Battery Power

[steamaheadstephen59]

I didn't wont to two rail this Hudson so in with some batteries.Im tempted to lay some outside three rail track but for now this will do.

[bob turner]

Intriguing project - so what system and batteries are you using, and does it work well? I note that most RC train setups range upwards of $250 for the first locomotive, yet for a while there one could buy a complete RC race car with steering for $35 including batteries.

[steamaheadstephen59]

Hi Bob Its frustrating to me, every thing model trains and especially O scale and control systems, has big bucks attached. Theres really only a few miner differences between controlling a model train and an R/C car. The first is the controller or transmiter , Lionel ( Lionchief ), and Menards really only re -packaged an R/C car/plane controller into something more user friendly to model trains, in fact the train application is simpler. Its all 2.4ghz radio control. If you had some one in China, catch the vision, and do something for model trains, it probably would cost $35.00. Ive used ,in the Hudson a Bluerail board still 2.4ghz but Bluetooth and my old apple phone and an APP. Its now all under Blunami by Sound Trax. I think you will find that the fellow who did the Bluerail boards new what he was doing in the industry, and pattended the application some how ( an educated guess on my part ) Ive seen bluetooth for model cars and trains come, and go quickly, they just disappear. The Bachman EZ bluetooth , and SoundTrax Blunami ( about $220.00 with a great selection of sounds ) are licensed somehow and use the same APP. It works great but there's no real competition, and the price stays UP! Bob you would knew more about this Patent situation than me. The batteries are Lithum-Ion 18650 cells, I just took them from old laptop battery packs ( you have to be carful when cracking them open you dont wont to short anything) Theres maybe two to three hours running. I have an old Atlas F9 with a $7.00 electronic speed controller, and $7.00 receiver, add a bridge rectifier and buck converter to step down my 20 volts ( to 8 volts ) say another $5.00 and, it runs track power. It starts at a crawl and runs at a nice speed, at about 8 volts the maximum for the ESC. I use a Deltang transmitter I built from a kit, But you could as easily use a $16.00 R/C car transmitter from China thats where they all come from, like it or not. It would be great if Menards made there's available, say forty bucks, for transmitter and control board, Lionel unlikely I think, the price would be steep, but that said they have good sound fills.

[steamaheadstephen59]

I need to add that Im not a die hard battery operater it just solves the need to convert to two rail, at least for now, and it doesn't need to be expensive.