PS-2 conversion questions/WBB GP-9, 6-11-15

Is there any other way?

I guess not if you're on the road.

 

I hope I get to the test phase soon - my own project is driving me nuts.  I got as far as you see in the picture, went to snap the board in, and realized I put the mount in backwards.  Due to my overly complicated retrofit, I had to tank off the fuel tank for something like the 15 millionth time to make the change.

 

I knew this was going to bug me if i waited until morning so I turned it around. I figured at that point I might was as well mount a few more things.  So hear it is to date.

 

Board mounted, motor connection plugged in so I would have to loosen the heat sink again, and new 10k pot installed ( glued to a cut out corner of a project box).

 

 

John - I think this is a little close to what you had in mind.  Next up mounting the tachometer tape and reader, and sorting out the motor leads. 

HAve you test fit the shell to see that the charge port and pot don't interfere with the shell?  DOes the shell have any post that come down not used with screws (some do)?

 

Need to make sure that is all ok too.  G

Thanks GGG.  I 've tested the shell a bunch of times.  In this case it is held on by a screw through either end, not a post through the bottom.  I still have the wbb wiring attached to motors at this point, it should start getting simpler looking soon.

Good to go. The pot just looked close to the edge of the frame.

 

Use a 9V battery to see which motor lead turns the wheels in the forward direction with + Voltage.  Yellow from PS-2 board goes to those leads.  Whites to the negative lead.  G

Thanks for the battery Idea!

Should be under diesel power soon, lookin' good!

okay now I am confused - need some help.  The 27.7 mm tape fit perfect across the top of the flywheel.  I wrapped the tach tap around the wheel and have a large blank space left.  Is this normal? 

 There should be no blank spaces.  Uou started with the wrong end of the tape.  Apply the end with the large white gap end first.  Hold the tape straight out and rotate the flywheel to wind it on.

 

The mm reading of the tape is flywheel diameter.I don't know if it's camera distortion, but the stripes don't appear parallel.

The 27.7 mm tape fit perfect across the top of the flywheel.  I wrapped the tach tap around the wheel and have a large blank space left.  Is this normal? 

No, it's not. You used the wrong tape.

 

The tape should cover the entire flywheel with its black and white stripes only. The extra white space should be used to start the tape and should end up being covered.

Okay thanks guys, I try the next biggest tape.  I did start with the white end btw.

 

Thanks.

Try to measure the flywheel diameter.

Okay, I went up to the next tape size and now I've got this.  Comments?

 

 

Doesn't look like a perfect fit, but try it and see if that thin black stripe gives a problem.

Does anyone know if these instructions are available in color anywhere?  I am having a hard time figuring out where to plug in the front protocoupler and the various lights.

Attached

The attached, which I believe was done by Marty Fitzhenry, may help.

The flywheel tape sheet has some little measurement scales, use those to measure the flywheel and pick the correct tape.

 

 

okay, after rereading the instructions again I found most of the lighting info, and what wires to eliminate since I don't have a smoke unit.  That being said, the instructions say to join all the purple wires together from the 12 pin and 7 pin board.  there are two slightly different colors of purple, and too many wires to join together with one wire nut.  Are these two groups joined separately with a jumper between them?

 

Also I can't seem to find exactly where the rear protocoupler plugs in.  Although I'll keep reading.

RJR - thanks for the color print, big help!!

Looks pretty clear on the last attachment I sent you, the composite of the earlier 2.

Absolutely - this is big help.

Okay,

  I think I have everything wired correctly, but my first application of power was a little unnerving.  There was a clicking sound a couple of times, almost like a solenoid noise.  then I got a test tone, and I hadn't pushed any bell or horn buttons yet.  Any thoughts appreciated.

 

I am thinking it couldn't hurt to put some charge on the new battery, so I am putting the battery on charge for the night and take this up again some time tomorrow.

Something not right.  Check and recheck all wiring.

6-5-15. charged battery for about 6 hours overnight.  Tried this morning with the pot turned down.

 

Engine made one click when powered up, similiar to the way all my ps2 or 3 engines do when they get power.  I only had two lengths of track set up up but It did go forward.

 

Now, my real work job is suddenly on hold so i had to pack everything up this morning.  I tried to put the shell on and found that all the components fit okay, but the rats nest of wiring didn't want to stuff its way in.  I didn't have time to mess with it so I put it back in the box w/o the shell.  i am think I have to shorten almost every wire.  I think last night it may have been that I had the engine sitting on roller jacks and may have just had a lousy power connection to the engine.

 

Also no out of control test tone this morning, but there was some form of background noise coming from the speaker.  The noise continued for a long time after the track power was killed.  I don't know if maybe this just happens with an unprogrammed engine or not. 

Are you going to weather it when you finish the electric?

may have just had a lousy power connection to the engine

That could be it.

 

Unless MTH has changed, boards are pre-programmed with a rudimentary sound file for testing.

 

Be VERY careful with the wire stuffing

RJR do you also have the color printout for the ps2 steam engines!

Thanks RJR  for any help you can supply!

Alan

Attached

If you go to the MTH DCS Site, and click on the DCS Upgrade tab, both of the steam and diesel upgrade kit documents are available for download.

 

Grj thanks for the link, I didn't realize what was available. I am going to download later when I have my pc online.

 

Rjr, thanks again, I appreciate your input as well. 

 

Since I was passing overhead anyway, I stopped in at Pat's this afternoon for a few minutes.  I couldn't stay long but Pat was able to confirm that I have the motors wired right and the board will load.  I do have a short somewhere because it was pulling around 7 amps standing still, but I know it is some where in the accessory harnesses.  Just having someone listen to the speaker noise who had heard it before was abig help - thanks Pat!

Find the short before you power up again!  Those kinds of currents will toast the board in short order!

If you go to the MTH DCS Site, and click on the DCS Upgrade tab, both of the steam and diesel upgrade kit documents are available for download.

The diesel schematic is not in glorious color.

Right you are, I wonder when that changed?

 

 

I think that when the second or third edition of the manual came out, they went from color to b&w

I just checked the one I have in my archives, it still has color.  Don't know why they changed...

 

$

6-11-15  Thanks again to Pat at Pat's Trains in Wheeling WV.  Pat helped me trace out my short to a faulty electro coupler and set me up with a new one. Wiith the electronics sorted out the project should be back on track. Next up will be finishing the tach mount and figuring out how I am going to run and mount the lighting. 

This project isn't dead, just on hold for a bit. This is just a post to keep thread from getting locked.