Powered - Aristo-Craft Vintage FA-1

by Paul Norton

INTRODUCTION

This article details converting a vintage Aristo-Craft FA-1 from track power to on-board, battery power and radio control.

As this diesel does not have any Plug and Play features, all the factory wiring and circuit boards will be removed and replaced with a Super Socket. As all the components will be saved intact, nothing prevents the locomotive from being restored to its original condition for re-sale at a later date.

The socket is easy to assemble and there were many advantages to using it.

The large chokes on the board will suppress radio noise generated by the motors and greatly improve radio range, a problem that plagues 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 makes 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 is made, click on the link.

DISASSEMBLING THE LOCOMOTIVE

Place the locomotive upside down on a soft engine cradle taking care not to damage the horns. Remove the screws outlined in red from the base of the fuel tank, and set the fuel tank aside. Fasten the screws back in the frame so they did not get lost or mixed up with others.

Remove the ten screws outlined in yellow that hold the frame to the shell.

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.

Remove the small screws that hold the mud flaps to the rear of the shell. Check the ends of grab irons and railings to ensure they have not been pushed inside the shell against the frame. Lift the frame starting at the front motor block and set it beside the shell.

Remove the two screws holding the plastic diesel engine to the floor. Install the rear mud flaps, and fasten the ten screws back in the shell so they do not get lost or mixed up with others.

As the on-board, lithium-ion battery provides the power, and the 75 MHz receiver controls the headlight and motors; remove all the redundant factory wiring and circuit boards.

Place the redundant components in a large Ziploc bag with the locomotive model number, road name and road number marked on it. Save these components so the locomotive could be restored to its original condition for re-sale at a later date.

POWER CONVERSION

Fasten a lithium-ion battery pack to the bottom of the fuel tank with Velcro. Push the plug through the square hole in the frame above it and the fasten the fuel tank back on the frame.

Remove the motor blocks from their A-frames and open them. Unsolder the motor wires and solder longer wires in their place. Solder a 0.1 uf capacitor across the motor terminals. A capacitor across the motor terminals will reduce radio noise generated by the motors. The capacitors are available from All Electronics under catalog number 104D50. OVGRS members can purchase the capacitors by contacting Paul Norton. See the Items For Sale Section for details.

Re-assemble the motor blocks and install them back in their A-frames. Pass the new wires through their holes in the frame.

The female half of a 2-pin plug set will be used as a charging plug. It has the same connector as an Aristo-Craft, lithium-ion battery pack. The two-pin plug sets are available from All Electronics under catalog number CON-240. OVGRS members can purchase the plug sets by contacting Paul Norton. See the Items For Sale Section for details.

CAUTION: The two pin plugs sets sold by All Electronics are not colour coded the same as the plugs used by Aristo-Craft or USA Trains. To see how to change the wires over so that proper polarity is maintained, click on this All Electronics Plug Fix link.

Remove the chassis mounting wings from the plug to make it less obvious. Drill a hole in the rear of the frame with a 1.8 inch bit just to one side of the coupler. Thread the plug wires through a piece of shrink wrap and the hole in the frame.

Cut a 2.5 x 5 inch platform for the Super Socket from 1/8 inch thick styrene sheet. Add an L shaped post for the Black Kat antenna and fastened in place with a screw through the bottom.

Pass the charging plug wires and the rear motor wires under the platform and fasten the platform to the rear weight with three additional nuts. Fasten the Super Socket to the platform with hot glue.

Fasten the front and rear motor wires under the 3rd and 10th screws on the front and rear terminal blocks respectively.

Slip the Black Kat antenna over its mount, and plug the receiver into the Super Socket.

Although it may not provide any greater range than the wire antenna, the Black Kat is easier to mount because of its small size. The Black Kat antenna is sold by E Cubed R/C. OVGRS members only can buy the antenna by contacting Paul Norton. See the Items For Sale Section for details.

The front headlight bulb will be replaced with a bright white LED which is available from All Electronics under catalog number LED-121. LEDs produce a prototypical, long bright beam. OVGRS members can purchase the LED by contacting Paul Norton. See the Items For Sale Section for details.

LEDs are polarity sensitive and the longer lead is positive. The negative side of an LED usually has a flat side on its base which can be coloured with a black marker to make it more obvious.

The female half of a 2-pin plug set has the same connector as an Aristo-Craft, lithium-ion battery pack. Slip the LED into the connector using the colour coding of the wires to maintain proper polarity. Extend the headlight plug using red and black wires so the shell can be removed easily.

Fasten the red (positive) wire 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 is required to toggle the battery between its charging plug and the 75 MHz receiver. A 5 amp fuse is required to protect the receiver. The DPDT switch is available from All Electronics under catalog number MTS-12. OVGRS members can purchase the switch by contacting Paul Norton. See the Items For Sale Section for details.

Mount the switch under the front pilot opposite the bell.

The fuse will be mounted next to the switch. The fuse holding brackets will 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.

Solder a red wire between the bracket on one side of the fuse and a tab on the positive side of the switch as shown in the diagram above. Solder another red wire to the bracket on the other side of the fuse, and fasten the other end under the 12th screw of the front terminal block. This will provide the receiver with positive power from the battery. Mount the fuse and its brackets to the pilot as shown.

Solder a black wire to the opposing tab on the negative side of the switch, and fastened under the 1st screw of the front terminal block. This will provide the receiver with negative power from the battery.

Extend the charging plug using red and black wires. Solder the red wire 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 has the same connector as an Aristo-Craft lithium-ion battery pack charger. Solder it wires 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: Check to ensure all the red wires are connected to the positive side of the switch and all the black wires to the other. Check to ensure colour coding on the plug on the center tabs of the switch and the plug on the lithium-ion battery pack match so that the correct polarity is maintained. Connect the two plugs.

Toggle the DPDT switch to bring the battery and receiver on-line. After programming the receiver, test the LED headlight and motors. If the headlight and motors are operating in opposite directions, switch the positions of the motor wires in the terminal blocks.

Carefully slip the LED into the headlight lens being careful not to break any of the clear plastic tabs. Remove the ten screws from the shell and attach it to the frame.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have successfully converted a vintage Aristo-Craft FA-1 diesel to on-board, battery power and radio control. Reliable and responsive radio range of 100 feet or more is possible using a transmitter with a telescoping antenna.

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Last Modified 9/13/09 9:31 PM