Which sound file for Protosound 3 upgrade?

Let me see if I can explain "why" to you. The PS3 steam upgrade kit uses the PS-32 stacker board set and what is essential PS2 basic steam wiring (no MUX) and thus no special features in the engine side of the harness. They have you reuse the existing constant voltage lighting board in the engine. All this is again, because of 2 reasons, the wiring harness is the 10 pin tether which limits how many features can be accessed (turned on and off or controlled- like marker lights, number board lights, cab lights, firebox glow) inside the engine. You get none of that from "the kit" because there simply are not enough wires in the 10 pin tether for all those features, plus the required ones like the tachometer for speed control, power for the motor, independent smoke fan and heater. So basically, you get one "controlled lighting feature"- headlight . Again, there are 2 things kind of driving this, the PS2 compatible from a wiring and output standpoint of the PS32 stacker board set, and then on top of that, your wiring harness in the kit is designed around basic steam features- sans the addition features that could be done in production PS2 engines that had the MUX transmit and receive boards respectively.

So what is key here is the MTH file system consists of 2 parts, one is called chain files and that is the firmware or function of the engine. I could go into why it's called chain files has to do with making the files by linking snippets of machine language code that make up the files. Again, chain files are a zip of multiple files that make up the firmware if you will of the board to implement the functions and features. You most likely will not want or need to change this and doing so could make your board set not function since it is a PS32 stacker set.

Conversely, the *.mth file is the sound file. Now just a note, sound files are technically not just sound files, they also contain feature programming info so that when you add the engine to a DCS control system (remote or app) those buttons and features show up and can be controlled. Again, just suffice it to say, the sound file also is not just sounds, it contains settings.

So what you need to do is neither of that you listed. You need to go back to the page for the original engine. https://mthtrains.com/20-3028-1

On the support tab there is the upgrade sound file only.

You want to load that sound upgrade file.

"p04_pp3blucometall040707a_3v.mth" that I also attached here while I was inspecting the file for suitability.

"So do I use the PS3 or PS2 sound file? There's one of each on MTH's website, one for the PS2 20-3255-1, and one for the PS3 20-3461-1."

If you use the other files, I think you would run into problems. The newer PS2 file I know for a fact that engine has the MUX boards to allow for more lighting features. You have no MUX. The PS3 file is for a direct modern PS3    2 board (boiler board and tender board) system with wireless tether and that's also not what you have and in theory would be problematic.

You keep the PS-32 flash code, but you do have the option of using the PS-2 3V upgrade sound file or a PS-3 file.  Original PS-1 had PS-2 3V sound files loaded to the web for upgrade kits.  PS-2 5V engines had PS-2 3V sound files created in a conversion of the orig 5V sound file since they were needed for PS-2 3V than PS-32 repairs of the obsolete 5V boards.  G

I also just wanted to make sure that they understood chain files VS sound files because the PS3 file is a zip containing both the chain files and sound file https://mthtrains.com/20-3461-1

You have to open that zip, extract only the *.mth sound file.

I know that techs and experienced folks know that info, but to the person just starting out, it can be a bit to quickly learn.

I've installed a bunch of these PS3 steam upgrade kits in my own locomotives. Here's some pointers.

The boards in the kit come with the PS32 chain file for a large smoke unit. DO NOT CHAGE THE CHAIN FILE.

You can download the PS3 version of the sound file into the board no problem. It'll sound better than using a PS2 3V file plus you'll get a quillable whistle with Premier sound files. Download the PS3 zip file for the locomotive you want to use, open it, remove the .mth file (that’s the sound file), and load that sound file into your locomotive.

There's no need to keep the constant voltage lighting board. All the lights will be on even when the locomotive shut off. I remove all the factory PS1 lighting and just replace everything with LEDs. Just connect a 220-500ohm 1/4 or 1/2 watt resistor to the anode of the LED and connect that to the PV line of the headlight circuit. Then all the lighting is off when the locomotive is powered down. I've run 7 LEDs off the headlight circuit without issue.

Here's probably the closest locomotive I've done to what you are doing. It's a PS1 Santa Fe Northern I converted to PS3.

https://ogrforum.com/...-northern-ps1-to-ps3

Thanks to everyone for the guidance. The manual seemed a bit confusing. It never even occurred to me that the sound file linked on the page for the engine I had wasn't the original one, but was for upgrades (makes sense, as the original didn't have DCS).

So I assume there's already a "chain" file loaded in the firmware that came with the upgrade board, and as long as I don't change that, and just upload a sound file, I should be good (in theory). Updated both my TIUs from my computer, but I guess I'll use a laptop to load the sound file...

@Magicland posted:

Thanks to everyone for the guidance. The manual seemed a bit confusing. It never even occurred to me that the sound file linked on the page for the engine I had wasn't the original one, but was for upgrades (makes sense, as the original didn't have DCS).

So I assume there's already a "chain" file loaded in the firmware that came with the upgrade board, and as long as I don't change that, and just upload a sound file, I should be good (in theory). Updated both my TIUs from my computer, but I guess I'll use a laptop to load the sound file...

Correct. Just upload the sound file.

The flash code must be PS-32 based for the lights to work correctly.  Normally the PS-32 steam code is installed.  That is for large smoke unit.  There are several different flash codes to be used with PS-32 boards when used as repair boards.  Must match it to the engine characteristics.  If you did a steam upgrade on a steam engine with a small smoke unit.  Not sure MTH made any PS-1 engines like that, but lets say you were repairing a PS-2 steam that had small smoke.  The large smoke flash code would produce too much heat and potentially damage the small smoke element.  So you would need the small smoke flash PS-32 file.

PS-3 steam flash do not work because PS-3 use LEDs not bulbs, and PS-3 steam have tender board and boiler board.  The PS-32 steam upgrade is a single board (PS-3 diesel type).  So there is no boiler board to communicate with, and all the boiler light features would not work, just tender like features.  G