Power Cars - Covered Gondola | Show Menu |
by Paul Norton
INTRODUCTION
Aristo-Craft, Plug and Play diesels are sold with MU plugs on each end, and a switch to change between track power and battery power. This project details how to build a power car to take advantage of those plugs. A power car is simply a battery car with a receiver added for on-board radio control.
Although Aristo-Craft, Plug and Play locomotives also come with an IC socket to install their 75 MHz receiver, installing a receiver in every piece of motive power would be expensive and still require trailing car for battery power. Our garden railway group has used the 27 MHz Train Engineer (TE) in power cars since 1995 and it has always been reliable. The TE can also be programmed for gradual starts and stops (momentum) and soft reverses. The soft reverse function is a great feature when switching cars during our railway operations.
Boxcars, stockcars, and B units can be used for power cars; but the cheapest and most practical is the covered gondola. Removing the snap on cover allows easy access to the receiver for programming and removal of the battery pack for charging. Replacing the cover hides the components and protects them from the elements. The ends of the gondola can also be folded down inside the car should extra cooling be required for the receiver.
Over the years the members of our club have used gel cell, Ni-Cad and NiMH batteries in their power cars. For this third generation power car however, an Aristo-Craft, Lithium-Ion battery will be used.
The two pin, plug set required for this project is available from All Electronics under catalog # CON-240. OVGRS members only can purchase the plug set for $2 by contacting Paul Norton.
CAUTION: The two pin plugs sold by All Electronics are not always colour coded the same as Aristo-Craft plugs. If the plug is not the same, just click on the following link to see how to change the MU Plug Wiring so that proper polarity is maintained.
MU PLUG
In the center of one end of the gondola, drill a 1/8th inch hole just above the floor.
If the power car is to be used in extreme operating conditions, skip drilling the hole and fold the ends of the gondola down to aid cooling.
Unplug the female portion of the plug set and feed the wires through the hole in the end of the gondola. Add loop connectors to the ends of the wires.
RECEIVER
Turn the receiver case over and remove the four screws at the corners. Remove the circuit board from the case. Put the case back together, install the four screws, and put it back in the box it came in.
Cut the TE power (input) wires to a useable length and slip a 1 inch length of shrink wrap up each. Trim the wires of the male portion of the plug set to a useable length. Solder the red plug wire to the red TE wire. Slip the shrink wrap down and warm to seal the joint. Repeat for the black plug wire and black TE wire.
Place the TE in the car as close to the end with the MU plug as possible. Drill 5/32 inch holes in the floor of the car using the holes in the corners of the TE as a guide. Tap the holes with a 4-40 screw.
Glue 1/4 inch spacers under the TE around the holes at each corner. The nylon spacers are available from All Electronics under catalog # SP-42. OVGRS members only can purchase these spacers for $0.10 each by contacting Paul Norton. Fasten the TE to the floor of the car with 1/2 inch 4-40 screws.
Slip the leads of the MU plug under the TE and fasten the loop connectors to the output terminals (screws) of the TE.
Fasten the antenna around the inside of car walls, just under the lip at the top, with hot glue. Cover the end of the antenna with hot glue so it does not touch the heat sink.
LITHIUM-ION BATTERY
CAUTION: Ensure the power switch on the TE receiver is turned off.
Place an Aristo-Craft, Lithium-Ion battery in the power car. Ensure the colour coding (polarity) of the wires of the battery plug and the plug soldered to the TE are the same. Plug the battery into the TE.
Velcro strips or dots can be used to fasten the battery to the floor of the power car.
Turn the TE Receiver on. Link and program the transmitter and receiver as instructed in the Aristo-Craft manual that came with it.
ENJOY! You now have a power car that can independently power and control any Aristo-Craft, Plug and Play locomotive or any other locomotive with an MU plug added.
CAUTION: Always ensure the TE receiver is turn off before plugging a power car into locomotive. It is not unusual for a locomotive to jump slightly when the TE receiver is turned on.
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Last Modified 3/31/09 10:48 PM