Looking to purchase an MTH MALLET with proto 2. Not a bad price.......... but i don't like the idea of the notorious self destructing boards. Anyone know what voltage this engine runs on ?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
If the MTH site is to be believed, it's the 3V boards, must be one of the first models. Square charging port and two AA cells in the battery.
2-8-8-2 USRA Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 2.0
Attachments
This one looks like ps2 3v. I looked at the instruction manual on MTH's website. Looks like the 3v battery.
Support > click the pamphlet icon.
Thanks John and Gabe . I never thought to look at the web site manual icon. Learning from the forum again. 🤓
I have a 30-1320-1. Same engine as the 30-1306-1, but one catalog later and in PRR livery. It has the two 1.2V batteries as shown in the photo that John posted.
Have you had it long Bob ?
Any particular issues ? It's been quite some time since I purchased a proto 2 . I did put BCRs in them and haven't had any problems. Have you tried the BCRs ? 🤔
As a class, the 3V PS/2 has been a pretty reliable board set. That's not to say they never fail, but they don't have the propensity to drop dead with no notice like the 5V PS/2 boards.
I have several PS2 3V boards that are 10-15 years old and operate fine. I did replace the batteries with super caps. The PS2 3V boards are pretty robust unless you direct short them or don't have adequate circuit protection. They don't have the spontaneously failing components like PS2 5V boards suffer from.
@Lou1985 posted:I have several PS2 3V boards that are 10-15 years old and operate fine. I did replace the batteries with super caps. The PS2 3V boards are pretty robust unless you direct short them or don't have adequate circuit protection. They don't have the spontaneously failing components like PS2 5V boards suffer from.
When you talk about the "direct short " does that just mean like a pinched wire while reassembling of course ,or is it possible to have a pilot truck jump a switch , for instance ,and cause a direct short ? 😨
@Dallas Joseph posted:When you talk about the "direct short " does that just mean like a pinched wire while reassembling of course ,or is it possible to have a pilot truck jump a switch , for instance ,and cause a direct short ? 😨
Yup. Direct short would be pinching a wire and shorting it directly to ground (I.E. the frame). Pilot truck jumping a switch is a track short, which shouldn't cause damage if your transformer has adequate circuit protection.
Direct shorts are bad because there is no fuse or breaker between the shorted wire and the component it's connected to on the board. That kind of short may not be enough to trip a transformer breaker/fuse but it can damage a board.
Thanks Lou. 🤗
I use the handheld remote , REV L TIU and a Z1000 on each loop ( 2 ) of track. So far nothing has been a problem with my proto 2 / 3v not tripping the Z 1000s breaker ( very rare happening ).
@Dallas Joseph posted:Have you had it long Bob ?
Any particular issues ? It's been quite some time since I purchased a proto 2 . I did put BCRs in them and haven't had any problems. Have you tried the BCRs ? 🤔
The PRR 2-8-8-2 was one of the first PS2 locos I bought (NOS) in 2011. I replaced the batteries in 2015 with Radio Shack 2301144. Not sure if they are still available, but I’m sure there are plenty of others that will do the job. I didn’t use a BCR at the time because I didn’t want to solder in a plug for the BCR. Not sure if you can plug a BCR (or one of John’s SBRs) directly into the board. This engine has been very reliable for me. The last time I lubed it in 2018 it had 230 hours and 2130 trouble free miles.
For 3V PS/2 you can just use a 5V 1.5F Supercap with the JST-PH 2-pin connector on it for the battery. Simple and cheap.
Attachments
Looks like John has a good inexpensive solution Bob. 😉
On the BCRs that I installed it was just disconnect the battery and direct connect the BCR. Probably more expense than what John's showing though. 🤔
Thanks for the reply.
The one I posted is just as easy, you just unplug the 2-pin plug from the top power board of the PS2 boards and plug the wire from the cap in. I've used a ton of these. You can also dispense with the entire battery/charging jack wire as you won't need it anymore.
The J and W BCR2s have a female plug. The MTH 2.4 V rechargeable battery also has a female plug. So, you can just unplug the battery from the wiring harness and plug in the BCR2.
John’s SBR has a male plug and as noted above it plugs directly into the board. I just installed a few SBRs but didn’t feel like untangling wires or pulling the plug from the board so I replaced the male plugs with female plugs from an old MTH batteries.
Since the 2-8-8-2 has the AA cells, the SBR is the way to go. That’s what I will most likely use the next time I replace batteries in it.
@Lehigh74 posted:The J and W BCR2s have a female plug. The MTH 2.4 V rechargeable battery also has a female plug. So, you can just unplug the battery from the wiring harness and plug in the BCR2.
John’s SBR has a male plug and as noted above it plugs directly into the board. I just installed a few SBRs but didn’t feel like untangling wires or pulling the plug from the board so I replaced the male plugs with female plugs from an old MTH batteries.
Since the 2-8-8-2 has the AA cells, the SBR is the way to go. That’s what I will most likely use the next time I replace batteries in it.
You don't really have to untangle much, just unplug the 2-pin connector and plug this one in. You can leave the battery harness in place, it doesn't weigh much. 
@Lehigh74 posted:The J and W BCR2s have a female plug. The MTH 2.4 V rechargeable battery also has a female plug. So, you can just unplug the battery from the wiring harness and plug in the BCR2.
John’s SBR has a male plug and as noted above it plugs directly into the board. I just installed a few SBRs but didn’t feel like untangling wires or pulling the plug from the board so I replaced the male plugs with female plugs from an old MTH batteries.
Since the 2-8-8-2 has the AA cells, the SBR is the way to go. That’s what I will most likely use the next time I replace batteries in it.
OK John , where do I get an SBR ?
I didn't see them on Hennings. 😢
Send me an email to my profile address.
Are you up and running gunrunners? 😴😎
@gunrunnerjohn posted:If the MTH site is to be believed, it's the 3V boards, must be one of the first models. Square charging port and two AA cells in the battery.
2-8-8-2 USRA Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 2.0
Have received the Mallet . Exactly the way you showed the battery situation for the 3v board. Looks like MTH had their stuff on the right page !
The batteries are AA Nicads /700 mAh . Before I PERMANENTLY INSTALL THE BSR , is it OK to drop in a couple fully charged Energizer AA NiMH / 2000 mAh for testing purpose only ?
On this older model Mallet I have only opened the tender and I did find that rough metal flake look on the speaker that has been discussed before . Only one little speck of shiney stuff on the chassis floor. I have coated the speaker housing several times with ( Super Thin ) Super Glue. (( on the exhaust of an older vehicle I had porous leaking at the muffler and I coated the area, with that product and the rust ..............a year and a half later the muffler gave out........the area with the Super Thin coating came off in the shape of the original repair !!! 😨 ) Sooooo, I figured it would keep the shiny stuff on the speaker housing at bay for awhile.
The Mallet from Trainz on the Bay was no where near cosmetically challenged as I thought it would be. Great price and overall looks like new.
I will probably have questions on it for you later John 🤔
Thanks.
