Hi, I recently acquired a non-running MTH H10s on Ebay for cheap. I planning to discard the MTH electronics (and smoke unit and electro coupler) and install a wowsound decoder into it, BUT before I ripped out all the electronics, I figured Id try to revive the decoder first.
Here’s what I’ve found:
The engine doesn’t respond to address 3, 107, nor 0107 (cab number 107). Programming on the main wont work bc you need to know the address. The lights in the passenger cars next to the loco dim very slightly (and undim when engine is removed)
When I switch my NCE powercab to prog track mode, it reads theres a short on the track. Interestingly though, whereas usually a short would cause the powercab to cycle, this engine doesnt cause this to happen.
I removed the engine from the tender and placed the tender only on the track and repeated teh above. Still nothing. Lights in my passenger cars only dim when tender is on the track. Engine alone on the track does/affects nothing.
I use a continuity tester (multimeter) on the tender wheels and pickups. There is no short detected between the two sides on either truck (which is connected by wires).
I take off the tender shell and have the decoder off of the mount and dangle loosely out the side of the tender chassis (thinking it might be due to the diecast frame). I have all the wires strewn about, making sure none of it is touching any metal surface. The wires have no bare spots which lack insulation. STILL no response.
There are three plugs to the decoder. A main plug with like 15 wires, and three 2 wire plugs. One to the electro coupler, one to the rear light, and the other to the speakers. I unplug the three 2 wire plugs thinking maybe the coupler or speaker is shorting out the decoder. Still no response.
I unplug the last main plug, freeing the decoder from the tender entirely. Finally, the lights on the passenger cars no longer dim, and the powercab will enter prog track mode