PS-2 Up Grade Doodle Bug

You'll need to power them differently.  I've seen outputs with three bulbs on them from the factory, but there are four there.  It's a pretty small FET that drives them...

I'd either find 18V bulbs or wire them in series on each side, giving each side 9 volts on a bulb.

Thanks John. That thing looks SWEET! It looks like a hybrid old style trolley/subway. I will research "doodlebugs" on wiki to find out more about them. The one in the photo is interesting with its colorful front.

MTH has a bunch of road names in the doodlebug line, they've run them at least three times.  I don't know if anyone else makes them.

GRJ,

Should the TVS be installed where the Red & Black wires come from the pickup to the motor?   Is one sufficient or both pickups should be protected?  Or somewhere between the board.

Where should the TVS installed?

You install a single TVS directly across the track pickups.  The wires to the motor come from the electronics, that's not the place for the TVS.

They usually are from the trucks, but since you mentioned motors, I wanted to be sure.  I've found the color codes are not sacred with train manufacturers, so I never assume anything about the color of a wire.

I'm not saying "directly" on the pickups, only directly on the feed from them, and not somewhere else in the circuit. 

RJR,

Sorry, I meant AMP on the Z4000.  Only engine on the track was on the Fixed 2.  I just us handle one which turns on the TIU.  Prior to making the test.  I moved the engine to the 2nd handle track and was not powered up.

On page 23 of the manual speaks to mounting the tech reader.

Your post isn't clear if both tiu and track were powered.  Is there actually power on the track.  

MTH doesn't really use 12 or 14V bulbs.  If it is a track powered bulb it is 18V.  Or, it is driven from a constant voltage board and uses 6V bulbs.  For the Doodle bug passenger area light they are 18V bulbs and you just leave them powered off the track.

You need to load the sound file to test features unless the PS-2 has a sound file already in it.  G

Yes. Prior, I ran a locomotive to another track.  I just went down and rechecked with the meter and it's shows power.

Shouldn't the engine started and run in the conventional mode as it did when it was a PS.

The motor functions should work with the factory "test" sound file loaded.  I normally see if the motors at least work and the test beeps work before attempting to load the sound file.

The motors nor the lights power up.  We just hear a click.

Did you try it in conventional mode with no TIU in the picture?

We originally powered up on the layout.  No results.  My test track is power by a Lionel CW-80.

I moved the Z4000 to the test track.  The lights and the motors seemed to work.  It seems the motors move at two different speeds.

Were checking to see if the lights have anything to do with it.  There the original bulbs.  The Marker lights on the shell are LEDs but not connected.

The motors turn and they speed up and the wheels spin on the test track.  We also get a high pitched sound out of the speakers and have to shut the power off to stop it.

Well, I suspect I'd try loading a sound file and see if that changes things.  A virgin board should do the very basic functions and have test tones for horn and bell.

The engines starts in reverse.  Shouldn't the engine remain in neutral when first powered up.  The motor were wired back to the original as with the wire colors.

In conventional mode it should come up in neutral from an extended power off.  If it immediately starts, that's a problem.

I'm beginning to think that the first step here is to have the board set tested outside the locomotive and make sure it's 100%.

I think we resolved some of the problems.   We reversed the wires on one motor and it runs smother and and it starts in neutral.  I think what was happening I was changing the direction to quickly.  I am going to down load the sound file.

Well, both motors must run in the same direction if you want to move, that's for sure!

Is it possible to test the board with a meter?  Or does it have to be tested by tech.

Something went wrong.  CW-80 transformer quit and there is no circuit breaker.   The engine just buzzed.  Hooked to the Z4000 and would not go into reverse.  Check the amps and shows drawing 5amps.

If you see a 5 amp draw, you need to STOP powering it up until you find what's going on!  Either you have a short to the chassis of some of the wiring, or you may have already cooked something.

There is no way to actually test the board set with a meter.  At this point, I think I'd get the boards checked out.  If they're still good, you need to very carefully trace all the wiring and find what is shorted/crossed.  Something is clearly wrong.

Damage is done.  Where there is a small coil and you look at the back side of the board you can see discoloration and it smells burnt.  I just don't understand it.  Test went well with the Z4000 after we fixed the motor wire problem.  Set up in the computer room another test track with the CW80 and the TIU and Computer.  Did one more check on the Z4000 test track and it performed just like the book said.

Set it up on the computer test track and followed the directions to do the  download  and power it up.  It just made a buzzing sound and I shut it down and re-powered and notice the Green light on the CW80 was out.

Lionel CW80 also must of burned.  No smell, but no power out.  This the second CW80 this has happen too.  For some reason MTH train engines do work well with it.

At this point, you'll need to find out if the board set can be repaired.  I can test and repair or replace a board, depending on exactly what happened.  Hopefully, only one board got toasted.

You need to VERY CAREFULLY go over the wiring so that when you get a working board set, you don't fry another set!

In my last sentence concerning the CW80.  I meant it (does not)  My trains will not operate.  I just felt as a power source, they would work fine.  When I did the TIU and Remote downloads they work fine.

GRJ

Here is my E-mail  gerryanddiana@aol.com.

Send me your address and how I should package it.

CW80 is not compatible with DCS.  I doubt that this would cause the problem, but an internal failure of the CW80 could blow a board.

Carefully check the wires running from the pickup rollers to the board (red), to make sure that there are no bare insulations or shorts.  Move the truck around and work the rollers all around to0 make sure no shorts intermittently.  One must be careful when putting the shell on the unit, so as not to pull or pinch wires.  Are you sure that raising the board to clear the speaker did not result in the shell pressing the board down?  Did you leave the board in the plastic frame?

Concerning the board over the speaker.  The plastic frame was on.  In order to be above the speaker.  I machined a new aluminum heat sink identical to the original one only 3/16" higher.  On the other side I added a aluminum spacer with the heat sink provided in the kit and WTC grease.  So we were a good 3/16 above and with the spacer it would be impossible push the board on the speaker.

We meticulously checked the wires.  The only other thing I can think off.  Because there was no smoke, ditch-lights we had extra wires.  The doodlebug has just sound, light, bell and whistle.  We didn't want cut wires until we new everything was working.  They covered with tape 

Did shell press on board when being installed, due to increased height?

Make sure the wires that are covered with tape are not shorted together!

Having the whole thing would certainly make the job easier.

GRJ

I will give it some thought.  I will talk to my son, when he get home to-nite.