Remote control

[Chris333]

So if this can be done:
http://www.mzr-online.com/hobby/NPKW.htm

And those small zipzap cars can be had for like $10. Why is there no RC locomotive control in N scale? I mean it just has to control the motor.

I would like very much to build an N scale 0-6-0T, but the only way it will run is with tender pick-ups. How can I get a remote control system in the locomotive. Keep in mind it would be a 0-6-0T boxcab so there would be room for a battery.

Come on, it is almost 2015 help a brother out 

[peteski]

I recall several threads about powering locos using batteries.  We are not quite there yet (and I really don't see why would that be such an advantage over the current power scheme).

The high capacity LiPo bateries used in all of our latest gadgets are very lightweight.  That is why there is a proliferation of flying RC electric models.  But that is a bad news for our application.  Batteries which take up space in a model locomotive should be as heavy as possible (for maximum adhesion).

Imagine your tiny loco with a good chunk of its frame removed and replaced with a LiPo battery.  That thing would be so light that it could barely pull couple of cars. Then there is the need to recharge those batteries.  Another headache as far as I'm concerned.  I know all about proximity (induction) chargers but that technology is not mature enough for model trains. Another thought would be to just proximity charging technology not to charge the battery but to actually power the train. But that would require the coils to be present under every inch of the track.  That should be lots of fun to install and maintain.

[Chris333]

This is what I want:



Last photo shows skits off, but I would model them. It really is a brick on wheels.


And if there is any sort of success maybe this:


So there is plenty of room for tungsten    A battery could fit right under the roof and the roof could lift off for charging. I could start with an Atlas 0-6-0 chassis and add a cheap gearmotor with a 1.5-3volt motor or something similar to help the battery last longer

[Chris333]

Where do I look for radios and speed controls this small?

[peteski]

If you run DCC then you could simply install a keep-alive super-cap to keep it running, even with intermittent pickup.  That technology already exists and it seems that you have plenty of room inside.

Too bad ZipZap cars don't have proportional speed control - you could just adapt the mechanism to your model. But then you would have to recharge the battery every 5 minutes.  I don't understand this fascination with rechargeable batteries - they really are a pain to deal with. 

[Chris333]

Well if I could find a battery that lasted forever I'd use that 

I was thinking RC = $50 tops and DCC would be like $300, a lot for one locomotive.

I have a capacitor in a Nn3 loco, but it really only travels in one direction and is on/off no speed really.

[VonRyan]

I wouldn't mind adapting this stuff to models like the Dapol terrier, and maybe even a scratched/bashed LNER Y6 wood-bodied tram.

[jdcolombo]

Well if I could find a battery that lasted forever I'd use that 

I was thinking RC = $50 tops and DCC would be like $300, a lot for one locomotive.

I have a capacitor in a Nn3 loco, but it really only travels in one direction and is on/off no speed really.

Do you have a DCC system?  If so, then adding DCC to a model like this with something like a TCS KA3 keeper system would be . . . about $50 ($25 for a decoder and another $25 for the KA3 keep alive).

If you don't have a DCC system, then I understand the desire for battery power.  But as far as I know, there is nothing commercial like this available.  Perhaps you could adapt something from RC cars . . .


John C.

[Chris333]

I have no DCC and really don't ever want to have it. Plus I know a guy with a On30 0-4-0 with DCC and a keep alive cap who has tons of problems with track current cutting out.

Just for fun I drew a quick Bachmann 44T chassis up:


I wonder how much of the wheels would show with the skirt in place.

[up1950s]

Where do I look for radios and speed controls this small?

I would look into those nanobot sources , the ones that fly into houses to find intel . What about a dedicated refer that has the RX and servos in it to feed the juice to the engine ?

[sizemore]

For your layout sizes you would do just fine with a Zephyr or Zephyr Extra for about a buck seventy. The only difference between RC and DCC is initial price and the medium by which the signal gets to the decoder/reciever. Just drink the Kool-Aid and bite the bullet, man!


The S.

[robert3985]

For your layout sizes you would do just fine with a Zephyr or Zephyr Extra for about a buck seventy. The only difference between RC and DCC is initial price and the medium by which the signal gets to the decoder/reciever. Just drink the Kool-Aid and bite the bullet, man!


The S.

+1 

[nkalanaga]

For recharging, how about using track pickup and a bridge rectifier?  Just set the voltage to whatever the battery charges at, and whenever the loco does make contact, the battery will get a partial recharge.  If contact is good, or it's sitting still for a while on clean track, you get a full charge.  If contact is spotty, the battery will run down, but not as fast as with no charging.

[Chris333]

Maybe RC isn't the answer... printed my drawing out and made a mock-up with the 44T chassis:


This is pretty much the lowest I could get the camera with the lens sitting right at track level. If I paint the wheels dead black without weathering it might just work.

[peteski]

Elegant solution to a tough problem.