Help. I have a shorted out and smoked MTH proto-2 PRR 0-4-0 A5 20-3265-1.

Pictures of loco & tender innards might get you more help.

Chuck

Well Craig, as an expert of sorts on destroying PS2 boards and paying out the butt to get them fixed, I wish you luck!!!

To me, board sensitivity to shorts is the aspect of command control that desperately needs addressed by the designers of those things.

I hope you get lucky and it's only the motor.  If so, I'll be jealous!

- walt

For one thing, if it stalled and was trying to move, you could have cooked the motor.  I just had one come in with two motors both smoked because it stalled out of sight and the owner didn't realize for some time it was sitting there cooking.  Obviously, you could have also cooked the boards, no way to know without pulling it open and popping them on the test set.

First thing, do NOT power it up again until you have someone look it over.

Some pictures:

Here is the weird one, I just noticed the switches on the bottom were thrown seeming the wrong way, even though the loco ran like a top until its final loop?

I may have thrown them unknowing when removing the wreck, or they may have been that way for the last ten years. Does it matter for 3 rail operation? I did just try them flipped the other way, there was no change from paper weight mode.

First step I would take is to check the wire(s) that run from the pickup rollers, which might have been damaged by a short.  Also check if roller springs have lost tension from heat.  That's the area you say smoke was coming from.

I kind of doubt the board was damaged.

Easy way to check the motor is to unplug the motor wires from the DCS board.  Take a pair of flashlight batters (3v) and connect them to the motor brushes.  Motor should revolve.

The motor really needs a better test than that.  The one I just described ran fine, the motors just draw several amps each with no load!  They also emit some smoke after a short time, they're obviously getting really hot and have shorted turns.

Pretty hard to say what's damaged without actually tracking it down.

Craig, I really don't think those switches were that way, you probably moved them during the disassembly.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Craig, I really don't think those switches were that way, you probably moved them during the disassembly.

I will put them back, both go to the right, yes?

GRJ, but it's the simplest motor test to start with.  Actually, unplugging the motor leads and then using ohmmeter on the motor might be easier.  An overheated motor can kill tension on the brush springs.

Craignor posted:

 

...Now, it's totally unresponsive, except a weird buzzing sound when power is applied.

I'm concerned about "totally unresponsive".  I assume this means you aren't even getting the faint double-click sound from the tender relay when initially applying track power.

No matter if the motor itself is shorted, opened, or something in-between the PS/2 electronics should at least start up.  That is, the motor electronics starts up in the inactive state.  So you should be able to at least address the engine in DCS command-mode or at least the sounds should start up in conventional mode (assuming you're not locked in fwd or rev for conventional).

There are many things to try as the guys are suggesting - here's another one.  Pull all the connectors from the tender board-set except the 7-pin power connector on the long-side of the top board.  Yes, this disconnects the speaker, the motor, the lights, etc.  Now apply track power and listen for the faint double-click sound from the relay and see if you can address the engine in DCS command mode.  The idea here is to see if the tender electronics has basic functionality.

Although you didn't see any smoke coming from the tender, you might try "sniffing" the boards in the tender.  There is a distinctive burnt electronics odor which, while obviously not a conclusive "test", may suggest damage beyond the motor.

I'd be seriously considering getting it into a tech's hands at this point.  I don't think it's a good idea to risk more damage powering it up again.

I definitely would not power it up, but I would check all wiring. 

Thanks for all the help GRJ and the rest. I am going to give this to a friend who is also a MTH tech for an expert examination, see what the diagnosis is, then go from there.

Fried my PS2 engine last year. Nobody could fix it and I wound up selling it 'as is' on ebay. A former MTH tech bought it and was able to fix it by completely reprogramming the software.

Craignor posted:

I am going to give this to a friend who is an MTH tech for an expert examination, see what the diagnosis is, then go from there.

Craig:   Take it to York and hand it to Mike!!