I seemed to of fried my Proto 1 soundboard some how. My locomotive smoked snd I smelled a burning smell. I now have garbled muffled sound and the locomotive moves forward and backwards but I am not sure what my next step should be what could have been fried? Just the sound board or something else. Can I just remove the QSI soundboard and run this thing? Any help would be great.
Can't stop working on the railroad!
Well, I'd first open it up and carefully inspect all the wiring and the boards. It's best to find out exactly what was cooked first, it might be easy to fix. Did this happen during a derail? The QSI package has the electronic reverse unit in it as well, so you can't just take all the electronics out.
Thanks I thought that the eunit was on the QSI board that is why I was asking. I opened it and I couldn't see anything that was fried or looked fried but I didn't remove anything. The battery was also really hot when I opened it up. Do you have any other suggestions? I know if I have to gut it it means having to replace the e-unit and soundboard too if I want sound and Railsounds 4.0 is the only afordable options as far as sound goes.
The battery being really hot is a bad sign.
Before you throw up your hands, temporarily install a standard alkaline 9V battery and see if it works. The battery getting really hot may be the battery had died. The battery is an essential part of PS/1, and they don't run without them.
Don't use the alkaline long term, but it's good for testing.
Thanks but that was the first thing I did was go out and get an alkaline battery but got the same results. I am lost at what to do, it's a very nice locomotive and brand new. I appreciate all the suggestions here it helps out quite a lot.
Kevin
Well, I'm not sure it would pay to try to replace the PS/1 electronics unless you can find someone that's pulling them out of an old locomotive for a conversion. I occasionally see them sold over in the OGR forum, but they go quickly. FWIW, I sold one there a few months ago, I converted the locomotive to TMCC/RailSounds from PS/1.
Are you sure the dealer won't do anything for you?
I am thinking of replacing my PS1 sound boards with ERR's TMCC upgrades.They would be out of a Western Maryland GP9 or GP7 (can't remember off the top of my head). I'm not sure if the sounds are roadname specific (the new ones are). Last time they were fired up about 4 months ago they ran fine.Send me a PM if you are interested.
as a fellow ps-1 owner I had similar board failures except my sound boards were fine so went the TAS route but they no longer are in b uisness for retail folks.
my advice is get the err boards if you want command control if all you want is conventional running then either as suggested the simple WBB e unit and true blast horn or one of the other suppliers that have simple basic e unit control.
personally if you have tmcc command base I'd go the err route.
Unfortunately I only have MTH equipment except for the ZW that fried this thing. Someone else in the forum said they were gutting a similiar locomotive for TMCC and he would sell me his PS 1 cheap. I am still waiting to hear back from him. If worse comes to worse I will go the WBB E unit and a Railsound 4.0 board. I just want sound and I don't care much for speed control.. What was a TAS? I have extra MRC soundboards already so I just need an E-unit if worse comes to worse. Do you have any experience with installing RS 4.0 or earlier? How complicated is it if you do?
Thanks,
Conventional sound with RailSounds 4 isn't bad, the hardest part is for steamers, you have to glue a magnet to a wheel and have a reed switch to create the chuff timing.
Kevin,I responded to your email. I am not prepared to do the upgrade at this time. I hope to be ready in a few months. I may be able to pull the boards earlier, I will let you know.
TAS was a supplier of after market tmcc compatible command control systems.
the letters stood for Train America Studios and the owner now works for Lionel his name is Mike Reagan.
do you also use the other forum if so go there on the DCS forum and see if anyone has the boards you need as a lot of them have upgraded there engines from ps-1 to ps-2 and tmcc.
or a cheap sound is just stand there and go chug a chug and ding ding ding and my all time favorite the Broadway Limited now leaving on track 1 all Aboarrrrrrd !!
only cost is to feed and water yourself daily no electronics to deal with!! [pun intended] without humor we'd go stark raving mad.
good luck and have you considered trying to find a tmcc command system there no longer in production but some may still be sitting on hobby shop shelves and it would give you another avenue to keep these ps-1's running with sounds.
hope you get what you need to get your locomotive back on track high balling the high iron.
I need help navigating to this forum
I would NOT consider the TAS system, if something goes bad, you're out of luck! I've had to replace the driver FET's in one already, and I'm not nearly as impressed with the EOB as with the ERR Cruise Commander.
If you want command/control, I'd go with the ERR Cruise Commander and RailSounds Commander. Modern Toy Train Parts has the combo for $185, that's as cheap as you're going to find it. For sound only, you can consider the RailSounds Commander in conventional operation and use any of a number of electronic E-Units for control.
Personally, I'd spend the extra $50 and have command/control and cruise on it.
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