Track Cleaning MTS Trip

[Greg Elmassian]

So the only option is the "mode" jumper, referenced in post #7?

Gizzy, what mode are you operating in?

Apparently jumper in: autoreversing initiated by sensor tracks.
jumper out: sensor tracks and short circuit detection will cause reversing


Greg

 

[phils2um]

i should have noted in my previous post that my reverse module has the internal jumper in place and is operating in sensor only mode.

 

[LGB-Sid]

Curiosity got the better of me, Sun is shining rain stopped at last so...... All wires are correct checked, Remove jumper and leave sensor tracks joined up, nice spark I can see it from 8 foot away in daylight , control Station trips. remove sensor track wires from Massoth but leave track as is with both gaps in each rail. I can not see a spark...no trip...I can go as slow as I want any slower and the Loco will stop due to lack of juice. No hesitation as it passes over the joins at any speed which I was also getting. I suppose it has to be a faulty module ? the sensor wires all look OK so don't think its a faulty wire but not got any long enough to replace them to see if that makes a difference.

Not tried the track cleaner yet but I am sure it will pass through the loop now with no problems now, thanks for all the suggestions, there was nothing worse than climbing round the back of a bush to retrieve a Loco so you can reset the system while telling the dog its not a game of hide and seek , stay there

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Surely sounds like the short circuit detection mode does not work properly, especially since the sensor mode does work, and as far as I can tell, the short circuit detection mode is sort of a backup to the sensor mode which should change first, since the sensors are reached before the short should occur (the sensors should not make a short circuit).

What is changed now that the original sensor mode now works and did not apparently work before?

Greg

 

[Gizzy]

Gizzy, what mode are you operating in?

Apparently jumper in: autoreversing initiated by sensor tracks.
jumper out: sensor tracks and short circuit detection will cause reversing


Greg

I've not changed any settings on my 2 units, so it'll be what ever the default is....

 

[LGB-Sid]

Surely sounds like the short circuit detection mode does not work properly, especially since the sensor mode does work, and as far as I can tell, the short circuit detection mode is sort of a backup to the sensor mode which should change first, since the sensors are reached before the short should occur (the sensors should not make a short circuit).

What is changed now that the original sensor mode now works and did not apparently work before?

Greg

Nothing changed, same layout the only diffrence is the LGB rail joiners have all been replaced with massoth screw versions to make it harder to romove my free floating track, as some little thieves tried to nick some of it at the very start of this year. The reverse unit lives inside a building but I can remove it easy if the weather gets really bad which I have done on a couple of occasions as its on two waterproof plug connectors inside the building. It has run fine with the sensor tracks connected and the jumper in since it was first installed approx 2+ years ago until the last couple of months I got the occasional trip but thought nothing off it. It was only when I bought and started using the track cleaner a slow moving Loco that it became apparent it would trip on any slow moving engines not just the track cleaner. It was originally just running with the sensor tracks and the jumper in, now no sensor tracks and jumper removed.

 

[phils2um]

I'm revisiting this thread because my reverse loop module failed to swap and system shorted today when I was running a Ge 6/6 II. I realized this same loco seemed to have caused the occasional shorts before. The module failed to operate about four other times in the past. I thought it may have been dirty sensor track segments, but the track looked pretty clean today. I then remembered that this loco has traction tires on the leading wheel-sets on both ends. I'm theorizing that the wheel failed to trigger the sensor because the traction tire was insulating it somehow from the sensor segment. As soon as the leading wheel-set cleared the sensor segment the system shorted when the wheels on the other side of the loco bridged the opposite polarity rails.

I swapped the wheel-sets on both ends of the loco so the bare metal wheels will always be the first to hit the sensor segments. I ran the loco through the reverser about a dozen times without another failure.

Needless to say, I'll pay close attention to see if the wheel-set swap does indeed seem to have solved the problem.

 

[PhilP]

Could be a nice bit of detective work?

Thanks for the update.

PhilP.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Earlier in the thread, I stated that the testing showed that the short circuit detection part did not work. You can re-read that part and see those tests (short circuit only detection) failed.

So, your current results are in line with that theory, so by making the sensor detection worked as "soon" as possible, it seems to work.

I'd still state that at least the short circuit detection part of the system is not functioning. It could be that limitations in power and wiring are such that the short circuit does not draw enough to trip, but the previous tests showed the short was enough to trip the breaker in the booster.

Greg

 

[phils2um]

Earlier in the thread, I stated that the testing showed that the short circuit detection part did not work.

I agree. LGB-Sid's reverser short circuit detection is probably not working correctly. Mine was still set for "sensor only" so not surprised the short shut the my system down.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

yeah, still a fan of the short detector method, no extra wires, no sensor tracks, reliable as all getout, can be programmed with DCC or jumpers.. yes, it does not work on DC.

Greg

 

[phils2um]

The wheelset swap did not cure the occasional failure of my sensor operated LGB reverse loop module to swap polarity. Today I removed the short sensing jumper. This should cause the module to swap polarity if a short is detected as a fallback to sensor detection. It is interesting that it is always the same sensor segments on one branch of my wye that fail to trip. I need to check the integrity of the wire connections. Will do this tomorrow.