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9 replies

MTH PS2 SW-1500 DCS issue

P Pu239OGR Forum Member

Hello, Ive done some searching but couldnt find a fix for my issue. I have the Mon Valley Works SW-1500 30-4159-1. The Remote will find the engine, but only after the "Out of RF Range" notification. After I power off and back on, the remote cant find the engine again. I did a Factory Reset and Feature Reset, Cleaned wheels and center roller and verified the charge on the 3v battery. So to run this engine I need to delete the engine and search for it each time I want to run it. It stays quiet until its found, so it sees the watchdog signal, all other MTH engines work fine. Its not terrible to do the delete search every time (at least it will work) but Id like to get it working properly. This was bought recently and the seller says it was never run. Looks like no wheel wear.



Thanks

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P Pu239OGR Forum Member
@Scott J posted:

I got a PS2 early version with the same problem. I got OUT OF RANGE then it found the engine. I knew it would be weird because the battery was dead. I got a replacement BCR and that fixed it.

With the BCR and Battery, it does the same. It also does the full shutdown on power off as well. So either the the BCR or battery seems fine.

VB Vernon BarryOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I'm repeating what I've said in the past- when you have this symptom of adding an MTH DCS engine- be it PS2 or PS3, the actual process of saving the updated address does not finish at that moment of adding an engine. NO- that new address is in RAM- not permanent storage in the engine. The actual save to memory happens when the engine shuts down and is powered  by battery or super capacitors after track power is dropped.

Again, as a surefire telltale- if you have the symptom of adding an engine, and it runs for that session in DCS with no issues- but if you drop the power for 1 minute, and then the remote cannot find the engine, and you have to add it again, and now it jumps to the next higher address in remote or database- bingo- you have a battery or capacitor subsystem problem. It's NOT finishing all steps in the powerdown (not shutdown button) meaning again, this last action of firmware to save the variables from running RAM memory to more permanent storage on the board as part of it's final sequence.

on PS2 3V it might be possibly some sub function of the powerboard if not your battery or BCR.

H H1000OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

The "OUT OF RANGE" indicates a signal problem. If you can get the engine added, run a signal test to make sure that it is up to par.

Also, if you have the equipment, I'd recommend monitoring the Battery/BCR voltage through the charging port as the engine shuts down to ensure that the process is completed properly. If the battery/BCR voltage drops below 2 volts, that's very close to a power level in which the PS2 electronics will shut down without completing the final steps of the shutdown process.

I have previously posted this information: https://ogrforum.com/...6#182466531934631596

Some additional FYI information about PS2-3v behaviors at different (BCR) voltage levels:

1.6 volts - not enough power to run the sounds and electronics - sounds will cut off early and the board won't completely shut down.
1.9 volts - The DCS remote indicates the Battery as "LOW" The engine sounds go from normal to quiet during track power down.
2.3 volts - The engine sounds go from quiet to normal during commanded start-up.
2.9 volts - Minimum voltage in the BCR needed to complete a successful track power down (with sound), using the BCR indicated below.
3.3 volts - This one is odd. When powering down a DCS track, a "dark & silent" engine won't drop below this voltage level. Not sure if the electronics shut down prematurely or if something else is going on. Any DCS "dark & silent" power down below this voltage results in very little to no voltage drop of the BCR.
4.0 volts - The DCS remote indicates the Battery as "HIGH"
5.1 volts - Maximum volts observed in the BCR after 90 minutes of running.

The DCS remote will indicate Battery "OK" between 1.9 and 3.9 volts.
This was tested with a 5.0v 2.5uF BCR, results with other BCR capacitance or an actual battery will be different.

Last edited by H1000
G GGGOGR Forum Member

That is odd behavior if the battery and Bcr are good.  While you say they work, is the shutdown (track power off) a full shut down, or does it end abruptly after a short time.  I would try them in another engine.  If they function correctly and I expect they do, I am assuming you have Power Supply issue and low voltage issue causing out of range.  Unless that is dirty pickup/wheels.  You could have a processor failure too.  Just doesn't want to write to memory.  If BCR work in other engine, swap or replace Power Supply board.  If that doesn't resolve issue, the processor board has an issue, and that won't be repairable.

Testing signal strength when loaded an operating is also good to see as mentioned before, but again low DCS can be resolved by PS swap too.  G

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