M.T.H. HO Alco PA/PB Diesel Engines (PS3) ENGINEER’S GUIDE Congratulations! You've just purchased the most feature-rich and technically advanced HO diesel locomotive ever produced! This highly detailed model includes a broader range of features than you’ll find on any other HO scale diesel, including smooth performance from a three-scale-mileper-hour crawl to full throttle; “cruise control” for steady speeds regardless of curves, switches and grades; built-in decoders for DCC and the M.T.H.
TABLE OF CONTENTS UNPACKING YOUR ENGINE Removing and Unwrapping Your Engine What Else is in the Box? 4 4 4 PRODUCT OVERVIEW Getting to Know Your Engine Engine Diagram 5 5 7 SET-UP 8 8 9 10 Coupler Installation Lubrication Smoke Unit Preparation and Use FEATURES AND OPERATION Analog DC (standard DC power pack) DCS Digital Command System DCC Digital Command Control 11 13 15 17 DCC DIGITAL COMMAND CONTROL Advanced DCC Operation F-Function Table Configuration Variables Advanced Consisting Programming Tr
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: This manual includes general guidelines and instruction for beginning your MTH experience. For more in depth instruction, specifically on EXPANDED DCC functionality, please refer to the MTH website, www.mthtrains.com. By visiting the website you will also be able to view any additional manual updates that affect your engine . Enter the MTH Item number of the engine you want to check and select the manual icon to download or view it. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the manual.
UNPACKING YOUR ENGINE Removing and Unwrapping Your Engine Carefully remove and unwrap the model on a soft surface. By nature, models with high levels of detail have some small fragile parts. Carefully remove any foam packing pieces that may be surrounding the model. What Else is in the Box? The following items are packed with your engine. Engineer's Guide (1) You probably know that since you're reading it. Mechanical Kadee-Compatible Couplers with mounting hardware M.T.H.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW Getting to Know Your M.T.H. HO Locomotive Key Features Your new HO Diesel Engine is equipped with the exclusive M.T.H. Proto-Sound® 3.0 digital sound and control system. In plain English, this means your locomotive contains state-of-the-art electronics providing realistic digital sounds, precisely controlled speed in increments of 1 scale mile per hour, and much, much, more.
Digital Control In standard analog DC mode, your model still operates under digital control. The PS 3 advance speed control system converts track voltage into digital speed commands. Your model will run smoothly and consistently at any speed regardless of load, hills, or curves. If you are a DCC user, you'll quickly learn to appreciate the precision of our speed control and linear speed curve.
ENGINE DIAGRAM Locomotive Crew Figures All wheels Powered Die-Cast Air Tanks and Fuel Tank Smoke Unit On/Off Switch Volume Pot Location M.T.H.
SET-UP Installing Couplers Your locomotive comes equipped with remotely controllable scale proportioned operating Proto-Couplers that can be triggered from any DCC controller or the M.T.H. DCS Digital Command System. Both the front and rear couplers can be individually triggered. These couplers will not work in conventional operation with magnetic arms. For those who prefer standard mechanical couplers, we've also included a pair inside your locomotive's box.
S E T- U P Assembled Coupler (Shown Right Side UP) Align Spacer with Mounting Hole Line Up CENTER Mounting Hole In Coupler Pocket With Mounting Hole On Chassis Insert Coupler Into Pilot (Shown Upside DOWN) Tighten In Place Using Large Screw In Mechanical Coupler Part Bag Lubrication Using light machine or household oil, apply a very small amount to all axles points as shown.
S E T- U P Smoke Unit Preparation and Use Your locomotive is equipped with a proven fan-driven smoke system design featured in MTH products for over 10 years. The performance and realism of this system is unparalleled in the model train industry. Your smoke unit comes primed from the factory however, before running the smoke unit for more than a few minutes, you should add more fluid.
FEATURES AND OPERATION Now, for the fun stuff! Your new M.T.H. HO Diesel Engine has more features and operating capabilities than any HO engine ever built by any manufacturer. We're going to walk you through everything she does in general but, you'll probably find a few we forgot to mention on your own. Modes of Operation There are 3 modes of operation with different levels of features accessible in each. We refer to them as analog DC, DCC, and DCS.
FEATURES AND OPERATION DCC or Digital Command Control DCC is a popular digital command control scheme wherein the track power is also a digital control signal. That is, using a DCC controller, you can communicate with multiple engines and have them all moving at different speeds or moving in opposite directions on the same track at the same time. The power/command signal remains constant and engines are “commanded” to perform as desired. M.T.H.
Running the Engine Set the engine on the rails, and apply DC power. Refer to the Set-Up section of this guide for instructions on how to lubricate the chassis. As you increase power, at about 6 volts, the lights and sounds will come on. Keep going on up to about 8 and she'll move out! About 16 volts DC is adequate for prototypical speeds however, your engine can handle up to 24 volts DC if you feel the need for speed! A-B, A-A, A-B-A Configuration Your Diesel A and B units both have full PS3.
