 1 15 seconds to fully charge ...

Page 7: ...e engine affords you the ability to load Engine firmware Loader version 2 30 or later will allow you to do this Please refer to the Loader program s instructions for more details So as MTH releases new features or updates you will be able to take full advantage without having to ship your favorite engine anywhere All new updates are available on our website MTH will make announcements as they are ...

Page 8: ... speed will increase as the throttle is advanced If there is another interruption in track power the sequence will change to the neutral position again The engine will remain in the neutral state until there is another interruption in track power The next interruption in track power will move the sequence to the reverse state The engine will now move in the reverse direction If the power interrupt...

Page 9: ...button To turn the bell off press and release the Bell button again The bell will continue to ring from the time you turn it on until you press and release the button again to turn it off Horn Whistle To sound the whistle firmly press the Horn Whistle button The whistle will sound for as long as you continue to depress the button It will stop when you release the button Direction Your train is pro...

Page 10: ...me and counterclockwise to reduce the volume Turning the manual volume control completely counterclockwise will turn of all of the engine sounds and announcements Premier ABA Diesel Engine w Proto Sound 3 0 10 Alco FA 2 Feature to Be Activated Button Code Marker Lights PFA Passenger Freight Announcements Fire the Rear Coupler Fire the Front Coupler Speed Control On Off Lock into a Direction Ditch ...

Page 11: ...will not move as you use the Direction button to trigger the sounds Proto Sound 3 0 has disabled operator control over the Horn and Bell buttons until the full PFA sequence is complete After waiting about 30 seconds for that sequence to run press the Direction button again to trigger the second sequence of PFA After about 30 seconds press the Direction button again to trigger the third PFA sequenc...

Page 12: ...nds You do not have to be in Forward to use PFA At the conclusion of the full sequence the train will pull away from the station or yard in whatever direction you were going when you activated the feature You can use PFA even if you are double heading with another engine If the second engine is not equipped with Proto Sound 3 0 you must remember not to leave the throttle at a high voltage level on...

Page 13: ...forward neutral or reverse so that it will not change directions To do this put the engine into the direction you want or into neutral to lock it into neutral run it at a very slow crawl as slowly as it will move without halting and quickly but firmly tap the Horn button once followed by three quick taps of the Bell button allowing approximately second to lapse between each quick button press Two ...

Page 14: ...annot be initiated in conventional DC Only the diesel engine sounds smoke squealing brakes and idle sounds will function Operation of your MTH Proto Sound 3 0 engine in conventional DC is very similar to operating a conventional AC engine As you increase track voltage engine speed increases As the track voltage is decreased engine speed is decreased When track voltage polarity is reversed using th...

Page 15: ... engine at start up the engine will not move This is normal We refer to this as Anti Jackrabbit and this feature prevents your model from taking off at high track voltages Simply lower the track voltage down below 9 0VDC and then back up to get your engine moving This applies only when you start up your engine DCC Digital Command Control DCC is a popular digital command scheme wherein the track po...

Page 16: ...l station manufacturer s manual for more information on how they handle F Function buttons Your MTH PS3 0 equipped engine s default short address is 3 So all you have to do is power up your DCC system and call up Locomotive 3 to begin Start Up Shut Down F3 Start Up Shut Down Pressing this twice toggle on then off will start up your engine When you apply DCC power your MTH PS3 0 equipped engine wil...

Page 17: ...ing 2 Slowly reduce the throttle until the train stops at the desired location and speed reaches zero Press the F4 button twice toggle F4 on then off again and the bell will stop ringing You will hear the engine sounds switch from the cab to the station or yard with all the ambient sounds you d hear in the real thing 3 Press the F4 button twice toggle F4 on then off again to advance the sequence Y...

Page 18: ...gnal Pressing F10 twice toggling on then off will sound the Reverse Signal This is three whistle horn blasts Grade Crossing Signal Again just like a real engine you can trigger the Grade Crossing Signal on your engine This is two long one short one long whistle horn blast F11 Grade Crossing Signal Pressing F11 twice toggling on then off will sound your Crossing Signal Smoke if Equipped F12 Smoke O...

