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hi Marty

i have a 30-1172-1 proto 2 blue comet.

i bought it and it's DOA. from a seller, claims it was new in box and it looks it as well.

i have desoldered the 2 brds and found swelled caps and most of the caps are not near specs.

also the rectifier is ohming out to meg ohms.

if i were to upgrade it, i wish to go with the  original 5 volt ps2.

would it be cheaper to skip the original ps2 and go to the ps3 set up?

all i want to do it get the blue comet back to where it should be right out of the box or better.

whom can i get the brds from and is it easy enough to convert back to original or ps3?

please let me know as i have it on my bench now and thinking about trying new caps and see what happens, i did de-solder the 2 brds and plan to put them back together.

please let me know 

thank you for all you have done.

ron

hello guys

im trying to get ahold of GGG or gunrunnerjohn, i guess if they read this i need them to contact me on repairing or selling me what it takes to repair my blue comet. 30-1172-1. its power supply brd i shot and or the lower brd as well, they are both soldered together, i checked the caps and they are way out of spec.

please let me know either GGG or gunrunner,   either guy.

thank you

ron

i would also like to add, that if anyone on here is converting there steam engines to PS3, would you like to sell your old PS2 boards?

i have a blue comet 30-1172-1 and if you want to sell your old brd, to make money to go to PS3 let me know

i would probably buy at least one or maybe more, depending on price and if you dont need the brds, my brds are 2 soldered together, power supply on top i think anyway. 

please let me know

thanks guys.

ron

It should be noted that the PS3 upgrade boards and PS2/3 replacement boards are still running the PS2 sound files and software. All you are really getting is a PS2 board without a battery circuit. Now if you rewrite the boards to a PS3 chain file then you may or may not lose functionality of some components but will get a PS3 sound file but you will lose the ability to rewrite the board back to a PS2 sound file. Everybody is all hot to trot on upgrading PS2 to PS3 and there is no point being that there is actually little to no difference in PS3 boards in a PS2 loco. Still running PS2 sounds and no LED lighting so there is no point in upgrading PS2 to PS3

Originally Posted by Marty Fitzhenry:

The PS32 boards will be available to the tech guys.  The upgrade kits can be purchased by everyone.  Matt, the boards you want are available now.  Total plug and play.  Pull the 4 pin, 5 pin, 7 pin, 8 pin, and 12 pin off your blown 5 volt board and plug them into the replacement board.  Good to go.  You do not have to do anything with the Mux.  Just plug in the board.  All existing wire stays in place.

Thanks Marty. I'll go that route when the upgrade kits hit the streets.

hello
read some of your profile, your gonna love this:
my dad and i are helping restore the champagne lady yes she is quite the
plane, lets just say its a B-17 bomber up in urbana ohio.
they also have a B-25 called the champagne gal also, it is to cool.
let me know about the 5 volt PS2 brd.
thank you
ron


In a message dated 3/29/2015 1:29:27 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
alerts@hoop.la writes:
Originally Posted by ronnieredline:

he has so far rebuilt 3 out of 4 superturbo chargers, all wing flap axles and gear boxes, and is now working on the bombay doors and linkages.

he has restored 3 superturbo chargers and is trying to get 6 total, they only need 4 but want 2 spares, he is restoring them to 0 hours.

man is it interesting to say the least.

WOW..Cool..I know this is off topic, but please get some pix of the B17 and the B25...Love them!!!

The Base Board is a PS-3 so I am assuming, (as Marty mentioned it has not been discussed in the tech note yet) that it has the characteristics of PS-3 so it should pick up DCS signal on either rail for 2R operation, or DC operation.

 

John as far as LED, I don't think they are cheaper.  Retail, they are much more expensive.  While bulk buying from China is cheap, you still have to wire them up.

 

MSRP for a LED harness is $10, for a bulb it is $4 or 5.

 

Sure the bottom board is LED based, but then you have to go with the 40 pin connector and wiring.  While this works for diesel, it doesn't for steam which is otherwise a 2 board set up.

 

This becomes a apple or orange discussion, which do you like better.  While your big into LEDs other aren't.  Plus if you go LED you can't use bulbs and for UPGRADES where much of the original bulbs can still be used, you require more work changing stuff.  Especially big steam and diesels. 

