side tank porter

[Eugene]

Is there enough room for 12 AA NIMH batteries, Airwire decoder and a
Phoenix sound board inside ?
Thanks for any input

Eugene

[John B]

should be

[Eugene]

Is there a provision , like a grille for the speaker? And what size?

[Steve Stockham]

I'm not sure about the NiMH batteries. When Dave Goodson did the installation of an RCS system with Sierra sound in my Climax he said that he had to use NiCad due to size restrictions. The Porter can be done without a trailing car but area is definitely a consideration!

[altterrain]

Why would the type of battery matter Steve? NiCad and NiMH come in the same sizes with similar capacity. If size is an issue Li-Ion packs are the way to go. I have been using these 11.1v 2.2 Ah Tenergy packs -



each 3.7v cell is about 1.5 x the length and diameter of an AA battery

-Brian

[Greg Elmassian]

Nickle metal hydride is slightly smaller for the same capacity as nicad.

Lithium ion is WAY smaller for the same capacity as nicad.

The only thing "larger" is lead-acid technology, i.e. gel cells.

Perhaps Dave was comparing something else or was referencing a particulary TYPE of nicad.

I have to agree with Brian on this point.

Regards,  Greg

[Steve Stockham]

Hmm...I honestly don't know! If the NiMH batteries are just as small then they definitely will fit in the Porter! (Good to know. Thanks for the clarification.!)

[Jon D. Miller]

Eugene,

There is provision for a speaker.  I didn't measure when I had the Porter apart, but would think it takes a 2 inch speaker.



Here's a picture.  Note the grill.  However, about half the speaker will be blocked.  Look at the mounting ring and speaker retaining tabs.

JD

[Eugene]

Thank you all!
Jon what is that circuit board in the picture?
I have a Annie, using AW900 and Phoenix P5 board and 12 ea NIMH AA batteries , all this stuff in the tender. Connected to the engine via a 9 pin computer plug.
Using a wired dummy plug the Annie reverts to normal operation.

The battery pack is only 2Ahr , but is being charged from the track , so the batteries will last practically forever. And do not need high Amphr batteries.
track voltage charges batteries via a bridge rectifier, voltage set a 17.5V from 1A power pack, charging current goes to 10-20 mA when not running engine.
Works great

Would like to do the same with the 0-4-0. Are any dimensions available for the exploded view?
Eugene

[Tony Walsham]

I'm not sure about the NiMH batteries. When Dave Goodson did the installation of an RCS system with Sierra sound in my Climax he said that he had to use NiCad due to size restrictions. The Porter can be done without a trailing car but area is definitely a consideration!

Steve.
Dave had to use NiCd instead of NiMh in the Climax because of the battery size and shape.  There was no NiMh eqivalent size that would go in the boiler.

[Jon D. Miller]

Eugene,

That's the main PCB. Easy to access.  Conversio to battery/RC is simple. On my Porter I wired it for eithe battery/RC or track power using a DPDT switch.

With the boiler weights removed there should be room for batteries, receiver, and sound, as others have reported.

JD

[Greg Elmassian]

Thanks Tony, that clarifies Dave's statement.

Regards, Greg