Page 19: ...ds by pressing F18 twice toggling on then off The Extended Shut Down is very similar to F3 in that the engine will ultimately shut down but in the case of Extended Shut Down you will hear the crew talking back and forth about how the engine ran time schedules etc F19 Rev Up Pressing F19 twice will increase the diesel engine s rev level by one notch Two more presses of F19 will rev the diesel engin...

Page 20: ...lism F24 Single Whistle Horn Blast To play a Single Horn Blast press the F24 button twice toggling in on then off This plays a single short horn blast F26 Brake Sounds Pressing the F26 button enable F26 will disable the Brake Sounds for your engine The Brake Sounds occur when you reduce the speed of your engine rapidly To enable the Brake Sounds press the F26 button disable F26 Brake Sounds are On...

Page 21: ...ignal Reverse Signal Grade Crossing Smoke On Off Smoke Volume Idle Sequence 3 Idle Sequence 2 Idle Sequence 1 Extended Start Up Extended Shut Down Rev Up Rev Down One Shot Doppler Coupler Slack Coupler Close Single Horn Blast Engine Sounds Brake Sounds On Off Cab Chatter On Off Feature Reset Refer to pages 25 26 27 for CV Data and Function ID Description Function Premier ABA Diesel Engine w Proto ...

Page 22: ...ddress The default Short address is always 3 The default Long address will be 3333 To change your engine s Short Address using PoM 1 Call up the engine s current address on your DCC handheld 2 Enter Programming on the Main on your DCC handheld 3 Enter the new address you want Remember you can only use address 1 127 for Short Addressing 4 Once you hit Enter the engine will give you a two whistle ho...

Page 23: ...esets Clears everything takes engine to just like it was when you got it brand new l Send a decimal 08 to CV 8 to reset everything entirely back to factory default l Send a decimal 192 to reset everything except user speed tables Feature Resets There are a couple of Feature Resets that you can use l Press F28 twice toggling on then off This resets the smoke volume and lights back to their defaults...

Page 24: ...turer s engines with an address of 55 are on the rails MTH engines will listen for commands coming to engine address 55 when the 55 55 55 reset is enabled even though they are not programmed as address 55 l Enter PoM mode on your DCC handheld and write a value of 55 to CV55 Again even though your MTH engine is NOT on address 55 it will still listen for this reset command l Call up address 3 on you...

Page 25: ... s reversed in a consist Defines active Function F1 F8 for the active consist Defines active functions for FL and F9 F12 for the active consist bit 0 1 will tell an engine that you want it s FL control to operate under the consist address bit1 0 bit2 1 will configure the FL control for a reversed engine in a consist Consist Acceleration Rate Consist Deceleration Adjustment Speed Table Select Decod...

Page 26: ...lternate Speed Curve Step 23 Alternate Speed Curve Step 24 Alternate Speed Curve Step 25 Alternate Speed Curve Step 26 Alternate Speed Curve Step 27 Alternate Speed Curve Step 28 Reverse Trim User ID 1 User ID 2 Function Bell High Byte Function Bell Low Byte 1 1 DefaultValue 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 ...

Page 27: ...IS NOT the F Function number you d use on your DCC handheld It is used internally in the engine SOUNDS Bell Brake Sounds Cab Chatter Clickety Clack Coupler Close Coupler Slack Drift Chuff Engine Sounds Forward Signal Grade Crossing Signal Horn Idle Sequence 1 Idle Sequence 2 Idle Sequence 3 Idle Sequence 4 Labor Chuff Master Volume Short Horn One Shot Doppler Reverse Signal SCRIPTS Extended Shut D...

Page 28: ...C controller The engine will give you a two horn blast indication Note You ve also left an empty location where PFA used to be F4 5 Now you can fill that location with whichever CV you d like For this example we are just going to move the Feature Reset up to F4 we re just swapping F4 and F28 6 Since F4 s Low Byte is CV122 then bring up CV programming for CV122 7 Now tell the engine which F Functio...

