Help Please...PS2 Wont Turn on, only "check track"

Mike,

Could I have fried something?  Is there a fuse or something inside of it?

Unfortunately, that's quite possible. There are no fuses in the engine.

Thanks for your reply Barry.

Thats what I was afraid to hear.  I have no idea how it could have happened though.

What do I do now, any suggestions?  If I were to take it apart, would it be obvious if something was indeed fried? 

Mike, If the insulation got nicked and touched chassis, your putting AC on the DC circuits and that can be fatal for PS-2 boards.  If the markers are LEDs they are on the 5VDC circuit.

If the marker remained dim, something else must have been wrong. Did you look at it with the classification light off?

Does the engine run in conventional?  If not, the boards need to be tested outside the engine.  They may be repairable at the component level.  The LED needs to be checked also.  G

 **Edit - just went and looked at it closer, the insulation on the LED is still fully intact, only one small imperfection, but not a penetration.  Also, one thing I noticed is that the insulation slides down (not easily) from the LED.  The housing was difficult to push on, so it may be possible (although I don't think it did) that the insulation slid down, the housing touched a lead, then the shell.  The lead is pretty far under the insulation though which is why I don't think the housing could've touched it.

I guess I could take the shell off and look underneath, but in reality, I'm assuming it probably needs to go somewhere to get tested.  If thats the case, I have no idea where that would be.  

Also, I have no idea if this affects both the loco and tender or just the loco. 

Mike you can send them to me, I am an ASC.  Probably need both, I am assuming the board is in the tender and the shell needs to come off to examine the LED.

Did you try it conventionally?  G

I didn't read the other thread but another option is to... try the recover engine feature. you can  find it under menu/ system/ engine set up/ recover engine..... must be tiu 1 and only engine  on the track.... worth a shot.

G,

Ugh, this is so frustrating.  No, I did not try it conventionally.  Honestly, I dint even look into how I would try it that way (I skipped over those parts in the manual because I never planned on running it that way).  Was pretty disappointed in myself so I put it in a dresser drawer (out of sight, out of mind?).  

I will send you an email.

Gregg,

I will try that tonight when I get home, thank you.

As Gregg says, if you hear the relay click, try the recover engine, that will sometimes rescue you.

I can test the boards for you if you like.

John,

Hear the click when?  When powering up the Z-500?  If thats the case... I do not hear it.  That was the first thing I noticed last night after it happened.  When I plugged the Z-500 in, I didnt hear that usual click and at first thought "oh no, I ruined the TIU."  Heard it though when I put my SD70 on it so that confirmed it was the steamer.

Mike

Well, that's not a good sign.  Sounds like something is amiss.  At this point, I suspect it's going to take testing the boards and then working back to what happened.

As I stated it is better to try in conventional and eliminate the DCS.  That will prove if boards are ok.

Mike, conventional is easy as long as you have a transformer.  Just remove TIU and power it up with the transformer.  IF it starts up, you can do a conventional feature reset with the W and B.  Than go back to DCS and do the recovery engine.

But without the engine relay clicking, most likely the LED short damaged the boards.  If so, it is better not to power it up unless you can monitor current.  More times the board gets powered up with a short on the circuit board less opportunity of a repair at the component level.  Which saves you $$$$.   G

G, with all respect this reminds me a sign I saw hanging in a automotive garage.

"Why is there never time to do it right but always time to do it again?"

Sometimes you get lucky taking shortcuts but there many times you will get burned.

Hopefully in this case its not too serious.

Pete

Mike,

   Do as GGG advises and see what happens.  My layout is running conventional right now, I removed the DCS to send it out to be up graded.  If you need to bring your engine over to my place and test it, give me a call.

PCRR/Dave

John, thanks for those pictures, hopefully I'll get it apart tonight or tomorrow.

GGG, thanks.  That conventional is clear enough, I was assuming you meant with the DCS.

Pete, I hope its not serious either, but those hopes are not all that high.

Thanks Dave, but I think I'm going to avoid trying that with concerns it could get damaged even more.

I don't understand your point?  What shortcut?  G

GGG,

   I do not think he understands you are a certified MTH Tech, and believes the conventional testing is a short cut.

PCRR/Dave

I think the "shortcut" he was talking about was probably trying to fix this without taking the boiler off.

Exactly. Now the boiler has to be taken off anyway.

Pete

Ok, but that is what I said. I NEVER said this can be fixed without taking the boiler shell off.  Here is what I said:

 "Probably need both, I am assuming the board is in the tender and the shell needs to come off to examine the LED."

The end of the sentence clearly states the shell needs to come off to examine the LED.

 Certainly there is the option that he takes the boiler off and fixes the LED and I can certainly fix the board without the engine.  But Based on his experience, I "probably" should get both and do it.

I respect that some folk don't want to ship whole engines if not necessary, but I do warn them of the consequences.

Via separate e-mail he vacations near me so he can deliver it and I can repair before he goes home.  Which saves on the shipping both ways.  G