 

Now, I did hear they were still debating how to go with the Diesel Kit.  So it may in fact become a straight PS-3 like kit. 

 

I think June is the target to get Kits into the market.

 

Ron, why not start a separate post on your subject.   G

Originally Posted by ronnieredline:

hello guys

im trying to get ahold of GGG or gunrunnerjohn, i guess if they read this i need them to contact me on repairing or selling me what it takes to repair my blue comet. 30-1172-1. its power supply brd i shot and or the lower brd as well, they are both soldered together, i checked the caps and they are way out of spec.

please let me know either GGG or gunrunner,   either guy.

thank you

ron

At this point I'd do the PS32 replacement, buying an old 5V board is a bad investment.  So many of them have died percentage wise that I'd be pretty worried about any old used 5V board.  We can get the PS32 replacement boards now.

 

 

Ron, It is not that big a deal to me, but the hi-jacking tends to make the initial thread too long and disjointed.

 

A new thread gets you direct answers specific to your questions, which were many.

 

I sent you an e-mail with info you requested.

 

If you search on this forum you will also find many specific post on how to repair your 5V engine, with PS-2 3V or now also the PS-32.   Almost all of your questions are answered in those threads.  G

Matt Makens, it is a big deal to the guy who has a prized locomotive with a bad 5 volt board.  Many people could care less about a LED steam locomotive headlight.  I have seen a few steam locomotives in my life and love the nostalgic old headlights. I for one would be very happy with my locomotive running new boards instead of boards made 14 years ago.  I also feel that running without a battery is a huge plus.  I know all about the BCR.  I do not use them.  

 

I have done more that my share of PS2 upgrades and one of the things that are not fun is setting up the battery charging port.  Locomotives exist that are a challenge for battery location also.  I have also installed a few sound files and have no problem with the PS2 3 volt sound files.  MTH has given people an option on fixing locomotives.  I have a few prized locomotives with the 5 volt board.  I cross my fingers each time I press the start button.  MTH has given us a way around this.

Last edited by Marty Fitzhenry
I agree with Marty. Not having to mess with the battery charging port will be nice.

I got the ASC update and I would imagine with the DCS/DCC jumper it should have the polarity capabilities for 2rail.

Just when I thought I was getting the hang of all this. Well I guess it's back to school again. Lol

I must say this is all well thought out. Can't wait to see more.
Ralph

While I don't find having to install a battery to be a particular problem, especially since smaller 2.4 V battery packs have become available, I agree that the charging port can be a problem.  I like to save that for last, when I have all the other components placed.  Therefore, before drilling are enlarging a hold for the charging port, I have to remove the speaker and other components so that they don't get fouled by metal filings.

Nice to know there is a replacement.  So when one of mine pop I can send it to MTH for repair.  Just a little too scary reading the posting especially the "its just simple plug & play".  Being retired EE I had my share of plug and plays that didn't do well in the sandbox.  Because once you buy the kit and it doesn't work, its your word vs MTH, so you would end up sending it back to MTH to fix even if it was a bad out of box board, how would you prove it? 

But thats just me, your mileage may vary

Last edited by rrman

The replacement for the 5 volt board is plug and play.  The upgrade kit is a different animal.  That has to be done the same as the previous upgrade kit.  Later this year will be the board sets for replacing boards in a PS2 3 volt system.  In picture 7 you will see the top board with the black connectors is for 5 volt systems and the white is for the 3 volt systems.  The bottom board is the same on both applications.

 

I have a board set on the way for my New York Central Niagara with the 5 volt board.  

Last edited by Marty Fitzhenry

As stated, MTH has had a transition plan for boards.  We replaced 5V with PS-2 3V boards with 5V connectors.  As 3V wind down, the first supply chain to dry up was the PS-2 3V with 5V connectors.  So when tech's order AE-15/16, MTH sends the PS-32 5V instead.

 

The PS-32 3V version has not been issued for replacement of PS-2 3V with 3V connectors yet since MTH still has AE-10/11 in stock.  But they did release it in the first PS-3 upgrade kits.  So it is around the corner.

 

Here is another piece of info that I was able to pick up.

 

As stated in a few post, it is designed for use with PS-2 3V sound files.  As the code in the PS-32 pickups the gear ratio and hardware data (light features, smoke control) from the PS-2 sound file.

