Battery Powered Aristo-Craft FA-1: Method 2 | Show Menu |
by Paul Norton
INTRODUCTION
This article illustrates a second method used to convert any Aristo-Craft FA-1 from track power to on-board, battery power and radio control.
Unlike Method 1 which used the Plug and Play features of the locomotive, all the factory wiring and circuit boards were removed in this conversion. This was done to allow the use of a Super Socket.
The socket was easy to assemble and there were many advantages to using it.
- The large chokes on the board suppress radio noise generated by the motors and greatly improve radio range, a problem that has plagued the 75 MHz receiver.
- The Super Socket can be used to convert ANY Aristo-Craft or USA Trains 4-axle diesel to on-board, battery power and radio control.
- The wiring is much easier to understand and trouble shoot than the factory wiring. The heads of the screws in the terminal blocks can be used to test the wiring using a multi-meter.
- A resistor mounted on the board made adding an LED headlight easy.
The Super Socket can also be used for track powered on-board radio control, by connecting the track power pick-up wires to the socket in place of the wires from a lithium-ion battery pack.
To see how the Super Socket was made, click on the link.
DISASSEMBLING THE LOCOMOTIVE
The locomotive was placed upside down on a soft engine cradle with care taken not to damage the horns. The six screws outlined in red were removed from the base of the fuel tank, and the fuel tank set aside. The screws were fastened back in the frame so they did not get lost.
The ten screws outlined in yellow that held the frame to the shell were removed.
- Two at the very front under the pilot.
- Two under the rear of the front truck.
- Four under front of the rear truck.
- Two at the very rear of the frame.
The small screws holding the mud flaps to the rear of the shell were removed. The ends of grab irons and railings were checked to ensure they had not been pushed inside the shell against the frame. The frame was lifted by the front motor block and set beside the shell.
The white, four and five-pin connectors on the rear of the Plug and Play circuit board (PCB-01) were unplugged.
The two screws holding the plastic diesel engine to the floor were removed. The speaker was unplugged from the front circuit board (PCB-02), and the two screws fastened back in the frame. The rear mud flaps were installed, and the ten screws fastened back in the shell.
As the on-board, lithium-ion battery provides the power, and the 75 MHz receiver controls the headlight and motors; all the redundant factory wiring and circuit boards were removed.
The redundant components were stored in a large Ziploc bag with the locomotive model number, road name and road number marked on it. If required, the locomotive could be returned to its track power state for re-sale at a later date.
POWER CONVERSION
A lithium-ion battery was fastened to the bottom of the fuel tank with Velcro. The plug was pushed through the square hole in the frame above it and the fuel tank fastened back on the frame.
The motor blocks were removed from their A-frames and opened. The motor wires and small circuit boards were unsoldered from the motor terminals. Longer wires and a 0.1 uf capacitor were soldered in their place. A capacitor across the motor terminals reduces radio noise generated by the motors. The capacitors are available from All Electronics.
The motor blocks were re-assembled and installed back in their A-frames. The new wires were passed through their holes in the frame.
The female half of a 2-pin plug set was used a charging plug. The two-pin plug sets are available from All Electronics.
CAUTION: The two pin plugs sets sold by All Electronics are not colour coded the same as the plugs in USA Trains or Aristo-Craft diesels. To see how to change the wires over so that proper polarity is maintained, click on this All Electronics Plug Fix link.
The chassis mounting wings were removed from the plug to make it less obvious. A small hole was drilled in the rear of the frame just to one side of the coupler. The plug wires were threaded through a piece of shrink wrap and the hole in the frame.
A 2.5 x 5 inch platform for the Super Socket was cut from 1/8 inch thick styrene sheet. An L shaped post for the Black Kat antenna was added, and fastened in place with a screw through the bottom.
The charging plug wires and the rear motor wires were passed under the platform and the platform was fastened to the rear weight with three additional nuts. The Super Socket was hot glued to the platform. The front and rear motor wires were fastened under the 3rd and 10th screws on the front and rear terminal blocks respectively.
The antenna was slipped over its mount, and the receiver plugged in to the Super Socket.
Although it may not provide any greater range than the wire antenna, the Black Kat was easier to mount because of its small size. The Black Kat antenna is sold by E Cubed R/C for $10.
The front headlight bulb was replaced with a bright white LED which is available from All Electronics. LEDs produce a prototypical, long bright beam.
LEDs are polarity sensitive. The longer lead is positive and the negative side of an LED usually has a flat side on its base. The LED was slipped into the female half of a 2-pin plug using the colour coding of the wires to maintain proper polarity. The wires were extended so the shell could be removed easily. The red (positive) wire was fastened under the 6th screw of the front terminal block screw on the Super Socket and the black (negative) wire under the 4th screw.
A double pole, double throw (DPDT) switch was required to toggle the battery between its charging plug and the 75 MHz receiver. The DPDT switch is available from All Electronics.
The switch was mounted under the front pilot opposite the bell.
A fuse was mounted next to the switch. The fuse holding brackets protrude just far enough through the bottom of the pilot to test the fuse with a multimeter. If the fuse had to be replaced, the pilot could be dropped by removing the four small screws holding it in place.
A red wire was soldered to the bracket on one side of the fuse, and to a tab on the positive side of the switch as shown in the diagram above. Another red wire was soldered to the bracket on the other side of the fuse, and fastened under the 12th screw of the front terminal block. This provides the receiver with positive power from the battery.
A black wire was soldered to the opposing tab on the negative side of the switch, and fastened under the 1st screw of the front terminal block. This provides the receiver with negative power from the battery.
The charging plug wires were extended using red and black wires. The red wire was soldered to a tab on the positive side of the switch as shown in the diagram above, and the black to the opposing tab on the negative side of the switch.
The male half of a 2-pin plug set was soldered to the center tabs of the switch as shown in the diagram above; the red wire to the positive side and the black to the opposing tab.
CAUTION: The wiring was checked to ensure all the red wires were connected to the positive side of the switch and all the black wires to the other. The plug on the center tabs of the switch and the plug on the lithium-ion battery pack were checked to ensure the colour coding corresponded so that the correct polarity was maintained. Only then were the two plugs connected.
The DPDT switch was toggled to bring the battery and receiver on-line. After programming the receiver, the LED and motors were tested. Had the LED and motors been operating in opposite directions, the positions of the motor wires in the terminal blocks could have been reversed.
The LED was slipped into the headlight lens. The ten screws were removed from the shell and used to attach it to the frame. The locomotive was tested and radio range at 135 feet was reliable and responsive.
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Last Modified 8/25/08 3:26 PM