Page 29: ...et to 0 Setting the MSB Bit 7 of CV19 tells the engine that it is facing reverse in the consist Setting CV21 and CV22 determine which F Functions the consist responds to See diagram below for example Normal Forward Direction of Travel Engine 1 Front Engine 2 Middle Engine 3 Rear F R F R F R Premier ABA Diesel Engine w Proto Sound 3 0 29 Alco FA 2 ...

Page 30: ...s address Most systems have a light bulb icon to indicate whether F0 is active or not Ensure that it is OFF 5 Call up the Rear engine on your DCC handheld address 3 in this example 6 Set CV19 to 128 the value of your consist address So if your consist address is 4 you would add 128 4 132 You would write 132 to CV19 This tells the Rear engine that it s reversed in the consist You will get two horn ...

Page 31: ...nsist Setting Up CV21 for a Consist CV21 allows you to set which F Functions you want the consist address to control For example you will likely want all of your MTH consist engines to respond to Start Up Shut Down F3 Also you ll likely want at your Front engine to respond to the Bell and Horn commands F1 and F2 respectively and the Front Coupler F7 on most MTH models Likewise you ll want your Rea...

Page 32: ...em manufacturer s output capabilities on the Programming Track differ it is recommended that you use a DCC Programming Track Booster to perform functions on the programming track Simply put try to program or read back the address of an MTH engine on a programming track If you can read write the address then you won t need a Programming Track Booster If your DCC system can t read write then you wil...

Page 33: ...29 you would simply add the additional bits you enabled to the existing value to obtain the new CV value For example if you had a consist address CV19 set to 5 and you wanted to alter this to show an engine reversed in the consist you would need to set bit 7 decimal value 128 for the engine you want to reverse To do this take 128 the new bit you want to set 5 the existing bit that you do not want ...

Page 34: ...ting the cab from the chassis 2 Once the cab is removed remove the trucks by unscrewing the black Phillips motor mount screw located on the underside of the drive trucks see above 3 Once the motor mount screw has been removed pull the motor away from the truck block and lightly coat the motor worm gear and bronze drive gear in the truck block with grease 4 Reassemble the truck and motor being care...

Page 35: ... tires can be cleaned using denatured not rubbing alcohol applied with a cotton swab To clean the track use RailKing Track Cleaning Fluid found in Maintenance Kit 30 50051 or denatured not rubbing alcohol and a clean rag Unplug the transformer and wipe the rails of the track turning the rag frequently to ensure that you are using clean cloth on the rails Thereafter keep an eye on the track and cle...

Page 36: ... it useful to use two small flathead screwdrivers to stretch the tire over the wheel 5 If you twist the tire while stretching it over the wheel you will need to remove and reinstall the tire Otherwise your engine will wobble while operating 6 Make sure the tire is fully seated inside the groove Use a razor blade to trim away any excess tire that doesn t seat itself inside the groove properly 7 Rea...

Page 37: ...rn off the smoke unit control Fig 3 by turning to full Counter Clockwise Position Failure either to add fluid to the unit or to turn it off may damage the smoke unit heating element and or wicking material Premier ABA Diesel Engine w Proto Sound 3 0 37 Alco FA 2 When the smoke output while running the engine begins to diminish add another 10 15 drops of smoke fluid or turn the smoke unit off When ...

Page 38: ...rate a lot less heat than incandescent bulbs resulting in extremely long life compared to the incandescent bulbs The LEDs are not user serviceable If you experience poor or no smoke output when the smoke unit is on and has fluid check the wick to see if it has become hard blackened and unabsorbent around the heating element Remove the body as shown on page 34 Remove the smoke unit inspection cover...

Page 39: ...e sending enough power to the track to power the engine Rotate throttle clockwise to increase track power Coupler Solution When I try to fire the coupler PFA starts The Proto Coupler won t let the engine uncouple on the fly The coupler does not fire or stay coupled You are waiting too long between Horn button presses See the timing instructions located at the beginning of the Proto Sound 3 0 Opera...