 

PS-3 has it's own hardware table in the flash code specific to PS-3 engines.  What I found out is PS-3 sound files will work properly in PS-32 also, because by procedure, the sound file engineers still included the hardware table in the PS-3 sound file.  Even though PS-3 boards get the information from the firmware table.  You just load the sound file, not the flash code.

 

The one caveat is that gear ratio and lighting may not match for a specific engine.

 

If you load the specific file from your engine PS-2 upgrade file for PS-2 5V engines, or PS-2 3V for 3V engines you get the original sound file and characteristics.  Maybe some PS-3 kept that all the same, if so it would work.  Diesel ratio as an example seem to be the same.  But PS-3 lighting on diesels can be totally different from model to model because of the expanded lighting capability of PS-3.  G

 

 

Now I am not only bewildered, I am confused.  USed to be simple:  One upgrade kit for steam, one for diesel, and a third, available only for techs, to replace 5-volt boards.

 

Now it seems there are:

 

1. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 5-volt boards ("3/2") techs only.  Will fit in steam locos that had boards in loco

 

2. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 3-volt boards, techs only and not yet available.

 

3. PS3 steam upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Has one board in tender and one in loco.

 

4. PS3 diesel upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Not yet available.

 

1 & 2 are the same boards but with different plug-in boards on top,

 

Am I correct, or still befuddled?

Robert,

 

It's no more complicated than before:

1. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 5-volt boards ("3/2") techs only.  Will fit in steam locos that had boards in loco

These replace the older 3 volt boards with 5 volt connectors that were only available to techs. These will go anywhere that the older PS2 3 volt boards with 5 volt connectors would go

 

2. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 3-volt boards, techs only and not yet available.

These replace the older 3 volt boards with 3 volt connectors that were only available to techs, except where they were sold in the PS2 upgrade kits. These will go anywhere that the PS2 3 volt boards with 3 volt x=connectors would go

 

3. PS3 steam upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Has one board in tender and one in loco.

Same deal as previous PS2 steam upgrade kit.

 

4. PS3 diesel upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Not yet available.

Same deal as previous PS2 diesel upgrade kit.

 

1 & 2 are the same boards but with different plug-in boards on top,

Correct.

Originally Posted by RJR:

Now I am not only bewildered, I am confused.  USed to be simple:  One upgrade kit for steam, one for diesel, and a third, available only for techs, to replace 5-volt boards.

 

Now it seems there are:

 

1. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 5-volt boards ("3/2") techs only.  Will fit in steam locos that had boards in loco

 

2. PS3 with connectors to replace PS2 3-volt boards, techs only and not yet available.

 

3. PS3 steam upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Has one board in tender and one in loco.

 

4. PS3 diesel upgrade kit with complete wiring, anyone can buy.  Not yet available.

 

1 & 2 are the same boards but with different plug-in boards on top,

 

Am I correct, or still befuddled?

RJR, The PS-3 upgrade kit only has one PS-32 board for the tender.  No board in the engine.

 

I don't think MTH will say the PS-32 can always go in the engine.  Since only PS-2 5V had boards in the engine, the repair might require an upgrade like kit to put the board in the tender.

 

Frankly this has always been this way as far as boards.  AE-10/11 and 15/16 tech only (at higher cost), even though you could buy upgrade kit with AE-10/11 in it.  G

GGG, the numbers "AE-10/11 and 15/16" are meaningless to me, not having a parts list.

Your statement "Since only PS-2 5V had boards in the engine, the repair might require an upgrade like kit to put the board in the tender." is interesting.  I have 2 steamers left with 5-volt boards, both in loco, and have 2 PS2 upgrade kits on the shelf which I acquired to replace them when needed.  MF had opined that if he were replacing an in loco 5-volt board, he'd opt for a re-do with board in tender.  Seems that that would be the way to go, so I'll just hold onto my kits.

 

Which then leaves the question, what does one do about marker and other lights in the loco when the board is moved into the tender?  I guess one way would be to install a CV board (with choke) and just leave the marker and firebox lights on all the time??????? Or add a relay onto the headlight circuit?????

 

I had been told by someone who should know that PS3 steam upgrade kits would have 2 boards, one in loco & one in tender.  I guess he erred????

Last edited by RJR

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