dead rail AZL Mikado proof of concept
Oct 29, 2016 2:56:01 GMT -5
zscalehobo, Commodore, and 1 more like this
Post by tito on Oct 29, 2016 2:56:01 GMT -5
Hello all,
"Dead rail" is a phrase used by some to describe model trains powered by batteries rather than electrified rails.
I've modified my Mikado from dcc to dead rail. Some cosmetics remain to be dealt with but here's a video of my proof of concept:
(Thanks, Rob, for posting to youtube.)
The parts I used are:
AZL Mikado
AZL baggage car (weight removed)
----------
2x 100mAh 3.7 volt lithium ion polymer battery (Adafruit part number 1570) @ $5.95 ea
Micro Lipo charger for batteries (Adafruit part number 1304) @ $5.95
shipping @ $9.61
----------
Deltang Rx60 variant 22 6 channel receiver with wires (from Micron, in the UK) @ 26.67 pounds
Deltang Tx22 controller (from Micron) @ 48.33 pounds
shipping @ 8.20 pounds
----------
three small pieces of wire
drill bit for hole in back of tender and front of baggage car
The batteries are wired in series to provide 7.4 volts. The three pieces of wire used are solid core wires: one soldered to the red lead from the receiver to plug into the battery's red wire's hole on the JST jack the batteries come with, another soldered to the black lead from the receiver to plug into the other battery's black wire's hole on it's JST jack, and a short jumper between the one remaining hole on each of the two batteries' JST jacks.
At some point I need a switch to disconnect the batteries when they're not in use (rather than opening up the baggage car to unplug them). I also would like an elegant way to recharge them without removing them each time (something like parking the baggage car above some contacts to fill 'er up).
The weight I removed from the baggage car was north of 12 grams. The batteries and receiver are about 8 grams. I may try to add back the four grams lost if I find there are stability issues. A nice loose 30 gauge stranded core wire would be nice between the baggage car and the tender. The yellow wires used in the video are the wires that come attached to the receiver. Speaking of which, there are four wires attached to the receiver: two yellows, a red, and a black. The yellows go to the motor, while the red and the black go to positive and negative, respectively, on the series battery described above.
No idea how long I'll be able to run for, or how many cars I'll be able to pull. (I just finished it, like, 15 minutes ago.)
Have a great weekend,
Tito
"Dead rail" is a phrase used by some to describe model trains powered by batteries rather than electrified rails.
I've modified my Mikado from dcc to dead rail. Some cosmetics remain to be dealt with but here's a video of my proof of concept:
(Thanks, Rob, for posting to youtube.)
The parts I used are:
AZL Mikado
AZL baggage car (weight removed)
----------
2x 100mAh 3.7 volt lithium ion polymer battery (Adafruit part number 1570) @ $5.95 ea
Micro Lipo charger for batteries (Adafruit part number 1304) @ $5.95
shipping @ $9.61
----------
Deltang Rx60 variant 22 6 channel receiver with wires (from Micron, in the UK) @ 26.67 pounds
Deltang Tx22 controller (from Micron) @ 48.33 pounds
shipping @ 8.20 pounds
----------
three small pieces of wire
drill bit for hole in back of tender and front of baggage car
The batteries are wired in series to provide 7.4 volts. The three pieces of wire used are solid core wires: one soldered to the red lead from the receiver to plug into the battery's red wire's hole on the JST jack the batteries come with, another soldered to the black lead from the receiver to plug into the other battery's black wire's hole on it's JST jack, and a short jumper between the one remaining hole on each of the two batteries' JST jacks.
At some point I need a switch to disconnect the batteries when they're not in use (rather than opening up the baggage car to unplug them). I also would like an elegant way to recharge them without removing them each time (something like parking the baggage car above some contacts to fill 'er up).
The weight I removed from the baggage car was north of 12 grams. The batteries and receiver are about 8 grams. I may try to add back the four grams lost if I find there are stability issues. A nice loose 30 gauge stranded core wire would be nice between the baggage car and the tender. The yellow wires used in the video are the wires that come attached to the receiver. Speaking of which, there are four wires attached to the receiver: two yellows, a red, and a black. The yellows go to the motor, while the red and the black go to positive and negative, respectively, on the series battery described above.
No idea how long I'll be able to run for, or how many cars I'll be able to pull. (I just finished it, like, 15 minutes ago.)
Have a great weekend,
Tito
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