 | | Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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I've been racking my brain trying to think of an easy way to get power from the track to a non motored car. For things like lights or movements etc. I think I have something that might work. If we take two standard wheels sets and replace one wheel (...) (20 years ago, 8-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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In lugnet.trains, Dean Husby wrote: <snip> (...) I've tried removing the 9v motor from inside a 9v train motor. Works pretty well. Without the motor inside, it has a lot less friction. I'm currently using this technique to power the rails on my (...) (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Gee, when I saw your name as a responder I was looking for some kind of big announcement here :) Chris (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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Dean I'was thinking the same idea this weekend... I'm imagining several possibilities, that are: Motorless box (Ben's solutions).. (too expensive for a passanger car) Metal wheel in standard boggies,what you mentioned.. but we need to work in detail (...) (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Consider also conductive paint on plastic wheels. It may not be a good permanent solution but would allow for experimentation before commissioning tooling to create metal wheels. (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) This was my plan if I destroy any of my motors. I haven't done this yet though. Also the motor pack is just too large to be able to work into some cars. (...) I have a friends friend that might be able to copy the plastic wheel in a light (...) (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | RE: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) If you modify the motor to pass the rail signals through to the power port on the top of the motor, can't you just use standard LEGO wires and connectors between the loco and the cars? Ralph (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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(...) Well that is currently the only way to pass power. But it's very inconvenient. Hence the call for something new. Dean (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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Well, I would like to test, maybe the next weekend, the metal wheels of the motor box in the standard boggie, and install something to make contact with the wheels to send energy to the car, if that idea works, I ask if someone can make the metal (...) (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Will that work? I thought the wheels from the motor mounted differently... if it does, neato! (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) They are different and I'm sure you'd have to do some modding and remove the gear bit. It might work. The hard part would be making a brush that rubs on the wheel. But if it worked you could do the complete power pickup in one wheelset. And (...) (20 years ago, 9-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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You are right they are different. What I will do is to try and get someone to make a collar (like a ring) to put over the wheel in order to adjust it.The collar should be thin and of a conductive metal. Tomorrow I´ll have more news....keep you (...) (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) <snip> (...) I've thought about this and don't see any long term potential. Power pickup from tracks is one of the most challenging aspects of the model railroading. The lego solution is one of the best I've seen, LGB actually runs contacts on (...) (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) There are wifi stuff already out. G scale commonly uses radio control. The main issue is, of course, the battery... It's a pain in the butt... DCC works very well. It seems able to buffer a small amount of power to reduce brownouts by bad (...) (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) If you ar going to "sacrifice" a motor for the wheels, why not use its power pickups. Lester (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Sometimes my english, plays against me..... My idea was to use the metallic wheels of the motor in a standard boggie, for testing purposes, if this works, the following step was to make a copy of the wheels with a lathe, but Larry and Dean (...) (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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Photos of the first stage (URL) (20 years ago, 10-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Well actually this was just done by Brian Willams. Anybody who knows him knows he isn't afraid to modify parts and he's usually ahead of the game when it comes to electronics. Anyway what he did was put the RC board out of a RC technic car (...) (20 years ago, 11-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Hi all, To cut back on costs, isn't it possible to let a technical school making those metal wheels on a CNC lathe? It could be an practical exercise for the students (programming the CNC lathe and see the result) and cost effective for the (...) (20 years ago, 11-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Yes, I would be susprised if you'd find anything like this - at least for a year or two. But I can tell you how I would do it if I were so inclined: (Warning, technical dicussion follows) I'd take a BalloonBoard ((URL) and put a CompactFlash (...) (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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Forget 802.11 WiFi, just use Bluetooth for a job like this. Have a bluetooth box somewhere on the layout and bluetooth inside the carrages with small batteries. Not that I know much about Bluetooth but what I have seen suggests its for these small (...) (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Might not be needed. I have followed this debate with interest (I have a similar idea). This has been done before, on Bens April Fool Joke in 2000. Take a look here: (URL) at the red engine, and this picture in particular. (URL) he actually (...) (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) suppose you could do two wheels on each side to minimize flicker... Mark (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Yes the LED flickers, a little, and I will do the same with the others wheels, it works and is very cheap. I need to work to improve the electric contact, maybe this weekend Best Regards (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Yes is a good idea, but I have two problems, one the schools are on vacation (now is summer in the south), and the seconds is a difficult to find a CNC lathe in our technical school here. But I will try Best Regards (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) With my CN engine I found it necessary to put a capacitor across the leads to smooth out the flicker. It worked quite well. I used the kind of cap that didn't have a pos or neg. it could be used both ways. (URL) This worked pretty good for (...) (20 years ago, 12-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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Thanks I'll take your advice. I want to use it with DCC, I have DZ143 for my locos but I havent decided which one I will use for cars. Gustav (20 years ago, 13-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) Last year I built a tram and the power came from a 9V battery box (heavy, the battery are quickly out...), and it is not very recommended to make circulate a tram without control (just on/off) on a circuit with other trains. I realized a (...) (20 years ago, 14-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Idea for a track power pickup for non motored trains...
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(...) I've used a 27 mHz hobby setup powering a 4.5V motor before. It worked quite well, for about 1 hour at a time. However, it required 10 N cell batteries to power it. It fit into a battery car that had the guts cut out of it (I have a spare...). (...) (20 years ago, 14-Feb-04, to lugnet.trains)
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