20-3038-1 PS2 5V Atlantic Steam Engine - No Click, needs help. SOLVED

Well, you can see how much current it's drawing.  If you're not getting any current flow, and you have track power on the 7-pin connector red and black connections, it's pretty likely the board has gone bye-bye.  As I recall the small Atlantic tender, it was fun trying to fit the PS32 replacement board in there.

No readings on the 7 pin connector.  So we have a PS2 3V Railking Steam engine.  I assume I could use that as a donor?  Would I also have to swap out everything in the engine, or just the tender?

Ron

So here is a picture of the PS2 boards next to each other.  All of the connections are the same.  Except the 5V board has 3 wires soldered to it that go to another piece on the tender.  I assume I can remove that?   I know I will have to change out the battery wire too.

First off, if you're getting no voltage on those pins, the board isn't getting any power, so I'd stop disassembling and find out why the power isn't getting there!  You haven't verified that there's anything wrong with the board, that's why I asked you to look at those pins!

I'd look at the tether first...

OK... We are getting power to the 7 pin.   My probes wouldn't fit right.  But I took the wires out of the connector and I could get power.

We did just notice, that while the connectors all have the same pin counts, the connectors on the 5V and 3V board are slightly different.  So I can't plug in the wires that went into the 5V board into the 3V board.

Ron

I have had issues with mine for years; I seem to have a short in the tether or pins in the engine. I usually end up wiggling the wire until it comes on.

Scott Smith

Only problem with mine is, I seem to have a short.  We don't hear the click, but the Red light comes on the Z4000.  On our bench we have a Z750 and the breaker pops. 

OK, that sounds like the board is bad.

If you want to use that 3V board, you have to do a few things.

First off, you'll need a different battery harness and a 4 ohm speaker.

Next, you'll have to remove the black plastic shells from the dead 5V board and the white ones from the 3V board.  You'll be replacing the white shells with the black shells you salvaged from the 5V board.  You have to be careful doing this as you can damage the 3V board trying to get the shells off.  I find some heat from my heat gun softens the plastic enough to make it easier to get them off, but it's still a tricky little endeavor.

I saw a reply from you, but it's gone.

I deleted it... I went out to get dinner and really thought about what you were trying trying  to tell me. 

I think I got it.  1 down and 4 to go.

You are awesome by the way...

Thank you.

So... Ready to install the new PS32 board.  There is a small board I assume I don't need and is unique to the 5v board.   The wires all lead to the 12 pin connector.

Do I remove this?

YOU DO NEED THAT BOARD!  It's a mux board that matches one in the locomotive, and it's universal for 3V and 5V.  Leave it alone!!!

Awesome... Thank you very much!!!!!

PS 32 upgrade complete.  Will download new sounds tomorrow.  Thank you so much for walking me through this GRJ.

Ron

Sounds like a chuff rate adjustment is needed.   That sounds like about one chuff/rev.

My son was playing with that last night to try and get it right.  We are hoping to download the proper sounds tonight.

Thanks again.

Ron

@Ron045 posted:

So... Ready to install the new PS32 board.  There is a small board I assume I don't need and is unique to the 5v board.   The wires all lead to the 12 pin connector.

Do I remove this?

If you still have this engine would you mind sending pics of the wiring? I'm working on one of these now and there's some wiring that doesnt make alot of sense. Specifically what each wire nut looks like and the colors of the wires going into the wire nuts, Looking specifically at the orange and grey wires.

Thanks,
Dan

Shouldn't be any wire nuts on those wires, normally they're just on the power and frame ground wiring.

Well that could explain why this is very broken...someone had alot of fun in this engine. Each of the wires from the harness have a wire nut attached to it.