I am planning a new shelf layout. I use DC power, no DCC. I want to be able to follow my trains by moving my throttle and plugging it in as the train moves. I currently use a tethered throttle. Is there a book on this kind of wiring, od do i have the need to talj to you guys? Ihavethe old boik."Easy-to-Build ELECTRONIC PROJECTS for Model Railroaders," i builtx the walkaround throttle and thats what I'm using. Thank you folks
Your tethered throttle probably controls the train directly. So, the power that actually goes to the track goes right through the throttle and gets cut down in amperage and voltage within the throttle. If so, unplugging it from the system will interrupt power to the track and stop the train. In order to have a control you can unplug while the train's running, control will have to be indirect. The power to the track can't actually pass through the thing in your hand. The control in your hand will have to change the setting of a remote power pack. That way, the power pack will continue to do what you last told it to do while you're unplugged and walking to your new spot. Whether you have a series of places to plug in, or decide to try a radio-controlled throttle, the way it would work will be much the same. You'll have to have a power pack and a way to change its settings remotely. The only difference would be, does the signal to change the settings come over a radio signal or by wire? This page of this thread gets into ways to control a power pack without being close enough to touch it: http://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/dcc-or-not.105128/page-3#post-1018261
Thank you, sounds like I'll just do like i now use but will centrally attach the throttle. I'm going to read tge stuff you sent first though.
You're welcome. Yeah, do that. You might wind up with a hand-held control no wires to mess with at all! Those guys actually came up with some interesting and relatively simple ways to use those regular radio controls and servos like they use for cars and airplanes to physically turn the speed control on a power pack. So, your power pack and speed control are wired in, but you're controlling those knobs by radio. Pretty cool!
No, because finding an Aristo Craft throttle is not easy. They are not currently made. Once they were the epitome of wireless DC operation and virtually every Ntrak club used them. Then came DCC and the hand writing was on the wall for the Aristo radio throttles.
Do a Google search for ken stapleton 821A throttle. I have two of them and they do exactly what you want. There's a base unit with memory that powers the track. It uses a 4 wire connection to the handset. You can locate as many connectors as you want and the throttle will hold its last settings while you move from one connector to the next.
The Aristo radio Throttle is still made.....but now it's under the name Revolution, with an increase in cost of course. They are still popular with the large scale train crowd. I was looking at one because they have a plug-n-play board for my 2-6-6-2 Bachmann. Cost is in the $300 range. It also has the ability to control switch motors and stuff just like DCC, but with radio control.
RN49, if you get one, be careful not to use full throttle. If the system will run those, it'll probably fry your little motors.
This is apparently designed for the Garden Railway people. I would be very leery about either myself using it or letting some visitor use it with N scale motors. I wonder if a system could be concocted using a TV remote. The channel up and down buttons could control speed and the volume button control direction.
TV remotes aren't radio. These days, they're infrared. So you have to make the receiver visible from everywhere you want to be when you're running trains, and you have to be able to aim.
There are several still available including one that Model Railroader published (Tat 4 or something similar which had pulse and momentum capabilities). The other two commercial ones that are popular are: http://www.thegmlenterprises.com/id18.html http://www3.sympatico.ca/kstapleton3/851.HTM Hope that helps...
The revolution will run from the voltage given it.... so instead of using 24 volts as we G scalers use, feed it something like 13 or 14 volts. The company has changed names, but the 2 principals have been with the company from it's inception as Aristo / Crest .... It also has momentum, speed curves, and you can have multiple throttles. Hard to beat the price for what you get. Greg
I know this blows a lot of people's minds, but you can just buy a garden scale (G) DCC decoder and hook up the decoder outputs in place of whatever DC throttle you are using now. The inputs to the decoder connect a DCC system like the Digitrax zephyr. Then you can use whatever wireless DCC throttle goes with the DCC system. People have been doing this for years with no problems. You use a G scale decoder to provide enough current for a small N scale layout, 3-5 Amps. Jim
Thaks guys. I think I'll just use tethered throttles with an eight foot cord, lots simpler. I have one on another layout and it works great,
