Lash up issue

Dan,

All my MTH engines that came from the factory with PS2 installed work well together.  However, none of my engines that I have upgraded with PS2 work well with anything else; I have to run them separately.  These engines include 3rd Rail, Weaver brass, and Williams brass.  I do not have any PS1 engines; these may work better with PS2 installed.

I believe there are too many installation and mechanical variables when installing PS2 for that engine to run at a speed close to the handheld setting.  My Weaver H10 runs at only half the scale speed that is set by the handheld.  When lashed up, if the two PS2 engines do not run close to the same speed they will fight each other and not run well.  This is probably what is happening to your engines.

Ron

Thanks, Ron.

Like you I see the result but it makes me wonder what we are missing.  Why can I lash up a GG1 a Hudson and an FT set with factory PS2 and they work?  They all have different wheel diameters, gear ratios and, maybe, motors.  The two GG1's have the same wheels, gears and motors and, I think, the same PS2 electronics.  So what is the difference?  If the factory installed the upgrade, would it work?

Dan,

The issue is that the sound files that you loaded into the upgraded engines most likely have different gear ratios, and also perhaps driver sizes, than do the actual engines themselves.

On the other hand, original PS2/PS3 engines have gear ratios and driver sizes that exactly match their sound files.

That's why original MTH engines run at, or close to, the speed in the remote and why upgrade engines very often do not. Further, often one upgraded engine will run at a speed different from another upgraded engine, or an original PS2/PS3 engine.

This can make lashups that contain even one upgraded engine operate poorly, if at all.

Very good point, Barry.  From the outside, and the inside, these two locomotives look the same but there is a 10 year gap between manufacturing.  I am using the 4909 sound file on the upgraded GG1 maybe I need an earlier sound file.  When I have nothing to do I'll measure the wheels and gears.

Your book has been helpful more than once.  I have it on my iPad so it is handy.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Dan

Dan, If you take the shells off, you can just rotate the flywheel of the OEM and the upgrade engine counting how many revolutions it takes to get the truck wheel to make one revolution.  The number will be around 25 to 40 revolutions depending on the type of engine.

If they are the same on both engines, it should work.  If they are different, you have to speed up or slow down the Upgrade engine by adjusting Tach stripe count.

You can run the engines together uncoupled to see if the upgrade engine is faster or slower.  At that point we can guide you on what to do.

One thing is the tach reader gap needs to be in spec.  To far it may read and work, but misses counts and therefore the engine runs faster than it should.  G

Thanks for your input, GGG.

I'll check the tach reader gap and the tach strip over the weekend.