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In DCS mode I have a engine with PS2 5v system that will stop abruptly when going over 2 switches (MTH), Looking at the rollers they are both in the dead spaces on the switches. I think this has been brought up before but I can not find it. Battery shows 8.9v. Please Help

Thanks Henry

Last edited by c6usa
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Hello Henry, If you are thinking the battery will will keep the engine moving when the rollers hit a dead space, unfortunately it won't. The purpose of the battery is to keep the sound going primarily in conventional mode when the direction button is pressed or when the power to the track is shutoff and the engine can complete the shutdown sequence.

Best bet is to add additional rollers to the tender if it's a steam engine or change the arrangement of the switches to alleviate the dead spot.

Last edited by H1000

for a test, put a regular 9 volt inside just to see if it makes it over the switches. Some batteries fail when under load. Take it back out right away.

On some steam, you can add a pick-up to the tender if there isn't one. On diesels, you can add the double rollers when they fit, if they aren't already there.

I've also seen where some wires aren't connected properly or failed, and the engine stalls like you're seeing.

@H1000 posted:

Hello Henry, If you are thinking the battery will will keep the engine moving when the rollers hit a dead space, unfortunately it won't. The purpose of the battery is to keep the sound going primarily in conventional mode when the direction button is pressed or when the power to the track is shutoff and the engine can complete the shutdown sequence.

Best bet is to add additional rollers to the tender if it's a steam engine or change the arrangement of the switches to alleviate the dead spot.

I went back to layout and did some more testing and discovered that the sounds stop as well. earlier I had the sound off

Henry

@Tony H posted:

I had two 072 in a row and i had to put a relay on one so it would energize the dead rails when the switch was  thrown in a certain way.  Ross has instructions on their web site on how to do this for the big switches.  It helped with my issue, not sure if it would help with your issue, not sure if the MTH switches are set up the same way.

Thanks Tony I will look at their web tomorrow

Last edited by c6usa

I have 8.8 volts from battery to board I checked voltage at the board. In my heard I have 2 other sd60 engines both PS2 5 volt and they both go over the switches with no problems with sound on. so it looks like I may had a PS2 board problem (bad cap?)not a track problem.

Thanks for all your input Henry.

@H1000 posted:

Henry, I'm not sold on the board being bad. How slow is the locomotive moving when going through this bad spot? If both rollers are moving through a dead spot slowly, you can expect the engine to shutdown. If you turn the engine around on the track and run it the other direction or just run it backwards through the same spot, does it shutdown?

I have another SD60 engine PS2 5 V that I tested as well.  Both engines were tested at 50 smph and in both directions one has no problems the other stops abruptly and sound stop as well. The layout has been down for 2 years now and I did not have any problems with the engine in question until yesterday. I have 2 areas where there is 2 spots that this happened. I still think its the something in the PS2 board. My layout is a large one about 50'x10' with 4 levels, 51 switches, 38 engines all DCS



Thanks Henry

Last edited by c6usa

It actually does appear that something is amiss in the engine, it drops power immediately when it loses the power momentarily.  Even if it has that gap, it should not have lost sound.  Since the lights come back on very quickly, it has power back and should have continued on it's way like the other engines.  The battery should have kept the PS/2 electronics running and allowed the engine to continue on.

First step is to check the battery and charging circuit for that locomotive.

If you put it on a straight track section and interrupt power momentarily, (less than a second), the sounds should continue and it should act like nothing happened.  Again, if you have it on a straight section of track running slowly forward and interrupt the power briefly, it should momentarily stop and then just pick up and continue running.  If either of these tests fail, you have a battery/charging circuit problem.

for a test, put a regular 9 volt inside just to see if it makes it over the switches. Some batteries fail when under load. Take it back out right away.

On some steam, you can add a pick-up to the tender if there isn't one. On diesels, you can add the double rollers when they fit, if they aren't already there.

I've also seen where some wires aren't connected properly or failed, and the engine stalls like you're seeing.

I agree with you you it must have been the engine/BATTERY. when i replaced the battery the first time I must not have let it charge now look with a BCR installed. The old battery was a green one and it showed 8.8v at the battery as well as the backside of the board where the wires hookup. The battery must do more than just the sound. now when power off the track the sound goes for about 5 seconds.

Again Thanks to all for your input

Henry

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Last edited by c6usa
@DaveGG posted:

Well at least you have the engine running now.  However, there is still a problem. You can see the lights go out momentarily when the engine goes over the switch.

I'd look at both center rail pickups on the engine.  Maybe one is non longer connected (wire broke?).

Just an idea.

@c6usa posted:

Yes both roller work ok I can lift one end off track at a time and it will keep running

@DaveGG posted:

Well at least you have the engine running now.  However, there is still a problem. You can see the lights go out momentarily when the engine goes over the switch.

I'd look at both center rail pickups on the engine.  Maybe one is non longer connected (wire broke?).

Already tested that, at least he said he did.  The issue with the switches is that they are spaced to drop power briefly to the engine, the voids match up with the rollers.  However, with a good battery (or BCR), the engine flywheels carry him to power again, the battery keeps the electronics humming, and the engine continues on.  If a roller were not connected, the lights would have been out a lot longer and twice for the two switch gaps.  Even with a good battery, I doubt a PS/2 engine would make it around all those switches with one roller.

The rollers was the first thing that I tested. I lifted each end off of track one at a time to see if they were making contact and they were then when I had it on the bench I also check with a ohm meter both the roller to roller and wheel set to wheel set both were good.

In my life a little flicker no big deal I can live with that the engines don't miss a beat and all is good now with the CSX yard. I just like to run the trains nothing is perfect.

Thanks Again to you All

Henry

I don't see this being a battery issue, I think the engine is running fine.  The problem with the switch spacing has already been discussed and does indeed briefly cut track power.  However, the engine continues with the flywheel inertia and regains power before shutdown, thus indicating the battery is fine.  On PS/2 locomotives, the lights will go out immediately on any track power interruption, they're not supported by the battery.  The only "fix" here is to fool around with the switch spacing, and since it's not affecting anything but a brief flicker of the lights, he's elected to let sleeping dogs lie.

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