Page 40: ... doesn t go into reverse When the PFA enters its last sequence the bell automatically comes on When PFA is enabled pressing the whistle and bell has no effect I push the direction button but the next sound clip in the sequence does not play or the engine does not come out of PFA after fourth press of the direction button So that PFA effects can be as realistic as possible Proto Sound 3 0 disables ...

Page 41: ...l CW Max volume Check to see if a screw or some other material hasn t lodged itself in the underside of the chassis or tender Make sure smoke volume pot is turned full CW Make sure smoke volume pot is turned full CW If you just filled it with smoke fluid sometimes the fluid can make a seal in the stack Blow down the stack to clear the air bubble Check the Tender Boiler drawbar connection You ve go...

Page 42: ...wer to the track my engine starts up lights and sound but it won t move My engine hesitates at slow speeds Lower the track voltage then raise it again The engine should start moving If you apply greater than 9VDC quickly the engine will just sit there Lowering it below 9VDC then raising it will get the engine moving An engine may do this right out of the box if it has not been lubricated Follow th...

Page 43: ...e F21 button again to turn Doppler off Your engine sounds will now return to normal Check to see if a screw or some other material hasn t lodged itself in the underside of the engine Smoke Solution My engine isn t smoking at all My engine barely smokes Make sure you ve got the smoke switch ON It must be ON for the smoke to operate in DCC Mode Press F12 on your DCC handheld This will activate the s...

Page 44: ... engine just keeps ringing its bell that s all it ll do Why does my engine run away all by itself after the PFA is over Bring the engine speed to 0 You will now hear the station arrival sounds pretty cool huh Pressing F4 will cycle through the PFA sequence check out the PFA section of the manual for more This is normal The engine will leave the station at the same speed it entered when you hit F4 ...

Page 45: ...rn Doppler off Your engine sounds will now return to normal When I apply power to the track my engine doesn t do anything No lights no sound no nothing I get an error when I hit Start Up DCS is polarity sensitive when powered by a DC power supply This is normal You have to hit the Start Up button Check to see if that section of track has power Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car not your tongue...

Page 46: ...elf after the PFA is over Press the DIR button Your engine will stop and begins the arrival sequence Pressing the DIR button will cycle you through the next 3 PFA sequences This is normal The engine will leave the station at the same speed it entered when hit the PFA button The speed setting can be changed after the bell stops ringing Shut Down Solution Okay I give up What do I have to do to shut ...

Page 47: ...Standard Lionel 1063 Lionel LW Powermaster U A U A U A 8 17v 8 18v 8 18v 60 Watt 75 Watt 135VA Standard Standard Electronic All Trol Left Terminal Right Terminal 0 24v 300 Watt Electronic Dallee Hostler Left Terminal Right Terminal Electronic Lionel LW A U 8 18v 75 Watt Standard Lionel KW A or B U 6 20v 190 Watt Standard Lionel MW Outside Track Terminal Inside Track Terminal 5 16v 50V A Electronic...

Page 48: ... on Supply 0 18VDC at Controller 240 Watt Electronic MRC 6200 0 18 5v 60 Watt Electronic Not Recommended For 70 3001 1 J3a Not recommended for 70 3001 1 J3a RECOMMENDED DC TRANSFORMERS Notes On Use Use 22 volts maximum track voltage when operating a MTH locomotive equipped with Proto Sound Loco Sound Proto Sound 2 0 or Proto Sound 3 0 Crest CRE 55460 Power Supply w CRE 55401 Controller 0 24v 180 W...

Page 49: ... Single button push stops all Proto Sound 2 0 and Proto Sound 3 0 engines but does not turn off the input power to the TIU One Touch Global Mute UnMute Single button mutes or unmutes all DCS controlled locomotives sounds Proto Dispatch Operation Public Address like feature allows users to speak through locomotive speaker during operation Proto Cast Allows users to play audio recordings through loc...

Page 50: ...rvice Centers If you need assistance at any time email MTH Service at service mth railking com or call 410 381 2580 Limited One Year Warranty All M T H products purchased from an M T H Authorized Retailer are covered by this warranty provided the product was manufactured within five years of the date of purchase This warranty is for the original purchaser and is non transferable See our website ww...

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