New Battery - Static "Pop"

Weird.  Turn volume down lower and try again to see if pop stays loud, or is muted with the lower volume.  Don't believe that is normal unless part of that engine sound file.  G

G, 

 

Thanks. It is not part of the sound file, at least, after 8 or so years, it has never done it. I should note that the engine does not do this every time. Shutting down via DCS remote is fine but if the power is killed without shutting down, that is when it "pops". I'll give the volume a try. 

I'd consider the battery in that case.  Maybe it's marginal.

If it's a new battery, it might still need to be charged.  I suggest you do so before trying anything else.

I would think the battery has been charged enough but then again, maybe not. I'll let it sit a while later and give it another shot. This was one of two engines with weird BCR issues. Engine 1 is back to normal with a battery and so is this one, minus the "pop" when the power is killed without hitting the shutdown button. 

 

Will try charging a bit more and the volume adjustment. Thanks!

Tried the volume and a battery charge and no change. Occasional pop, occasional "no pop". I wonder if the speaker has to do with it? Regardless, it runs fine with no "pops" in DCS mode so I think I'll just keep running it. 

By no change are you saying the loudness of the pop is constant no matter the volume?  So you could mute then engine and still get an occasional pop when you remove track power?

 

Yes. Put a BCR in last night, no pop. 

A lot goes on electrically in the transition from track power to battery/BCR power.  Since you can mute sounds and still get the pop, I think there's a power-supply glitch in the transition.  A battery delivers a slightly different voltage vs. current profile than a BCR which might explain the variance.  Combining that with your comment that the engine has "weird BCR issues" suggests there might be a hardware issue on the power-supply board.  While you're running DCS and can mask the behavior, a conventional operator could not ignore it with continual pops on direction change and visions of impending board failure.

 

As to what to do about it, I'd try another known-good battery.  I'd swap the power-supply board with another PS2-3V power-supply board.  If you have access to an oscilloscope, I'd observe the power supply signals during the transition.  In other words, I'd want to get to the bottom of it but that's just my opinion. 

I agree with you Stan, since that is not normal operation, I'd be interested in solving it before some magic smoke escapes from the boards.

 

Stan/John - thanks for the input. Sounds like a rather serious issue, or at least one that can become a serious issue. Just to clear things up, the engine that "pops" was not the one recently experiencing weird BCR issues - that one I changed the BCR out for a battery and all is well.  Any cost estimates to fix this popping issue? I will take the engine to my dealer this weekend. I know the boards in the engine are about 3 or 4 years old and are not the originals. I blew the originals accidentally some time ago. The engine has the battery in it now as  I prefer the battery over the BCR. 

Another question - is there some sort of known issue with BCRs screwing with the charging circuits on PS2 engines? This isn't the first time a BCR has caused, or at least I think caused, charging circuit issues? I just noticed another PS2, not the original one, one that I just put in a battery to replace a BCR does the pop but very, very, faint. Had to turn the sound off to really here it. 

 

Any estimate on repair cost would be appreciated. Any insight on BCRs vs. charging circuits in PS2 engines also would be interesting. I seem to remember MTH saying they don't recommend BCRs...? I get them saying that to sell more batteries but was/is there any technical cause? 

There is a very faint pop about 30 seconds after powering down, when the system shuts itself off.

 

As I've said before, my personal preference is batteries--in fact I prefer PS2 to PS3.  Battery life has not been an issue for me, and when doing upgrades, I use NiMH batteries smaller than MTH provides.  BUT, this is a personal preference & others may (and do) reasonably differ.

Thanks. I'm familiar with the "pop" or click after everything has shut down but this is instantly when power is killed. Tried it in DCS (without hitting shut down, just pulling the plug) and conventional. Guess we'll see what my dealer has to say when he tests the boards and figures out what is going on. 

That is most certainly not normal, I've never seen one with that issue.

 

Based on what I read here on OGR, very few (if any?) dealers perform component-level repair of PS2 boards.  So if there isn't some secret problem-solution cheat sheet with your symptoms privy to MTH, your dealer might just swap the power-supply board and if that works then your cost would be the board plus labor.  IIRC, the PS2 power-supply board runs between $50-$100?

 

If GRJ isn't volunteering, member GGG does component-level repair so you might ask him. There aren't any expensive individual components on the power-supply board so it's the troubleshooting labor that drives the cost if you go this route.  And since it you have a second board with similar though less profound symptoms, I'm thinking the  solution to one will apply to the second and could save repair time/cost.

GGG does excellent repairs on component level and is very reasonable. He repaired a few of my boards and I am very happy.

Glenn

Stan/Glenn, 

 

Thanks for the help. Appreciate the cost estimates, doesn't seem like a total wallet buster but I guess we'll see when we know exactly what is wrong. 

 

GGG has come highly recommended to me by many. I plan to give him a try in the future however my dealer, a NASC, will be closing within the next few months and I'd like to give him as much business as possible prior to closing. 

 

Appreciate it!