For starters, there are 2 different types of PS2 engines, so identifying which type (PS2 3V or PS2 5V) is step 1. The older engines produced from roughly say 2000-2004 most were 5V (have the 9V battery style) where as in roughly 2004-2005 began phasing in the newer PS2 3V system that instead uses 2 cell battery that can be in the form of 2 rechargeable AA, AAA, or closed pack battery (often green or blue).

Once you figured out physically what you have- often best by opening up the engine or tender after reading the manual and that determines what fits in that engine.

The, there is also instead of batteries, capacitor replacement devices that use super capacitors to sort of mimmic the function of the old chemical style battery.

Again, a huge piece of this is knowing you engine product numbers (30-XXXX-X or 20-XXXX-X) but also then. the physical inspection because in the transition years, the manual was reused in some cases and may not be a guarantee to a given battery type.

Again, once you have a list (I need 3 PS2 5V AKA 9V style) and then 10 PS2 3V but some are the AA individual batteries and 4 are green AAA sized packs and the rest are blue AA sealed packs.

Then according to your zip code on you profile, you are in FL, so we need to then search for an MTH dealer in your area right? https://mthtrains.com/dealer-s...ce%5Borigin%5D=32309

So given that info

I'm going to say if you want original batteries, probably go to those dealers or MTH parts directly.

https://www.mthpartsandsales.com

9V style for PS2 5V.

Then PA2 3V style AA sealed pack

The smaller AAA pack style is BG-4000004 but I could not find it at MTH parts.

I have 2 MTH 0-4-0 PS2 switchers from 2005 (bought on Ebay).  I replaced the batteries in them with a BCR  (Battery Component Replacement) as I don't want to deal with batteries any more.  They  fit perfectly in the tender and the connectors hooked right up to the existing connections.  The upper picture shows an old battery (green), and the BCR (black).  Works just fine.   See attached photos.,

.

Thanks for all the very detailed responses.....here is where I am....

1.  I am not convinced on the BCR.....I get never having to deal with it again but I have barely dealt with batteries in the 20 years I have been running Ps2.  Maybe that is my issue.  In any event, I am not there yet but could get there on the BCR.   What are other benefits besides time?

2.  I have opened up 3 of my older engines to check batteries.  This is what I have found

a.  ACL E8 - has 9 volt type battery.   I think time to replace

b.  UP GP 38 - don't have the item number will have to dig out the box  I have attached pic - best I can tell I don't see a battery.

c.  Genesis I have attached pics as well....don't see battery.

What am I am missing here....sure it is obvious.     I can take off the shell and replace a battery but that is going to be about my limit.

One last thing, what is the shelf life for an battery?   I found a battery MTH 50-1024.  Not sure how old it is or when or where I got it.   But if it is good to use I will.

other two pics to follow....

I use the Tenergy low self discharge Nimh 9v batteries available on Amazon.  I’ve installed over a hundred of those batteries.  The UP also uses the 9v battery which is likely in the fuel tank.  While opening that one, check the speaker for delamination of the magnet (common problem).  Replace, if necessary.  
The Amtrak loco has a 2.4 volt likely located in the fuel tank.  The blue AA ones can be recharged, but the green AAA batteries are junk.  I have better replacements for the latter.

Pulled off both fuel tanks - don’t see a battery - fuel tank being underneath the engine ?

msp , check under the engines usually near the center of the frame for what kind of charging port each engine has for the MTH charger.

If you see a two pin port  , you would have a battery for the 3 volt boards .             If you see a single pin port for charging , you have the battery for the 5 volt boards.

If you want a BCR or other supercap I recommend checking with GUNRUNNERJOHN  ( on the forum ) once you can identify the type of battery you would normally use for each engine.

Hidden in plain sight?

Okay - so that is what I was wondering about - but was really thinking I was looking for a 9 volt and a harness to clip on

so what is this doesn’t look like 9 volt or at least what I know to be

so in the UP it is buried somewhere but I am hesitant to pull anything more apart

The paired white caps taped together are an aftermarket BCR.  The UP has a 5 volt board, so the 9v battery or BCR should be in the fuel tank.  Easy-peasy; four screws and it drops down.  Just be careful of the speaker wires.

msp,

I have this engine 20-2229-1 and replaced the battery with a BCR.

