PS2 3V battery charging question

It will charge, but it will take a few hours.  I'd bump it up to about 15 volts.

Given that that set was in the 2006 catalog, the battery is due for replacement, although it may continue to work acceptably.  I've had a few from before then that I just replaced with home-brewed supercaps as part of a major up grade project, even though they still worked fine.  Do be aware that the chronometer runs when power is on, even though loco is shut down.  Doesn't matter whether DCS is on or off; it will still charge.

I'd use it with the current battery until it gives problems.

yamawho,

    I recommend replacing all batteries with a BCR, when the batteries need replacing,

in this manner you never have to worry about low batteries and charging them, ever again.  In fact the P3's have this type of engineering built right into the engines.

PCRR/Dave

Will it charge while it's running in DCS since the battery seems to be working?

If I buy a charger and plug it in, will the chrono run when it's charging?

Also, with the charger will the sounds keep playing?

According to Barry's book, the BCR2 would be required.

Maybe I should get this instead of a charger ... anyone have a link?

Will it charge while it's running in DCS since the battery seems to be working?

 

If I buy a charger and plug it in, will the chrono run when it's charging?

 

Also, with the charger will the sounds keep playing?

Yes. No. No.

anyone have a link?

http://www.jandwelectronics.com/ is the company to which PCRR/Dave refers.

Thanks

 

I have Barry's book but did not find the answers ...

You didn't look hard enough.

From page 162 of The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition:

Checking the Battery

The most effective battery check for a battery that's installed in a PS2 engine is to first start the engine up, making sounds, in either DCS or conventional mode. Then, immediately turn off power to the tracks. If engine sounds do not continue for 6-7 seconds after power is turned off, the battery needs to be charged.

Another test of the battery is to attempt to operate the engine conventionally. If the PS2 engine remains in neutral in conventional mode and sounds cut out when the direction button on the transformer is pressed, the battery needs to be charged.

The battery may be charged in three different ways. If the PS2 engine has a battery charging port, the most convenient way is to use the MTH Battery Charger (item # 50-1019). This charger will charge 8.4 volt or 2.4 volt batteries, either NiCad or NiMH. If the PS2 engine lacks a battery charging port, the second method is to place the engine on a track with voltage set at 10 to 12 volts to charge the battery. The least desirable method is to open the engine, remove the battery and place it in an external battery charger.

This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!

I am still working through your book Barry, which I got off Amazon by the way, and also just got my first 2.0 engines, an SD40-2 and F3 ABA.  It is a learning experience for sure.

I found further information on the subject ...

You have three options:

• Charge the battery on the track:  Place the engine on the track, apply power to the track and hit the 'Start-up button'. 

      (Note:  Not hitting startup results in a very very slow trickle charge which barely charges the battery.)

• Charge the battery with external charger:  Purchase Protosound 2.0 Battery Charger (#50-1019) and plug it into the engines battery recharge port. 

      REMEMBER:  Remove the engine from the track and do not apply any power to the power pick-ups.

• Replace the battery with a capacitor pack so you never have to recharge or replace the battery again.

and hit the 'Start-up button'. 

    (Note:  Not hitting startup results in a very very slow trickle charge which barely charges the battery.)

Where did you find that? That's news to me and sounds incorrect.

Here ...

http://www.rayman4449.com/DCS_...d_2_on-board_battery

If that's true, it's the first that I've heard of it.

This morning I confirmed with MTH development that, as I suspected, it makes absolutely no difference if the engine is started up or not when charging the battery.

From MTH's response:

Inaccurate. whether you hit SU or not doesn’t change the charge rate.

You might consider so advising the source of the misinformation so that it can be removed from the web site.

Barry, I have no affiliation to that web site nor do I consider myself to be an ambassador.

The purpose of my post is to seek more detailed information ... nothing more.

Does the MTH reply answer to how the latest PS2 works or has it always been the case since the beginning of PS2?

I found a MTH 50-1019 charger at a LHS so this is the option I am using now.

yamawho,

   Install the BCR and be done with messing around with chargers and such.

PCRR/Dave

Dave, if I ordered that BCR2 by the time it was shipped up here costs would include 20$ plus 30% exchange, 25$ shipping, 10$ processing fee taxes 15% and handling fee ... total about 70$.

Since this is my first PS2 I am now equipped with a charger that can do the 3V and 8V PS2 engines. This makes it a better option for me now to look for PS2 engines since I don't want to pay the 30% change rate on the new stuff.   

Does the MTH reply answer to how the latest PS2 works or has it always been the case since the beginning of PS2?

AFAIK, it's always been that way, back to the earliest PS2 engines.

I found a MTH 50-1019 charger at a LHS so this is the option I am using now.

That is an excellent choice!

Yamawho, I agree with Barry, on a cost effective basis.  The 2.4 volt battery life, I have found, is over 7 years. I have several that havehit 10, as the locos I upgraded back around 2004 hit that age.