I run some of my one gauge engines every summer. So they sit for the winter unused. I bring some inside in a rotation to get them all some use before the season starts.
I put one of them on the track and could not get it to run in command. I selected the engine and I kept getting "engine not on track".
(I flipped the polarity switch just to check and got the same response. Not something 3 rail people need to do. )
I pressed the read and it couldn't find it. I tipped the engine quickly and put it down to fire it up in conventional. It came to life dark and silent but went to full speed? The speed was expected but why silent?
So I checked the battery with a cheap meter and it read 2.1 volts. I put the MTH charger on it for the whole night. About 12 hours later, I checked the voltage first to make sure it charged (2.8?), and then put her on the rails. I pressed the read again and it found the engine fast. I started and ran the engine and it ran perfectly with full sounds and lights.
I don't wish to confuse anyone more, but I used a different TIU inside. So the engine not on track was correct. Why the read didn't work, I'm not sure?
I have seen so many things from low or dying batteries that I know to look there first. Now, I'll run this engine and monitor it's battery health. I've seen some are fine afterwards. I've had a few that acted up again later. One that I remember the best, was lost totally by the remote. It lost it and the address inside the remote. I think it was from a bad response caused by the dying battery. I replaced that battery and that engine was fine afterwards too.
I've seen the blank add screens, poor signal responses, and all sorts of issues from dying batteries.
Now I've even seen this with PS3 engines. They don't have a battery. They have caps inside. Yet they will struggle to add or do things with the remote's commands if the caps aren't charged. I had one that took a few minutes before the caps fully charged up. I can only guess that something told the board not to charge them? The circuitry kicked in after a few minutes running in conventional and then the engine was fine and added correctly. It has been fine ever since.
So if you have the first PS2 5 volt white batteries issued in the early 2000's, I'd have to guess that they are asking for trouble. Most, if not all of my engines are from 2005? and later.
I don't have any 5 volt engines! If I did I would charge them and monitor their battery's health.
