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I just got a MTH 30-1142-1 Camelback locomotive.  Looks nice but has some issues.  One is there is a horrible buzzing sound on the speaker.  Sometimes it goes away, but mostly there if the engine is moving.  What should I look at as the reason for it?  I'd hate to have to return it, but it might happen anyway since it also has a non-working coupler and it has a really bad vibration at higher speeds.  It looks like one of the rear wheels wobbles.  I can live with it, if I can kill the buzz though.  If I wiggle wires or the boards, it helps sometimes and other times it doesn't.

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I've messed with this a bit, it seems if you take the top PCBA and kinda rotate it (keeping it parallel to the bottom board) the sound goes away.  It also gets worse as I turn the track power up.  Is it possible that the connectors between the two PCBAs are loose or have a cold joint on one of the boards?

 

As for swapping parts out, can I swap with any other PS1 PCBAs?

In my experience, a buzz in the sound of a Protosounds loco means the top board is on it's way out. It is almost impossible to diagnose until is actually happens. You could try a different speaker or a volume pot, it is easy to do, but I don't think the results will please you. And, to replace the sound board it is a minimum of $80, as the retail is $140. If you watch the Buy/Sell board, sometimes Protosounds boards show up, at a reasonable cost. As an aside, every time I have one of these camelbacks in for service for whatever reason, I take a 1.5 volt bulb and wire the back up light to operate, it is an easy conversion and looks great. I do this at no charge, and wait until the owner asks about it, and they are always pleased with it. 

I'll try swapping the top boards to see if that helps.  We have already pulled the chip and reseated it, as well as pulled the top board off and tightened the connectors on the bottom board.  Being I got the loco for less than a 1/3 of retail, I don't mind spending the cost of a new top board if that'll fix it.
 
Originally Posted by Train Doctor:

...I take a 1.5 volt bulb and wire the back up light to operate, it is an easy conversion and looks great. I do this at no charge, and wait until the owner asks about it, and they are always pleased with it. 

I did notice that the tender shell had provisions for a light and thought it odd that there isn't one.  In fact I wondered if I could add a light and wire it up at some point.  If you have some instructions I can follow and a parts list, I'd love to do this to mine.  I've already added a Proto-Coupler to my NYC Drefuss that didn't come with one, so I'm not new to learning and upgrading these wonderful PS1 locos.  My LHS MTH dealer thinks I'm a moron for not getting the latest and greatest PS2/3 trains, but for what I do, the PS1s are a no brainer steal of a deal.  They look great, run really well (when taken care of, I thin kthis camelback got dropped at some point), and sound good enough to make me happy.

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