Ready to fire up your laptop (or desktop) to take advantage of new command capabilities available for your DCS System or new sound files for your locomotive?  Well it's pretty easy to do once you set up the hardware.  You actually have most of the equipment you will need once you have an MTH Track Interface Unit (TIU) and hand held DCS remote.  The additional equipment consists of:a TIU/TMCC Connector Cable (serial), a Mini-to Mini Cable, a telephone handset cord, and a cable to provide power to your TIU. All of this equipment should be readily available from your MTH dealer.

You can actually create a programming track in your workshop or use your layout to program your locomotives. Remember, always use Fixed Input 1 on your TIU for programming, and if you use Fixed Input 1 on your layout for programming, make sure no other locomotives are on that track. Before you start programming sound files you will need to download some software from MTH. Go to mth-railking.com and first download the DCS Loader software (currently version 1.83). The software is free from MTH and it is essential to have it to update your hardware. Now hook up your TIU/TMCC Connector Cable to a serial port on your computer and to the PC Input port on the TIU.  Connect the Mini to Mini cable to the Proto-Dispatch and Proto-Cast jacks on the TIU. Finally apply power to the TIU either through the Fixed  Input 1 connectors or through the Aux Power Input jack.  If you use the Aux Power Input jack you will not be providing any power to the track, so you will have to change the power source later when you program software updates into your locomotive.  I  recommend applying power to the TIU and consequently to the track with a small transformer (Z 750 or Z 1000) if you are using a separate programming track in your workshop, so you do not have to move your Z 4000 from your layout whenever you program.  Once you have hooked up everything you will download the latest DCS software (currently ver 4.00) onto your hard drive and follow the instructions provided by the DCS loader software to update the TIU

The handheld DCS Remote also has software upgrade capability.  To update your remote simply connect the remote via the telephone handset cable to the Remote Input port on the TIU and follow the instructions provided by the DCS Loader software.

Locomotive software updates are performed directly from the TIU to the locomotive while powered up on your programming track.  Before you program the locomotive you must download software updates from MTH. When you arrive at the MTH home page go to service and PS2 Sound Files.  Then type in your locomotive catalogue product number into the search block to see if your locomotive has a software update.  Using the example of  Product Number 20-3095-1, a Premier 2-8-8-2 Y3 Steam Locomotive,  you will see a DCS Protosound File logo at the bottom of the product page.  Download that file and then use your DCS Loader to install it. Make sure you use Fixed Input 1 and Fixed Output 1 on your TIU for programming

You will also use the above method to program locomotives you convert from Protosound to Protosound 2.0. The upgrade soundsets are not compatible with original production Protosound 2.0 files so you must obtain these files from protosound2.com

Well now that you are ready try something simple, like downloading the DCS Loader.  Upgrading is quite simple with practice and it opens up a world of new features that are constantly being made available by MTH.  Enjoy!

timbuk2002

P.S. MTH's latest software upgrade to Protosound 2.0 (Version 4.0) is now available on their website. (3-17-08).  You must load Version 4.0 on both the Remote and TIU for it to work properly.