Subject:
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Thoughts on Battery-powered IR-controlled trains
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains, lugnet.dear-lego
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Date:
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Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:30:51 GMT
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Reply-To:
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cjmasi@*STOPSPAMnogarbageplease*rcn.com
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Viewed:
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438 times
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My thoughts on the new battery-powered IR-controlled trains (BPIR trains)...
First a quick summary of the reports that I've read here on lugnet.trains.
1. IR controller has three different channels.
a. IR controller can switch between channels or control all three at once
b. It is unknown whether the IR frequency of the receiver is user
controllable, I hope it is.
2. The remote is a horn.
3. The remote allows for speed control.
4. The motor uses plastic wheels.
5. The train is powered by 6 AA batteries; therefore, it’s a 9v system.
6. The IR unit is built into a 30-stud long base plate.
Functionally, the new system provides what the rail-powered (RP) system
provides with one advantage, up to three independently controllable
trains, and one significant disadvantage, batteries.
First let’s look at the disadvantages.
1. Oh yeah, batteries. I just hate batteries. They are always dying at
the most inopportune moments. Did I say I hate batteries?
2. With the current BPIR design self-sufficient engines less than 30
studs long, self-sufficient single-truck engines and single-truck
trolleys will be a thing of the past :(
3. The current BPIR design makes it harder to build trains that are more
than 6 studs wide.
4. Disclaimer: speculation based on a single observation follows… The
metal-rail system is being placed into the care of the Direct to
Consumer branch of TLC (the recent renumbering of the RP motor to 10153
makes me think that LEGO Direct has taken the reins on the RP system).
The fear is that even though the metal-rail system is in very capable
hands, as evidenced by all of the very good 10xxx train sets that have
been produced, TLC might lose interest in supporting a system with
limited profit potential. Even if TLC continues producing RP sets, the
RP system will lose sales to the BPIR system; thus, either way the RP
system becomes less actractive due to market fragmentation.
So, the new BPIR system isn't all wine an roses, but what can
metal-railers get out of the new system?
1. Since the plastic wheels insulate the train motor from the track and
each engine carries its own power supply, using BPIR trains is an easy
way to get a second, third or fourth train on the same loop as an RP
train. I think this is cool because I could get a trolley running on a
layout without interfering with the train, well… as long as I am paying
attention.
2. Multipower lash ups in the true sense of the word are possible with
the BPIR system. Right now, the power limit to a train is the speed
regulator. If four RP motors are placed on the track, the speed
controller turns itself off to prevent overheating. Since batteries
power the train in the BPIR system, a lash up of four engines will not
overheat. Each engine has its own battery pack, so if four BPIR engines
are put on the track, and all four engines are set to the same IR
frequency then a lash up with a _lot_ of pulling power has just been
created. If more pulling power is needed simply add a fifth BPIR engine.
3. It has been suggested that the wheels can be removed from the motor
and replaced with other wheels. Now there is a already a brand of wheel
out there that could be used if the wheels are in fact interchangeable
which is cool, but I cannot help but wonder why would LEGO make the
wheels interchangeable? Is it just cheaper to manufacture the train
motors with removable wheels or are they considering making something to
interchange the wheels with? (Yeah, wild speculation... but isn't that
where all the fun is?)
4. When a BPIR train derails it won’t stop. I consider this an advantage
because, really, doesn’t everyone just love a spectacular LEGO train
accident?
5. The old 4.5v track that I have just became slightly less useless :)
6. The potential for modifying an RP motor for IR control exists; that
is, a rail-powered IR-controlled (RPIR) hybrid could be made. If the
leads from the metal wheels are cut and new leads are used to connect
the powered rails through the wheels to the battery pack, the IR
controller would get power from the track, and send command signals back
to the motor to make it go. This won’t be for the light of heart because
it will involve cracking, cutting and soldering, but I think it would be
easier than the cracking, cutting and soldering required for digital
command and control.
What can we do? Should we mourn the impending loss of our beloved RP
system? Should we shill like we’ve never shilled before? Everyone has to
choose, but if the RP system is to survive it will have to be profitable
for LEGO Direct. Some how, LEGO direct will have to make enough on the
RP system to be able to do (get LEGO to do) an occasional run of motors
and track. Will we get new track? Were we ever going to get new track?
Who knows... probably not <subliminal mode>must make re-railer... must
make re-railer... a larger radius curve would be nice too</subliminal
mode>. What we do know is that the RP system wasn’t killed outright. I
don’t know about everyone else, but I get the feeling that the LEGO
Direct team (Jake et al) and the meltdown that occurred when gray became
blay had a lot to do with the fact that LEGO hasn’t simply killed the RP
system. I mean really, why wouldn’t LEGO corporate just kill the old
line? They’ve done it before. The only reason I can think is that
someone (Jake?) convinced them that the RP system is more than just a
product line, it’s a system for evangelizing LEGO, and that LEGO really
didn’t need another blay :) Thanks.
I still fear for that we might lose the RP system, but the only thing I
can do to prevent that is to buy more RP stuff for myself, which frankly
won’t a difference, or convince more people to crossover to the RP
system. After all, the RP system still has once significant advantage
over the BPIR system; plug the RP system in and its ready to go, always.
To help us evangelize the LEGO trains, and the RP system specifically, I
would love to have a dedicated LEGO train brochure to distribute at the
train shows we do at least twice year. I suspect that a catalogue that
featured all of the trains that LEGO had for sale and showed how those
trains could be put together with the Town and City LEGO sets to make a
layout would get parents to buy LEGO trains for their kids. If the kids
keep coming back to the shows to see what the big kids are doing with
their “pro-line” rail-powered layouts, then we are bound to get a few
kids hooked, right?
Just my thoughts.
Sincerely,
Chris
--
http://users.rcn.com/cjmasi/lego/
Learn about brittle bone disease
http://www.oif.org/
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