PS 2 3 volt conventional problem!GGG

I would say you're on the right track thinking a battery problem.  Try another know good battery or if this a recent upgrade charge the battery for at least 30 or so minutes.  We know  the sounds immediately drop off and the engine won't leave neutral with a bad battery.

 Maybe try the battery in another 3 volt proto-2 to verify if it's good.

I have run into some of those going bad.  They will give the proper voltage reading and nothing else.

yes but this same board in a 6-8-6 turbine works perfectly in conventionally and DCS, I'm confused!

Alan

P.S. there is a mux board in the tender and i have trace the voltages back threw the mux to the ps2 3 volt board, could a mux board in these older old 5 volt boards possible not work correctly with the newer PS 2 3volt boards???

Any idea's would be appreciated!

Alan

just so you know Gregg i installed a BCR in place of the battery to prove weather the voltage was the problem, but it was not and the battery loaded also checked OK  too?

Running out of ideas. if i had built my test track with rollers,it would have been easier to troubleshoot by not having to put the engine together and take is apart,don't want to disassemble to frequent and take a chance of pinching a wire and the putting a real problem in to my engine.should be a simple matter to figure this out.

Thanks for all your help ALL!

Alan

Was the 3 volt board one made for the conversion with the black connections on the board?

Is this the premier FEF?  If so the 5V board was in the engine, and this had no mux board.  Just a patch panel in the tender for the tender items (speaker, coupler, battery, reverse light and volume pot.

So were did you connect the battery/bcr?  To the patch panel or directly to the PS-2 3V board in the engine?

I would make a harness out of an old battery harness and attach the BCR directly to the PS-2 3V board in the engine with the small 2 pin connector.  See if that works, if so, you have a harness issue between PS-2 board in the engine back to the tender.  G

I spent an hour looking for the loose connection in a GP9. id bet there's an issue with the wiring in your battery charging circuit. That would be why it works in other locos cuz your not moving the wiring

GGG 

I would make a harness out of an old battery harness and attach the BCR directly to the PS-2 3V board in the engine with the small 2 pin connector.  See if that works, if so, you have a harness issue between PS-2 board in the engine back to the tender.  G

George that's exactly what i did directly to the ps2 board 2 pin charging plug on the board.That's why I'm confused, it should have worked when connected directly. and was a brand new BCR i had recently purchased!

Hope you have some other idea's!

Alan

P.S.

Is this the premier FEF?  If so the 5V board was in the engine!

YES and it does have what you called a patch panel, i trace the red and black wires from the bcr and battery all the way back threw into the red and black engine connector and had voltage!

?????????

What would you recommend next?

Alan

Marty as to your question!

Was the 3 volt board one made for the conversion with the black connections on the board?

How do i tell, all i know is the boards work perfectly in my turbine engine which was also a 5 volt board that went bad and i installed these PS 2 3 volt boards in that engine and EVERYTHING worked OK DCS and  CONVENTIONAL.

the only difference i notice is the 4 pin connector for the smoke n fan, the connector below that is used on the FEF but the turbine engine does not use that connector at all!there is a red and black wire on that connector?It is a 8 pin connector!

Alan

??

any other ideas

Alan

Thanks for all your help

If your battery/bcr was connected directly to the board and it still did not work, you at least eliminated the wiring in the engine on the battery side.

When it worked in the Turbine did you use the same made up battery harness and bcr?  Or a battery?

When you test you have to replicate as much as possible.  IF the board worked in the turbine but not the FEF, then it has to be something other than the board.

But if you used the BCR in FEF and Battery in Turbine, the board still can be bad (won't charge the BCR) or the BCR is bad.

This is a straight forward conversion other than modifying harness in the tender.  The only issue is the longer wires which could cause issues.

This is a little baffling, but you must be leaving out a detail that makes this solvable.  G

Maybe try the basics that is needed to run the engine.... 2 pin battery.   hot and outside rail + tack reader & Motor connections. Disconnect every thing else for now.

Reload sound file?

If the board runs in another train, I am not sure what a reload would do.

I think he needs to answer my questions on standard of the testing.

Or else his mounting method in the FEF may be separating the 2 boards and causing issues.