This Genesis #110 was originally a 9 volt. The board most likely went bad and it was replaced with a 3v board and different speaker. No battery clip on these as the battery or capacitor plugs directly into the board. It is possible the battery charging port was not installed because of the use of the capacitor. Who knows.

Okay so that means I am good on the battery - BCR in place nothing to change out correct?

However this is the engine that started me down the road of changing batterie I’m my locos.  The Genesis has been acting up - no sound, shorting and other odd behavior all inconsistent behavior. So as I researched a little determined often times the battery could be the culprit.    So this bcr effectively eliminates that in this case.   So probably something with the board?

which leads me back to the UP - still not seeing a battery there even after taking off the fuel tank

@msp posted:

Okay so that means I am good on the battery - BCR in place nothing to change out correct?

However this is the engine that started me down the road of changing batterie I’m my locos.  The Genesis has been acting up - no sound, shorting and other odd behavior all inconsistent behavior. So as I researched a little determined often times the battery could be the culprit.    So this bcr effectively eliminates that in this case.   So probably something with the board?

which leads me back to the UP - still not seeing a battery there even after taking off the fuel tank

Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see the item number for the UP engine in any previous posts.  Having the item number will help generate suggestions.

I believe this to be the engine from 2003.

https://mthtrains.com/20-2422-1

https://mthtrains.com/sites/de...ction/20dl13807i.pdf       

Page 16 shows the battery in front of the smoke unit.

BCR or GRJs super capacitor have some advantages over a battery, some you may care about, some you may not.

1)Lot lighter than a battery.

2)A super capacitor is not likely to leak all over the way some batteries can (in theory; I haven't heard of lithium batteries leaking, but who knows). Leaving a super capacitor plugged in long term won't hurt the engine, a battery might if it leaks.

3)as you mention, it charges fast, 1 minute and it is ready to fly. Means you won't have an engine you put on the tracks, find out the battery is dead then wait for a long time for it to be charged enough to use.

4)I suspect a BCR/super cap will last a lot longer than a battery will. Batteries have a certain number of charge cycles, which if what I have been told is right can decrease over time (how much, I dont know, or if this is totally true). Could also be given normal usage wouldn't matter much.

Then again, depends on how you use it, an engine you use regularly and you keep charged will likely be as easy as a super cap(just my opinion). If engines aren't used regularly, a super cap might be easier, if not better.

Has anyone else noticed that the speaker MIGHT  BE  ' flaking '  in msp's photo of the speaker compartment ?  🤔

Cut out the battery.

A leaking battery causes the ground copper wire to turn black. Replace the ground wire from battery to the PCB connector.

Solder wires + & - to the Supercap and secure with silicone.

Use shrink tubing as required.

Could be a green battery too.

Info on bag. Think I bought these for 3 bucks ea.

Well  I dug the battery out.....buried in there but I got it.  Thanks for the team effort i would have not tried that without everyone's guidance.  The E8 was easy just sitting up at the end ready to be taken out.  Was expecting them all to be similar.  So I am back to where I started

1.  I am going to get a new battery for the UP  I guess these are my two options below.  Thanks bigkid for the pros/cons

2.  The Genesis - wrap it back up as it is not the battery and diagnose what else might be going on with it.

el>

thThanks again, this was a very educational thread for me as you might have noted I am a plug and play guy  when it comes to the electronics side.

msp,

Check the speaker for the metal flaking of the speaker as Dallas Joseph suggest. The dreaded Star speakers in early 2000 PS2 5v engines where notorious for metal flaking of the plating and shorting out the boards. Being this one was made in 2003 it might be OK, but it doesn't hurt to check it out.

If it's a Star speaker, there can be flaking, some of the 4 ohm speakers in the 3V boards also developed the issue.

