when I started moving from ps-1 to ps-3 I didn't bother even looking at ps-2 since I didn't want bothered with the battery but now I have my eye on a gp 7 with ps-2 which is considerably cheaper than the gp 7 ps-3. except for the battery /capacitor is there much difference between the 2 and 3. both are mth premier new.
thanks
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I've been thinking about the same thing as I'm sending my new Proto3 engine back to MTH for warranty work. My Proto 3 engines seem to be more "fragile" electronically than Proto 2. I'm inclined to think the best of both worlds is a Proto 2 engine with a BCR. If I had the choice between two similar engines, right now I'd buy the Proto 2.
Ed Kaz
Operationally, the differences between PS/2 and PS/3 are pretty small. PS/3 sound is typically somewhat better in quality, but it doesn't have nearly the volume of PS/2. (Only important if you are running engines in a club setting or other large layout with a lot of background noise).
However, there is a difference between the early version of PS/2 with a 5v motherboard and 9v battery and the later version with the 3v board and battery pack. Basically the early version is much less likely to be repairable if something goes wrong, due to the different configuration of the boards and the fact that the older boards are no longer available. No big deal if the price is right and it's been run so you know that it works, but something to think about on a NOS (New-old stock) item. There are a couple of guys on the OGR board who can work on the old boards, but most MTH dealers will not. They will want to upgrade to the later style board, which is expensive.
Operationally, the differences between PS/2 and PS/3 are pretty small. PS/3 sound is typically somewhat better in quality, but it doesn't have nearly the volume of PS/2. (Only important if you are running engines in a club setting or other large layout with a lot of background noise).
However, there is a difference between the early version of PS/2 with a 5v motherboard and 9v battery and the later version with the 3v board and battery pack. Basically the early version is much less likely to be repairable if something goes wrong, due to the different configuration of the boards and the fact that the older boards are no longer available. No big deal if the price is right and it's been run so you know that it works, but something to think about on a NOS (New-old stock) item. There are a couple of guys on the OGR board who can work on the old boards, but most MTH dealers will not. They will want to upgrade to the later style board, which is expensive.
thanks... its at one of the sponsors..i'll shoot them an email and find out
I'll debate the volume issue - it seems to be model by model. My PS 3 ATSF Northern rattles the walls; my PS 3 M1a is rather anemic. My PS3 F-3 can drown out almost anything else on the layout. The sound seems deeper/richer overall, but I still prefer the balance of some of my PS2 units. I haven't really seen much of a difference in reliability PROVIDED that the PS3 units are working out of the box. I've had a couple bum units, but once they were fixed they have been fine. I wasn't exactly batting 1.000 with my PS2 units.
Depending on the age of the unit, I wouldn't shy away from a good deal. Toss a BCR in it, and you probably won't ever realize the difference.
If the price is right
I'll second the suggestion to steer clear of the older 5V units. First off, components do age, especially capacitors. I've had several of those with exploding caps, and others with diodes that I can see but not replace that smoked. The 3V boards are two piece, and you can replace one for about half the cost of the 5V board set if you have a failure. I have a rather large box of dead 5V boards, and for the most part, the 3V board failures have been able to be repaired at a component level and put back into service.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
