Just when I thought I had these early PS1 boards all figured out, I fall flat on my face again!!!!
Won two (2) Premier Baldwin AS-616 loco's in a recent Stout Auction, and they were delivered last week (super quick with UPS shipping).
One appears to be brand new (Southern Pacific) with no evidence of it ever being out of its wrapper or its box.
The other (Chicago Northwestern) appears to have some run time on it, as both brass pick-up rollers have the usual dark marks from contact with the centre rail.
Bottom line......neither of these two loco's will leave the "reset" mode, once I fire them up. And yes.....I am using the Z1000 controller that will effectively lower the voltage down to 3V, before cutting out, as opposed to my Z4000 that will not deliver anything below 9V.
And yes, I do not exceed 8 volts on start-up using the Z1000, and everything works as it should on the initial start-up process......the loco sounds one (1) bell chime, and then the diesel engine start-up sounds come on, with the idling sound, prior to moving.
I lower the throttle handle s l o w l y, but do not get the "air release" sound to indicate it has left the "re-set" mode to now move forward upon the re-application of power. Upon the re-application of power I get that stupid one (1) bell chime again, and nothing else......still stuck in "re-set"!!!!!.
I do the full "factory re-set" - number 18 - three clinks, three clanks - hit the whistle/horn button - get the garbled bell sound- power down - then power-up again and................NOTHING!!!! It still just sits there in the "re-set" mode, and won't come out of it, no matter what.
Now here's the strange thing......I have another Baldwin (Union Pacific) AS-616 - chassis only (I call it my "mule") I won in a Cabin Fever Auction (old MTH parts and service items that MTH were getting rid of) last year, and it was also doing the same thing when I got it. Sprung for a new PS1 top and bottom board, and a new AS-616 "sound chip" from MTH Parts, and got them to send them out to me here in Australia.
When they arrived, I put them together and.......nada, nothing, doing exactly the same thing as before - one bell chime, and not coming out of the "re-set" mode.
Out of desperation I had an old Great Northern EP-5 sound chip, so I put it in the "mule", and, low and behold, the fool thing fired-up exactly as it should, and continues to run even to this day, with this old EP-5 sound chip.
Now here's something even weirder, I took the EP-5 chip out of my "mule", and transplanted it into the "new" Southern Pacific, and then the not-so-new Chicago Northwestern, and both loco's fired-up and left the "re-set" mode, and will run faultlessly on the layout with everything working - forward, reverse, freight yard sounds, horn, bell, smoke, couplers, everything albeit with the sounds of an "electric" loco instead of a diesel powered loco.
BOTTOM LINE: I now have three (3) Baldwin AS-616 loco's that will not run using the AS-616 sound chips either supplied at manufacture, or supplied as a "new" replacement part.
CONCLUSION:
I think there is something wrong with the AS-616 sound chips MTH installed in these early (1990) Baldwin loco's, to the point where even the new AS-616 sound chip supplied by MTH last year will not get any of my three (3) Baldwin AS-616 loco's to run, or get them to come out of the "re-set" mode.
Mike Reagan, Gunrunner John, Vernon, GGG, or Jon G, any suggestions, help, guidance, or inspiration will be most gratefully appreciated.
Peter.....Buco Australia.