PNP boards in C-19 and K-27

[Ted Yarbrough]

Friends,
Bachmann, and other makers of large scale trains, have introduced the PNP (plug and  play) boards awhile back. I run track power. I have an older QSI PNP in another maker's C-16. It simply plugs into the existing board and you get chuff when loco runs and by reversing the power pack's polarity, you get control of whistle and bell without using track magnets and reed switches. I like this feature. Soundtraxx (I think) was to make a PNP sound board for the Bachmann C-19, but after several YEARS on the drawing board, the product died. My question is, who has a product that will work with track power and is PNP for my 2 C-19's and a K-27 (that does not have speaker)? I'm not an electronic guy, so I like the plug and play concept, but seems that there is not much available for the specific locos.
Happy Rails To You,
Ted

[armorsmith]

Ted,
Although I am not familiar with the C-19 by Bachmann, I am currently getting intimately familiar with the K27.  I am in the process of adding battery operation, radio control, a sound card and a new gear motor drive by Rodney Edington. I have a thread going over on Large Scale Central forum that started out as a request for information and has morphed into a build log.   http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/22079/how-will-it-affect-the   Although this thread does not directly answer your question, the closest answer I can give is to look into Crest Electronics (the old Train Engineer/Revolution division of AristoCrat). They have recently come out with the Revolution with built in sound (you will need to add a speaker to the tender- easily done). These systems are designed to operate on constant track power with all train control contained on the board in the locomotive. All of these are supposed to be plug and play. I know for a fact that the Crest units will PNP in the C-19. Depending on the vintage of the production run of the K27, results seem to vary some. As for a track powered solution, I am not aware of any that suit your specific request.
I would also suggest posting your request on the Large Scale Central Forum  (www.largescalecentral.com) and the My Large Scale Froum (www.mylargescale.com).  There are plenty of far more knowledgeable folks on these things than me.
Good luck in your search.
Bob C.

[Ted Yarbrough]

Bob and others,
I have considered the Revolution. Anyone actually installed in C-19? Is it truly PNP with that loco? K-27?.
Happy Rails To You,
Ted

[Kevin Strong]

QSI's "Titan" decoder has the same DC-compatibility as its predecessor, and should be "plug-and-play" with the C-19. I installed one in my 2nd-generation Climax, and didn't have to do anything special to get things to work. Granted, I'm not running it on track power, but it still was able to read the chuff triggers, power the motors, etc.

The Revolution isn't 100% plug-and-play, as for whatever reason, the Revolution does not carry battery power forward to the locomotive. You can install jumper wires to do this on the PC board in the tender. The Revolution is not "traditional track power" compatible, though. You must supply constant (filtered) DC voltage to the track or carry on-board batteries and use the Revolution controller.

Later,

K

[Ted Yarbrough]

Kevin,
If using the loco on track power, does the board carry power to the loco? Using track power, and an Crest control, would the Bachmann loco be PNP?
Happy Rails To You,
Ted

[Ted Yarbrough]

Kevin,
One reason I am requesting info is economics. The hand-held Revolution with the steam sound on-board cost around $250. Each additional on-board PNP around $95. The QSI on-board is about $200. So, the Revolution in three Bachmann locos would be around $450. QSI in three Bachmann locos would be around $600. Any help as to if the Revoulution would work, without modifications as PNP, in the Bachmann locos would be appreciated. Thanks!
Happy Rails To You,
Ted

[Kevin Strong]

The Revolution does not send power from the track inputs (J1-1&2, J1-11&12) to the power output pins (J1-6, J1-7). That's a very technical way of saying when you plug the Revolution into a Bachmann locomotive, you won't get lights or smoke on the locomotive. It's a "feature" of the Revolution that's easy to correct on the PC board itself. You need to run jumpers from the "Left" and "Right" inputs to the "B+" and "Ground" outputs. These are labeled on the PC board in the tender. Note that if you're using track power, you must use a bridge rectifier between the connections.

Also, make sure whatever you're using to provide the track power has a filtered DC output. The Revolution doesn't like PWM.

Later,

K

[Ted Yarbrough]

 Friends,
Looks like the Revolution will not work as a simple PNP (without some modifications). So, have any of you had experience with QSI's Titan Bachmann 6-12 Amp Peak DC/DCC Sound Decoder? Work in both C-19 and K-27? Does chuff match the Bachmann C-19/K-27 wheel revolutions? Does switching polarity (to activate bell/whistle) affect lighting in passenger/caboose pulled by loco? Is this unit true PNP (my guess is yes since it states 'Bachmann' on the product). Suggestions or share experiences please.
__________________
Happy Rails To You,
Ted

[armorsmith]

Ted,
I can tell you first hand that the K27 DOES NOT PLAY BY THE RULES.  To utilize any sound card with the K27 you will either need to install magnets on an axle with reed switches, or install an npn transistor and capacitor on the daughter board for the socket.  I don't have experience with the C19 but have heard that it plays much better than the K.
Bob C.

[Ted Yarbrough]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I have decided to go with QSI for the C-19 and Phoenix for the K-27.
Ted