Low speaker volume on ps2 3v steam loco

Look for the volume pot ….sometimes in the hatch for the water tank, on the tender, sometimes underneath….not sure on that engine…..

Pat

Couple of things:

#1 would inspect the speaker- I've lost count how many I have replaced.

#2 PS2 lowers the volume if the battery or BCR is not charged!!!!

#3 I would NOT reload the sound file thinking it was the problem.

Thanks Pat. Tried that already although I don't think it matters when running in DCS mode.

Regards,

Walter

@Vernon Barry posted:

Couple of things:

#1 would inspect the speaker- I've lost count how many I have replaced.

#2 PS2 lowers the volume if the battery or BCR is not charged!!!!

#3 I would NOT reload the sound file thinking it was the problem.

Vernon,

I have had to change sound files before that made a difference in volume.  Not saying it is going to help the engine in question.

I would check the speaker 1st... Look for that degrading magnet.

Jim

Vernon,

#2 nailed it! Battery was original light green one and bad. Replaced it with a new blue one (a bit bigger) and problem solved. Now I just have to make room for the bigger battery . And I have learned something new about the interworking of PS2. 3V. Thank you!

Walter

The blue battery is the ancient NiCad battery, best to find a newer (and functional) green NiMh battery.

His issue is that it had the smaller AAA type which seem to have less energy and life than the AA types.  Plenty of blue NiCad still running fine on 10year old plus engines.  G

@GGG posted:

His issue is that it had the smaller AAA type which seem to have less energy and life than the AA types.  Plenty of blue NiCad still running fine on 10year old plus engines.  G

I don't see where the smaller battery pack that was fully functional would have anything to do with speaker volume.  Once the engine is running, the charging current to the NiMh batteries doesn't affect speaker volume like a BCR does.   I agree that it does seem like the AAA packs don't last as long as larger batteries.  That being said, I would never recommend keeping the old blue battery, those are at least 15 years old.  Yes, I have found them in many engines and they are still functional, just not sure for how long.

It was not functional, he replaced it with a larger type.  Reread his post.  With a dead battery it draws down voltage and that does suppress the volume until the battery is replaced.  The AAA do not last long even if limited use.  Even time seems to kill them.   I have a 2008 engine with original AA Blue nicad low hrs and it functions fine.  That is a 16 year old battery still working.  Small switchers and some electrics use that small AAA battery.  G

Hi folks, just to clarify, the green AAA battery was likely the original and had seen light use based on the low hours on the loco. It showed 0v after 4+ hours of charging. Charger voltage was 5v. So the AAA green battery was clearly dead. Replacing with the blue AA one solved the sound level issue as well as the memory of the loco ID issue which required re-adding the loco. I did have to remove the battery holder to fit in the larger AA battery. With all those wires, I don't think the battery will bounce around.

Thanks for all the interest and comments. I always learn new things from this group.

Walter

The green AAA packs from MTH were/are problematic.  They don’t sell them anymore.  Use a BCR2 or Kruta/Glepoweer cordless phone pack after you change the end to the correct connector.  I’ve used dozens of these batteries and they work well.

Interesting about the green batteries, I hadn't heard about them dying.  I wonder how the phone folks can make working batteries for a fraction of the money.

I think I'll keep using my old standby...

Take the old battery out, lop off the cable, solder it to a 1.5F 5.5V Supercap, install a permanent solution.

I did some follow up investigation into the cheap version of the green batteries, which seem to be used in some consumer products. There were complaints that the shelf life was only about a year. Also that even in use where they are being charged, they only lasted about a year. So maybe not the greatest application for the locos unless you plan to change them out every year or so. I'm going with John's super cap solution at least on the tenders where the blue battery does not easily fit physically. Thanks again to all for the help.