PS2 upgrade in MTH Veranda question

The PS-2 board is rated to run 2 can motors and 2 smoke units.

So no problem with the smoke units, and removing 2 motors should work fine. It will likely have plenty of pulling power left.

Hopefully someone who has done this conversion will chime in with their take.

Rod

You could use a slave board to run the other two motors, should be enough room for it.

Rod, thank you that is good news!

John, my biggest fear of the slave board is availability now and since it is a low demand specialized item that future availability may be nill

You could use a slave board to run the other two motors, should be enough room for it.

I second John's recommendation.  Bob at Eastside Trains pioneered the 4 motored  Veranda conversion with a slave board years ago.

John, my biggest fear of the slave board is availability now and since it is a low demand specialized item that future availability may be nill

Fear not.  Get a PS-2 slave board kit now while they are available.  Slave boards are very robust and the the components that do fail are widely available and easily replaced by a repair technician. 

MTH is making PS-3 slave boards.  So that option will be available in the future.

Like he says, look at the slave board.  It has very commonly available components on it, and they're big and easily accessible.   I'd be far more worried about the availability of the master boards, far more complex.

That's one of my issues with MTH.  I don't see any reason for not selling the slave board to end users.  What happens if I have one crap out in a product, am I stuck paying for a repair that I could easily do because MTH decided I wasn't worthy to buy that part?

John,

am I stuck paying for a repair that I could easily do because MTH decided I wasn't worthy to buy that part?

No, MTH just doesn't know if you're qualified to install the part.

The only way a non-MTH trained person can buy a PS2 board directly is in a kit, which comes with a very detailed instruction manual and also has absolutely no warrantee unless installed by an MTH-trained tech.

Until MTH develops a detailed instruction manual for the slave board, which is highly unlikely due to the limited audience and considerable effort involved, I wouldn't expect things to change.

Quite frankly Barry, that's baloney!  It's a lot more involved to install the PS/2 kit, even given the "detailed instructions" than it is to install the slave board, a much simpler procedure.

John,

that's baloney!

No, John, it's not. It's common sense. MTH just doesn't know how technically competent you are, or are not.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that point Barry.

It's not skin off their nose if I'm technically competent or not.  As you said, they offer no warranty for end users installing the PS/2 upgrade, so what exactly do they have to lose?

John,

so what exactly do they have to lose?

It's what they could gain - ill will from unhappy customers who toasted their brand new boards out if ignorance or incompetence.

John, I am sure you can handle it, but it is a lot more complicated.  For a Diesel the PS-1 harness has to be swapped for a 10 pin, this may require drilling and tapping the existing holes in the truck to accept the 10 pin bracket and harness.  This also requires removing trucks and motors to install.  Not always necessary for an upgrade.  The slave is mounted on the Voltage regulators and requires proper isolation to prevent shorting.  Then you have to go into the Lead A and install a different harnesses that have the double wires for smoke, lights, motors, etc...  Wire management is much more complicated with the increased volume of wires and connections.  It is like a double upgrade with both engines completely disassembled.

For a Steam with 4 motors in a single unit, it will be easier, but wire management is still much tougher along with space management.  The majority of slave upgrades are for the Diesel AA or ABA.

The other consideration is turn ins.  Dealers have to turn in boards for parts received. Consumers don't.

The base of hobbiest that can do this one is smaller then the upgrade group in my opinion.  Make a mistake and you blow the board in the lead A which was working great:-)  G 

Let's see, I've designed an air data computer for a commercial aircraft, numerous cockpit instruments, engine monitoring systems, and fuel measurement systems for commercial and military aircraft...

Yes, I think I could install the slave board.

I've managed to install MTH tethers into locomotives that had no provision for them without screwing them up, so I suspect I can install these.  Removing the trucks is hardly rocket science, I've done that countless times.  I've also upgraded a bunch of locomotives and tenders to both TMCC and a few to PS/2, and amazingly I managed to do so without blowing up anything.  Wire management is a fact of life doing any upgrade, so this one isn't any different.

As far as turn-ins, I simply don't understand that.  If you wanted to do an upgrade for a customer, what do you turn in if you buy a slave board?

Clearly, I'm not going to change minds at MTH, but I think this is a stupid across the board policy.

As far as the ill will, how about the ill will of customers knowing the product exists, but they can't buy it because of some lame policy? 

Barry, feel free to have the last word, I'm done.

John,

feel free to have the last word, I'm done.

I think I will, just this once.    

Let's see, I've designed an air data computer for a commercial aircraft, numerous cockpit instruments, engine monitoring systems, and fuel measurement systems for commercial and military aircraft...

 

Yes, I think I could install the slave board

I've managed to install MTH tethers into locomotives that had no provision for them without screwing them up, so I suspect I can install these.  Removing the trucks is hardly rocket science, I've done that countless times.  I've also upgraded a bunch of locomotives and tenders to both TMCC and a few to PS/2, and amazingly I managed to do so without blowing up anything.  Wire management is a fact of life doing any upgrade, so this one isn't any different.

Please, don't be modest. Be sure that we know just how wonderfully technically competent you really are!

Even if your boasting is a bit "over the top". (Or maybe even "over the moon".)

I think this is a stupid across the board policy.

Thank you for your considered, though not particularly humble, opinion. 

Ah, Let's go back to Christmas 1939 when I was playing with my 1684 tinplate set and I decided to put a light in the caboose.   I quickly found out how many times you can bend the tabs.  Times were simpler then.

Someone should call the police, FarmBoy's thread got hijacked. 

John, if you want access to the slave kits so bad you can sign up and take the technicians training at MTH.  I flew across the country to take the training last summer.  You could certainly drive there a lot easier if you actually cared to learn something new.  I'm sure you could eventually pass the class.  Of course I also would have assumed the "mic" button was less complicated than an air data computer, so.....

Well Dave, you know what happens when you assume.

Hi Gregg,

Or how about 2 up-grade kits (OK forget it, too expensive)  You could give each kit the  same ID number.

That's actually the way I have seen a few four motor engines converted.  Before the slave kits became available it was the easiest option. 

Since MTH won't sell him the slave board, that could be a problem if he wants to do it himself.