MTH Z4000 Can not get past startup sounds

I'll let Gunrunnerjohn or Vernon chime in here, but from my own experience with the "older" model PS1 boards (mainly diesels) they are extremely finnicky to get out of the "reset" mode upon starting up. Has something to do with the sine waves of the transformer, is my understanding.

The Z4000 is not a good fit with these early PS1 boards, and I had no success at all using one to get some of my early MTH RailKing loco's going. Best I could do was using a Z1000, and even then there were a couple of diesel locos I could not get to run....the worst being the Baldwin AS-1616.

In the end I swapped out the sound chip in these loco's for a later model PS1 diesel sound chip, and they now all run great, using the Z1000 transformer........but they still won't come out of "reset" if I use the Z4000!!! Go figure!!!

The down side to this is that replacements for the old PS1 QSI sound chips are all but extinct now, and no longer available from the MTH spare parts list......BUMMER!!!

Hope this gives you some insight into what may lay ahead for you........take it away John and Vernon.

Peter......Buco Australia.

How many “Dings” on startup?

When doing the reset 18, are you:

Pressing the PROGRAM button, HORN button 18 times until 18 is displayed?
Then pressing the BELL button, allowing the transformer to cycle power?
Are you getting 3 clanks and 3 clinks after power cycles?
Are you pressing and holding BELL button until a garbled bell is heard?
Then pressing the BELL button again to lock in the reset?
And finally, pressing the PROGRAM button, then advancing the Throttle?

Turn power on and let it start up.  Should get 2 chimes than start up sounds.  Once you have sounds.  Turn track voltage off.  Does it play shutdown sounds?  If not, battery (despite being fully charged), battery harness, or board circuit has a fault and is not working.

If it plays shut down sounds and the battery circuit is good.  Start back up at a higher voltage 14.  Using the power handle move to lower voltage and back up to get to reset 1.  1 ding.  Do it again.  If you do not get higher than reset 1 and the engine has a software glitch and needs reprogramming.

If you can move past reset 1, go to 18 and do a factory reset.

The Z-4000 is a perfect transformer for PS-1 and I have never had any issue with the transformer on any vintage PS-1.

If you do reset and it still will not move, you could have a bottom board issue with the motor drive circuit.  G

@Buco posted:

I'll let Gunrunnerjohn or Vernon chime in here, but from my own experience with the "older" model PS1 boards (mainly diesels) they are extremely finnicky to get out of the "reset" mode upon starting up. Has something to do with the sine waves of the transformer, is my understanding.

Peter, you got two of the arguably most knowledgeable PS/1 experts commenting, I don't really have anything to add.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Peter, you got two of the arguably most knowledgeable PS/1 experts commenting, I don't really have anything to add.

Agree, I'm the amateur when it comes to the real experience here regarding PS1. I know just enough to mess up badly.

I would love to hear back from the original poster (JimmyT) on how he went following the instructions from Jon G and George (GGG), and if the GG1 was up and running.

I find these early QSI PS1 boards are "a learning curve"!!!!

Peter.....Buco Australia.

Definitions matter.  What does early mean?  Very early 93/4 stuff had battery switch.  Engine would run with no battery.  The battery was for sound continuity only. When switch was removed the board needed battery for sound continuity and processor operation.  I still run into PS-1 with original white batteries that may get out of reset and into motion.  Usually, it is earlier stuff in the 95-6 range.

Then you get into the whole software changes over the range of PS-1 years.  Both processor firmware, and the chip software.

Listen to George, I've gone crazy trying to figure out what processor software chip works with what board.  I'm loath to attempt to swap chips if I don't have to since I figure the chips that came with the board are generally compatible with the hardware.   You used to be able to get MTH to program you a new chip without the reset issues of the older software, but I've heard that those chips are no longer available, that's a shame.

After reading all the responses my question. I tried what GGG suggested, I put my Z4000 to 14v. I got start up sounds than dropped to a lower  voltage  and the engine went forward. It seens I needed a higher voltage. I was always thought PS1 start up voltage was under 10v,  My thanks go out to the many people that responded so quickly