Sounds In this mode, sound are pretty much automatic. If you're moving, you'll hear diesel sounds. When your sitting at idle, there may be some maintenance done. You could hear someone calling for help on the radio. Don't worry, all of this and more is just a normal part of everyday operations. When your moving at a pretty good clip and you reduce the throttle quickly, you may hear the brakes squeak and squeal as the engineer applies them. Of course, they'll stop when the engine does.
DCS Digital Control System As you may have gathered by now, DCS is an M.T.H. exclusive Digital Control System that provides easy access to dozens and dozens of features in our models. We developed DCS to provide a powerful and advanced model train control system that was simple and enjoyable to use. We've accomplished that goal. DCS further expands the features available far beyond that of DCC. After all, in DCC, we only had a limited number of “F” commands to fill.
Speed Control DCS engines are controlled in scale miles per hour (smph) and increments of one. So, that means if you dial up 10, your engine will smoothly accelerate to 10 smph. There is no need to select a speed step setting, there's only one precise linear control at scale speeds. See, powerful yet simple. Sounds Independent Volume Settings Using DCS, you independently adjust the bell, horn, engine, and accent sounds volume.
DCC - Digital Command Control DCC is a popular digital command scheme wherein the track power is also a digital control signal. That is, using a DCC controller, you can communicate with multiple engines and have all of them moving at different speeds and in varying directions on the same track at the same time. The power/command signal remains constant and engines are commanded to perform as desired. Your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine has the ability to decode and respond to these DCC commands.
Operator's Manual. Just like DCS, you can also operate each engine as its own individual engine. With this in mind, you will need to perform the following operation to ensure each engine (A-unit or B-unit) has its own unique DCC address: 1. Set the first engine on the track, flip the DCC/DCS switch to DCC and apply DCC power 2. Call up engine address 3 on your DCC handheld 3. Press F3 to start the engine up 4. Set the address to something other than 3.
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 will remain dark and quiet. Since you likely don't want to run the engine this way, simply press F3 twice to start your engine. The lights, sound and smoke (if equipped) will come on. Note – You are actually able to move the engine in DCC without starting it up. Just increasing the throttle will cause the engine to move.
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. You'll hear “Now boarding…” for passenger sound sets and freight yard sounds for freight sound sets. 4.
Crossing Signal Again, just like a real engine, you can trigger the Crossing Signal on your engine. This is two long, one short, one long whistle/horn blast. F11 – Crossing Signal Pressing F11 twice (toggling on then off) will sound your Crossing Signal. Smoke (if equipped) You can control PS3.0-equipped engines that have smoke by toggling F12 on or off. You can also adjust the smoke output using F13. Some engines have a switch to enable/disable smoke and others have a smoke volume pot.
addresses are those from 128-9999. You can program the engine address either with Programming on the Main (PoM) or using a Programming Track. Since it's easiest, in most cases, to PoM the instructions will show you how to do it this way. By default, your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine comes programmed with both a long and short DCC address. The default Short address is always 3. The default Long address is 3333. To change your engine's Short Address using PoM: 1.
5. Call up CV17 and enter the value required for CV17. You will get a two whistle/horn blast response 6. Call up CV18 and enter the value required for CV18. You will get a two whistle/horn blast response In order to determine your required values for CV17 and CV18 you will need to go to http://extranet.mth-railking.com/pdfapp/pdfs/instruction/HO%20DCC %20addressCV17_18%20Converter.
Advanced DCC Operation: This section of the manual provides more in-depth detail on how to set up and configure your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine using the NMRA-standard CV's as well as the manufacturer-specific CV's. It also explains some of the other F Functions not covered in the Basic DCC Operation section. Please refer to the CV Data Table on page 27.
F21– One Shot Doppler You can set your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine to simulate the actual Doppler Effect sound a real engine makes as it passes you. To do this, press the F21 button once (enable F21) and then listen as the engine makes that pitch shift that mimics the Doppler Effect perfectly. Press the F21 button again (disable F21) to shut off the Doppler Effect. With a little practice in timing and speed you can make this happen right in front of you.
Function Chart Function Description F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13 F14 F15 F16 F17 F18 F19 F20 F21 F22 F23 F24 F25 F26 F27 F28 Headlight Bell Horn Start-Up/Shut Down PFA Lights Master Volume Front Coupler Rear Coupler Forward Signal 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 Chatt
Configuration Variables (CV) Configuration Variables used on MTH PS3.0-equppied engines. CV1 CV2 CV3 CV4 CV5 CV8 CV17 CV18 CV19 CV21 CV22 CV23 CV24 CV25 CV29 CV52 CV53 CV54 CV55 Short Address: 1-127 are the valid addresses Start Voltage (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Acceleration Rate (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Deceleration Rate (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Max Voltage (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) MFG ID. MTH =27.
Below is the table of Factory Default MTH supported DCC CV's. This table is specific to the engine in the title of this manual: Factory Default Values for MTH PS3.