Okay - here we go

1. Looks like no flaking must have been the pic.   Here is another

2. Here is a pic of both batteries that need replaced white one from the UP green from the e8

3. Can I buy a ni-mh at local battery store or should I order from mth or I guess the bcr is still an option   Just seems pricey

4. Can we tell if this was the 3 volt or 5 volt -

I was running the e8 a units back to back now through this whole process the slave unit wants to take off in the other direction when the power is sitting in neutral and I am trying to tether them together - interestingly enough when I add the b it works fine

What I thought was going to be a simple pop the hood and change the battery is turning into quite the ordeal

thanks again for the input

Clearly it's a 5V board with a 9V battery.  The 16 ohm speaker is indeed correct for the board, and it looks OK.

@msp posted

I was running the e8 a units back to back now through this whole process the slave unit wants to take off in the other direction when the power is sitting in neutral and I am trying to tether them together - interestingly enough when I add the b it works fine

What I thought was going to be a simple pop the hood and change the battery is turning into quite the ordeal

thanks again for the input

You should never try tethering or placing engines on the track with the power on. Good way to damage the electronics.

@msp posted:

Okay - here we go

1. Looks like no flaking must have been the pic.   Here is another

2. Here is a pic of both batteries that need replaced white one from the UP green from the e8

Good photos msp .

Okay well lesson learned- may have fried something.

So my final Question - can I go buy a couple of these for the ACL E8 and the UP.

NiCad with an 8.4-volt 150-mAh Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable battery.  

some operators prefer Rayovac’s NM1604-1, available at Wal-Mart and other retailers.  OR

Radio Shack NiMH battery (stock no. 23-529)

thanks

Who makes/sells a 3 volt battery for PS2 engines? MTH is to expensive when you add in $10 shipping charge. I am debating between BCR and batteries. Cost counts.

@gftiv posted:

Who makes/sells a 3 volt battery for PS2 engines? MTH is to expensive when you add in $10 shipping charge. I am debating between BCR and batteries. Cost counts.

How much did the locomotive cost, and what is it currently worth?  Hundreds at least, or maybe thousands.

Is saving the $10 on shipping going to get you so much farther ahead in the long run?

Pinching pennies here would only make sense if you paid 50 bucks for your engine.  If you did, then have at it.

Mike

@gftiv posted:

Who makes/sells a 3 volt battery for PS2 engines? MTH is to expensive when you add in $10 shipping charge. I am debating between BCR and batteries. Cost counts.

Go to your local hardware store and pickup a 2.4 volt cordless phone battery of the same size. Clip the connector off your bad bad battery and a solder it to the new one.

Better yet, make your own bcr for much less. There are plenty of posts here about how to do that.

The 3V BCR is simply a 1.5F 5V supercap and a couple of wires.  When I take the old battery out, I just clip the wires at the battery, solder them to the supercap with a little heatshrink for insulation, and I have a replacement battery with the correct connector.  Remember, red to positive on the supercap.

@gftiv posted:

Who makes/sells a 3 volt battery for PS2 engines? MTH is to expensive when you add in $10 shipping charge. I am debating between BCR and batteries. Cost counts.

Go with GRJ's suggestion or the BCR .    In the longrun if you want to avoid confusion with the state of the battery and it's effect on the health of your expensive boards ,it's the only sensible way to go.

I have about 20 PS2 locos.  Those that were the old 5-volt boards have all been replaced with 3-volt boards over the years, and all PS2 locos have had their batteries replaced with supercaps as Gunrunner describes.  Note that while he speaks of BCRs, he(like me) actually purchased supercaps and connect wires to them..  Big advantage over batteries is that if you don't use a loco for a long time, you don't encounter a dead battery.

Here's some that I made from defunct batteries, they're waiting for their turn in one of my PS/2 locomotives.  Piece of cake to make, the only material other than the defunct battery is the supercap and a little heatshrink.

There was a thread a couple of years ago where GRJ and I posted pictures of the supercaps we assembled, using the plugs from old batteries and supercaps from Digikey.  Cheaper than  battery as I recall.

If you don't mind waiting and buy in some quantity, you can get the 1.5F supercaps for a couple bucks or less.  Supplies are tighter now, so I have to shop around more for the good prices.  I used to buy the brand name AVX 1.5F supercaps for a buck, those days are gone now.

GRJ, you had started me on using 2.5F, also from Digikey

2.5F works fine as well, but the 1.5F is all you need for proper function.