PS 1 issues

Buzzing isn't the chip, nor will it hurt it, AFAIK.  I got a Camelback that buzzed like this, and it was the bottom board, something on it was bad.  I had an extra board, so I was able to fix it that way.  But you need to check to see if it's the speaker, the volume pot, or wires too.

 

And this should be in the O27 forum since it's not DCS.

Thanks for the info. What does AFAIK mean?

My apologies for listing this in this forum.

Since there was no forum for PS 1, I thought

that Control System Forums was a close fit.

As Far As I Know.  The PS-1 system is basically a fancy sound system for a conventional locomotive, not a command system.  Some of the command guys don't like our beloved conventional locomotive questions to get mixed up with their command areas.   No worries.

PS/1?  Heresy!  Don't you guys have any respect?

 

Just kidding in case you didn't get it.

 

BTW, that's perfectly normal, I get a lot of them that buzz at low voltage and then smooth out when you are running.  There's nothing wrong with it.

 

 

I wouldn't call it normal, as it shouldn't do it.  Most likely a bad capacitor.  Many PS-1 run well down around 8-10 volts, so if you have a buzz in that voltage range when running the engine, you may want to get it fixed.

 

The real buzz problem is at higher voltages.  That usually indicates an over voltage condition on the board, and you would want that fixed.   G

I normally hear the buzz on some of them on startup, once you get going it's fine.  It may be the starting voltage is a bit low for the audio.

 

I guess it depends on the kind of buzz we are talking about.  I have some that make a very faint buzz like John talks about, and once it's been powered for a couple of seconds it goes away.  Something that can be lived with.  My Camelback was a very loud ground/feedback loop like buzz that got even louder the more power you applied to the track.  Definitely something wrong and needing addressing.  I've still got to collect my bad boards and send them to GGG for repairs.  So much to do...

 

 

 

Do you think the problem is in the top or bottom board? I have some skill working with electronic components, but it is limited. Is there a way to test the individual boards

without spending money on new boards just to swap them out to see what works? I don't believe this is a grounding issue. Since the sound pops in each time there is a voltage drop with the engine coming back up to speed after the fact, do you think the problem is in the voltage/speed control circuit? Thanks

I'm talking about an obvious audio anomaly when first applying power.  It goes away and then everything is keen.  Enough of them have done it that I don't worry about it.

I understand what you are talking about, but in my case, the buzzing sound only occurs when the engine is in forward or reverse. In neutral everything sounds fine.

As I mentioned earlier, I put the engine up on blocks (much like my car!...just kidding). When I power up in a forward or reverse direction, the buzz starts at about 6 or 7 volts and will stay there until I throttle up beyond 10 volts. Then the proper sounds come in. If I leave it in that 6-10 volt range, the buzz will continue.

I'd go with GGG, that obviously is an issue, that's different than what I'm talking about.  I wonder if you're getting a power drop when the motors are running that is causing you to have insufficient voltage to the board?

That certainly sounds plausible. I just don't know how to test things in order to troubleshoot. Any suggestions? Thanks for the insight.

I'm thinking I'd check all the wiring from the pickups right to the connectors.  Any poor connections could result in a power drop when extra power is drawn by the motor and cause the supply voltage to the board to drop below what it'll run properly on.

 

Thanks! I'll try that!

Ity is the bottom board most likely.  The easy test is swapping a new bottom board in that doesn't buzz.  You have 3 relays that can buzz.  The 2 for motor drive, and the K-1 that switches based on track voltage.  This is the one that kicks in at higher voltages.

 

Than there are the audio buzzes.  One is caused by too high voltage to the top board and it over drives the audio amp.

 

You could also have some interference from wire routing, but again that would be audio buzz.  G

Thanks,
I don't have an extra board. Can they still be purchased?

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