User-Settable F-Function List This feature allows you to take the 28 F-Functions that currently reside in each MTH Protosound3.0-equppied O-Gauge Engine and change the location of that function. For example: F18 is currently Extended Shut Down and you'd like that placed down to F28 which is Feature Reset. The below instructions explain how you can do this. Note – When you set a particular F-Function to a numeric location you are overwriting that existing number's function.
The above list includes ALL F functions that an MTH PS3 engine could have. You are free to change any of the above listed items to any F function position, 1-28. For example, if you your engine came from the factory without a smoke unit but you added one at a later date you could swap out any of the F functions, 1-28, for the Smoke On/Off and the Smoke Volume. So, using the example of moving F18 (Extended Shut Down) to F28 (Feature Reset) here are the steps: 1.
4. If you want to create your own speed table using CV's 67-94 then write a value of 0 or 1 to Cv25 Advanced Consisting Advanced Consisting follows the NMRA standards. Any values assigned to CV's 2124 are ignored once the consist is removed (CV19 set to 0).
To set this consists up so that: l The Headlight is ON in the Front engine when going Forward, OFF when the consist is in Reverse l The Reverse light and headlight is OFF in the Rear engine when the consist is going Forward, headlight is ON, reverse light is OFF when the consist is in Reverse l The Middle engine has no lights in either direction Perform the following: 1. Build the consist using your DCC system per the DCC system's manufacturer's instructions.
7. Set CV22 to a value of 2 to the Rear engine's address to tell the Rear engine that you want to control its FL control with the F0 button at the consist address. The engine will give you two horn blasts to announce that it received the CV change 8. Ensure F0 is deactivated at the Rear engine's address. Most systems have a light bulb icon to indicate whether F0 is active or not. Ensure that it is OFF 9. Call up the Middle engine on your DCC handheld; address 2 in this example 10.
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 Rear engine to respond to the Rear Coupler command (F8 on most MTH models).
Programming Track Your MTH PS3.0-equipped HO engine can function on Programming Track outputs from DCC systems. Because each DCC system 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.
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 to alter) = 133. You would then write a value of 133 to CV19. M.T.H.
SPECIFICATIONS Electrical Input Voltage Current Draw (lights, sounds) Lighting 0-24 VDC ~230 - 650mA LED - Rule 17 Operating Modes Analog DC DCC - Digital Command Control DCS - Digital Control System Yes Yes Yes Default Addresses DCS DCC short DCC extended US PATENTS US 6,457,681 US 6,619,594 US 6,655,640 Oct. 2, 2002 Sept. 16, 2003 Dec. 2, 2003 M.T.H.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE HO Troubleshooting Guide The following Guide will help you trouble shoot your M.T.H. HO engine. This guide is broken up into the three operating modes of the engine Analog DC, DCC, and DCS Analog DC Start-up When I apply power to the track my engine doesn’t do anything. No lights, no sound, no nothing. Solution Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car.
Analog DC Lights One of my lights is out None of my lights are on Solution Most likely you had been running the engine in DCC or DCS mode and toggled that light off. Put it back into one of those modes and turn that light back on. The engine will remember that when you run it again in Conventional DC. Could be the same reason as “One of my lights is out” Is the engine getting power? Check to see if there is voltage on the track or move the engine a few feet in either direction.
DCC Start-up When I apply power to the track my engine doesn’t do anything. No lights, no sound, no nothing. Solution Did you press F3 yet? F3 on your DCC handheld will start your engine up. Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car, not your tongue.
DCC Lights One of my lights is out None of my lights are on Motion My engine hesitates at slow speeds PFA I hit F4 to start PFA but the 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? Shut Down Okay, I give up. What do I have to do to shut it down? Solution Check your F keys.
DCS (Remember, it's NOT DCC) Start-up 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. Sound I have no sound on my engine, but my lights are on and it moves just fine When I run Doppler I can hear the Doppler shift but then the engine sounds fade out and I can’t get them back Solution This is normal. You have to hit the Start-Up button.
DCS (Remember, it's NOT DCC) Lights One of my lights is out None of my lights are on Motion My engine hesitates at slow speeds PFA When I enter PFA all that happens is the bell rings. What do I do? Why does my engine run away all by itself after the PFA is over? Shut Down Okay, I give up. What do I have to do to shut it down? Solution Check that you haven’t turned it off with the DCS controller.
HOW TO ORDER PARTS: Replacement parts are available directly from the M.T.H. Parts Department (Order online: www.mthtrains.com, e-mail: parts@mth-railking.com, Fax: 410-423-0009, Phone: 410-381-2580, Mail: 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia MD 21046-1532, ). M.T.H.
Service & Warranty Information How to Get Service Under the Terms of the Limited One-Year Warranty When you suspect an item is defective, please check the operator's manual for standard operation and trouble-shooting techniques that may correct the problem. Additional information may be found on the M.T.H. Website. Should you still require service, follow the instructions below to obtain warranty service. First, e-mail, write, call or fax a M.T.H.
