G3 Clubroom

The Forum for Gauge 3 Model Trains

ESC ... electronic speed control.

John.

Jon is not alone.

Is there a book "Radio Control of Model Railway Locomotives for Dummies"?  I was going to insert "Gauge 3" into that title, but thought that might be pushing my luck!

Mike

Sounds like a joint venture for Mark and Dave!

Tim

Erm, a Viper, Dave.  That's not a snake is it?  Not sure I've got room for one of those too.

Was hoping to talk to Peter Spoerer today but, he's closed all day on a Wednesday.  As mentioned earlier, I'm using a Slaters 24volt motor and gearbox but don't know what amps it draws.  Do I need to know this, anyone?


Jon

 Unless you have a predeliction for building "monsters" then at 24Volts I would say that 5Amperes would be all that you would need. My three smallest locos run on 12Volts with 5Amperes ESC.. I would also imagine they are lot heavier than your loco!!! The current loco I am building has 12 motors and should "draw" just under 10Amperes from its PSU of 2x6Volt SLAs.

regards

ralph

Jon,

If you have a 24 volt motor then do a test using 12 volts & see how it performs before you attach an ESC or onboard battery pack.

The "Viper" type unit is good for 12 Volt running.

Assess whether you want your loco to do high speed mainline running or gentle branch line running or simply just shunting. Reducing voltage & running slower might not be a bad thing.

It also depends on the gearing of your loco also.

Only you can decide how you want it to perform.

Dave
454

Dave

That was a brilliant suggestion of yours re the 12 volt test.  I've just wired it up with a 12 volt transformer and it performs marvellously.  The speed with which the wheels go around will suit me down to the ground as I don't want the loco to act like a greyhound.  I finally feel as if I'm getting somewhere.

Thanks chaps
Jon

Jon,

That is super! 

Now the next task:

You now have to assess the amps that the loco might take under a typical load. This will help you assess what your minimum battery pack requirements are to allow a runtime of adequate duration between re-charging sessions.

If anybody knows anything different then I would suggest the Viper ESC anything else would be difficult to fit into such a small locomotive.

This seems like progress.

Cheers
Dave
454

Jon,

Just been checking & the "Mtronics Viper Loco 10" is the actual name of the one I have used & as the title suggests it is good for 10 amps.

Dave
454

How do I find out what amps the motor might take?  Or, shall I just buy a Viper and that will sort it for me?

I've got the chassis running in at the moment in the workshop. 

Jon

I think that our messages crossed

Jon

Jon,

Knowing what amps you could expect is not for the benefit of the Viper because that will handle your motor very well.
The purpose is to know what battery pack size to fit to give a reasonable duration between charging.

First it is necessary to visualise where the batteries may be stowed on the loco. This will influence the maximum size of ready built & obtainable pack. Making your own is not recommended.

To do 12 volts will need 10 x 1.2volt NiMH cells. The milliamp.hours rating will give a clue to the available running time. As a rule of thumb, AAA are smaller than AA but other shapes are available. It depends on how they a packed to understand how they might fit in the loco if at all. Try visiting Strikalite to check their options available they list them out very well with photos.

Dave
454

Thanks Dave, I'll take a look.

Jon

Dave
I took a look at the Strikalite web and found a suitable battery pack that will, I also bought a charger.  I've had two long chats to Peter Spoerer and between the two of us, we've managed to come up with a system that will work well, more Peter than me.  I also asked him for a leaflet that would be aimed at dummies on how it all works.  He did assure me though that it all comes with full instructions. 

Thanks to all for the help and guidance.

Regards
Jon

Trying to decide what to use in my Thomas and Percy conversions, I've been re-reading this thread and doing a bit of 'net research.

Firstly, some questions to previous posters:
1) to Mike W - is the solidity you are seeking potentially gained by using higher quality components (switches, potentiometers, etc) mounted in a metal case (like all 'quality' controllers used to be in the smaller scales).
I assume it was the 'Scalespeed' controller you were referring to.(Single lever)
The SEC Electronic Digitol Gemini had two levers - regulator & brake.
A thread on RMWeb shows both.
2) To Dave (454) - does the 'inertia' feature of the Spoerer Tx21 provide you with the something approaching the functionality you detailed in post#3?
3) to anyone - I'm assuming that the transmitter needs to be mounted in a plastic case to avoid serious signal attenuation. Could a plastic case have a metal fascia plate on one side only (to help the solidity sought by Mike) and not cause attenuation?

Secondly, some more possibilities:
a) The Tx and Rx equipment used by Peter Spoerer seems to be a standard offering from a company called Deltang (DT) .
b) One feature not available from PS is 'Selecta' - which allows slection / operation of up to 12 locos all bound to the same transmitter by use of a selctor switch on the controller rather than having to switch the locos on/off. This is available on the DT Tx22 and Tx24 controllers.
c) It is possible to buy complete DT transmitters, or as a kit for those who enjoy electronics and/or want to save a bit of money, or buy the components separately - through resellers such as Micron Radio Control.
d) Full wiring diagrams and construction details are given on Micron's website - so from this it should be quite easy to decide what 'quality' components are wanted and source them (from RS, Maplin, etc), then build into a case with a layout to suit the engine driver. I can't quickly find a source of lever arms, so a bit of fabrication or a pattern & lost wax casting may be needed for that!

I'm quite tempted to go for the Tx22 kit - and maybe add a 'regulator' type handle to it!

Andy