Can't see how it works in one engine and fails to work in the other with a direct battery connection which he stated he did.  G

Hi George sorry i have not got back to you but my computer had crazy symptoms and i had to fix it took 2 days, now i can get back to troubleshooting my engine!

To answer your question i used a BCR in the engine and is brand new never used before, but only used the battery's in the tender of the FEF but the batteries are new and where charged!unfortunately my test turbine engine i took the tach board out of to repair another engine while I'm waiting for the parts to come from MTH.you think i should try the bcr in the turbine engine with new BCR, then we will be comparing apples with apples, and all things will have been the same in testing.

Alan

George i just tried the bcr in the turbine engine and sound continue when powered down!i have a different board in the turbine then the one i have been checking, so i guess the next step is to pull the board out of the FEF again and test it in the turbine engine!I'll give you further updates ounce i tested the board out of the FEF back in the turbine AGAIN.Hope we can make sense out of this!

George thanks for all your help! and everyone else also!

Alan

George i just tried the bcr in the turbine engine and sound continue when powered down!i have a different board in the turbine then the one i have been checking, so i guess the next step is to pull the board out of the FEF again and test it in the turbine engine!I'll give you further updates ounce i tested the board out of the FEF back in the turbine AGAIN.Hope we can make sense out of this!

George thanks for all your help! and everyone else also!

Alan

Hi again George (GGG) i just switch my board out of the FEF and installed in my turbine test engine with super cap still connected inside the turbine engines tender, so i proved 2 good boards with new same super cap and shutdown sounds continue when engine powered down from mth z4000, sounds continue as they should,that's why I'm confused both the boards and the caps work in the turbine fine.

I used the plastic board holding case inside the steam locomotive and mounted plastic holder to the metal thread in top boiler .!

Is there some ground i have to make sure connects the boards to the frame. i just don't know what else to try?

Thanks for any help and ideas you can supply!

Alan

George check your email!

alan

If the boards work in another engine in conventional with your battery and BCR, then it has to be wiring in the FEF.

No special ground is required, though one of the AC input black wires connects to the shell via a terminal.

If the board runs under DCS in the FEF with all functions, but doesn't work in conventional in the FEF (but did work in conventional in your other engine) it has to be battery leads.

Remove both shells but keep all harness connected and check continuity from the patch panel to the engine PCB connection, then from there all the way to the 2 pin battery connector on the board.  If any high resistance you need to find the issue.

How did you modify the battery harness in the tender?  Did you make sure you got the leads right.  Negative of the new battery goes to the PCB blue wire on the patch panel, and positive has its own dedicated wire (orange I believe) to the harness.  If you made any splices those would be the first items to check.

The length of the battery wires can become an issue if there is any resistance.

So when in the FEF and on conventional power, if you turn off track power does the engine play shutdown sounds for the full length of time?

G

Hi George i did not modify the engine or tender in any way just installed a new battery and (charged)prior to powering up.just plugged in ps 2 3 volt micro board and PS 2 power supply and everything worked except conventional.That's why  i asked to see a wiring diagram if you have one or a picture of one!you said to trace the wiring threw, well i tried that over a month ago or so but i can't make sense out of the wiring because I'm not sure which wires change to which colors as they go from loco to tender via 10 pin plug and wiring colors into the tender. I also just took out the nine volt battery and installed 2.4 volt battery in place of the nine volt battery. the only other thing i replaced the the 16 ohm speaker to a 4 ohm speaker so it would be compatible with the PS 2 3 volt boards amplifier!

George if i understand you correctly I'm reading from red pin on ps2 board connector i read .5 ohms to red connector on patch board,and black (negative wire to blue wire on patch board  .5 ohms which is, that close enough or does it need to be closer to o ohms,where is the critical ohm limit?

Thanks GEORGE  for any ideas you may have!

Alan

Thanks George for your  email.found bad connector harness from battery measured 1.9 ohms, on red and 1.5 ohms on black. replaced connector harness to battery and installed new BCR and all worked perfe4ctly. conventional and DCS worke3d perfectly!

Thanks for all your help all!What  GREAT  forum.

I like the fact that we all help each other,and I'm glad to help anyone i can also.

Have a great weekend ALL!

Alan Mancus