Help please - MTH P2 30-4038-1 dead

JayR,

   I take it you have a full DCS unit, the very 1st thing I would do is delete the engine from the hand held remote, use a programming track with only that engine one it and

add the engine back to the remote, make sure you reboot your TIU just before you read the engine, also make sure you have the red wire on your transformer/TIU going to the center rail. Power your TIU independently thru the Aux, I like the Radio Shack

power supply, set on 18.

PCRR/Dave

Dave,

It's a RTR set engine.

Jay,

Make sure that the tether is securely seated in the engine's receptacle.

Jay,  Do you have a regular transformer you can test with?  We first need to make sure the train is ok.  You have an early version with the original PS-2 5V board.  They can go bad.  I just repaired one.

If you know the IR receiver is working right, because another train runs on the layout, you need to power up your train to see if it starts up correctly.  As Barry stated make sure tether fully installed.

If it doesn't work you needs some advanced skills to test whether the engine is getting input power to the 7 pin connector on the board in the engine.  If you never opened the engine before, you may want to take it to a local tech.

Unfortunately if the board went it is a costly repair to replace the board.  G

Hi Dave, Barry and GGG

first, thanks for your replies I really appreciate it.  

Dave - yes it is a DCS unit I attached a picture of the packaging, I'm assuming this is a full DCS? How do I delete the engine form the remote, and what is a TUI and how would I "power it from the aux"   - sorry im a total newbie with this. My transformer is the Z750 model if that matters.

Barry, for good measure I just replugged in the tether to make sure it wasn't something obvious which I've been known to overlook  and no change. Sounds like I need to read your publication?

GGG - yes the transformer responds to the remote. When i press the gray power toggle in the middle of the remote I can hear the Z750 "power up" so to say.  Also, when i press the red direction button, which used to start the train moving forwards or backwards, I hear a clicking from the square box that has the IR sensor on the top, and the green light flashes in response which is what I remember it doing when the train was running. 

I suspect that i'll need some advanced skills - before it stopped running the train sounds started to get garbled, and the response to the commands was hit or miss, then all miss   .

Jay

Do you see track power on the track?  Have you checked to see if power is actually making it to the track?

JayR,

   I led you astray thinking you had the full DCS, follow what Barry, GGG and Guns are advising you to do.

PCRR/Dave 

If your passenger cars light up, you have power on the track.  So at that point the engine is what needs to be looked at.  You really need a regular transformer to do a conventional reset, but it sounds like your engine is not even starting up.

If you have a new and charged battery installed, the tether correctly plugged in and the engine won't respond now, it sounds like the board may have had a failure.

When power is applied to the engine, do you hear a relay click inside the engine?  If so, there is hope.  If no click, than chances the board has died go up.  G

Hi GGG and Guns,

thanks again. My son tested the passenger car and the track has power.

GGG - no clicking from the train engine unit at all unfortunately. 

It sounds like the 5v board is shot. 

There is a replacement board available to replace the 5V board set.  MTH is just transitioning to a new PS/3 board with a piggyback board to replace the 5V boards.