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I recently took an old PS 2.0 5 volt board out of a defunct locomotive and put it in another one which to my surprise was very easy considering it was in the boiler. The problem I have is that the old locomotives headlight bracket and an additional place to solder a wire on to the headlight socket for ground. The receiving locomotive headlight bracket socket did not have a wire soldered to the socket. It uses the frame to ground the head light. The socket uses the bracket to ground the light to the frame. I actually just need to know what the voltage is for a headlight. If anyone knows how to get around this problem please let me know. If I use an LED I will lose those green marker lights. Any help would be appreciated.

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  • PS 2.0 Wires
Last edited by RRAddict
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RRAddict posted:

...The receiving locomotive headlight bracket socket did not have a wire soldered to the socket. It uses the frame to ground the head light. The socket uses the bracket to ground the light to the frame. I actually just need to know what the voltage is for a headlight.

PS2 electronics was not designed to drive a light that is grounded to the chassis/frame.  That is, both wires of the light must come from the PS2 electronics.  Stated differently, neither of the 2 light wires is the same voltage as the chassis/frame.

if you used the metal ground of the frame of the engine you will burn up the board as Stan stated the electronics must be isolated from the metal ground frame! also AC from the track must never come in contact with the wire harness from the electronics ! the blue and 2  purple wires are the wires for the head light, purple being power n blue from the ps2 3 volt engine blue wire which the board controls on and off for headlight on/off! 

 

Last edited by Alan Mancus

To put it really in simple terms, PS/2 or PS/3 board signals and wiring have NO COMMON FRAME GROUND.  The only place that the track power is connected is the track power connections to the board.  ALL the rest of the circuitry is isolated from frame ground.  If anything other than the track power leads make their way to frame ground, you release the magic smoke!

I figured that so any loose un-used wires I left isolated so I don't get the magic smoke. I am just trying to figure out how to ground the current headlight with the wire coming off of the harness. The headlight can be used directly from track power but I want to be able to turn it on and off from the DCS remote. Is there any type of rubber grommet I can put in the headlight bracket and squeeze the bulb through that or would an LED be the easiest way to go?

Here is what I am dealing with. I know that purple and blue go to the headlight but I am not sure where that black one came from or what it is for. I isolated these and tested the locomotive and everything runs fine. I am just not sure if that black wire is critical or not. This was taken from an old starter set S2 Turbine that was defuncted.

RRAddict posted:

Here is what I am dealing with. I know that purple and blue go to the headlight but I am not sure where that black one came from or what it is for. I isolated these and tested the locomotive and everything runs fine. I am just not sure if that black wire is critical or not. This was taken from an old starter set S2 Turbine that was defuncted.

If you know the purple and blue go to the headlight isn't that your circuit? 

Have you traced the black wire back to where it begins?

Last edited by BobbyD

if your not sure where the black wire came from just tape it up for now and hook up your light wires and see if it works!

remember purple with is  positive voltage  and blue wire connectors to headlight blue wire connects to fet on the board threw a connector to light ,light. you can turn headlight on n off from remote dcs

 

Yes purple and blue are what I need but I am afraid to unravel the wire to find out where it is from. My biggest problem is that I want connect the headlight but the wires need to go directly to the headlight. The headlight mount is from a PS 1 unit and uses the mounting bracket as a ground. The PS upgrade manual makes no mention of what to do in this case. The black wire seems un-important and seems to have nowhere to go.

Well a PS-1 headlight frame from steam did run the 18V bulb off track power.  Some times if came from the smoke unit some times direct. Could have had an extra ground wire.

PS-2 used the same frame but the light bulb socket was isolated in a plastic grommet.  The purple (+V) and the Blue(DC Ground return) were soldered to the bulb socket.  G

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