Remote control for Annie?

[PB+J]

I'm new to this forum, and I recently bought a 4-6-0 D&R.G. Annie to go with some Bachmann Jackson and Sharp yellow coaches. What a nice train! Great detail, runs well, pulls well. I'm very impressed.

Anyway, I wanted to convert it to run remotely using Aristocraft's 75 mhz. onboard Train Engineer, using track power. I'm not using batteries, but track power. Maybe someday batteriesi, but not now. And I already have an extra TE onboard receiver--the 75 mhz. model, that I can install.

Does anyone know of a page or site that shows instructions on how to do this? I have the wiring diagram, and it looks to me like I could accomplish the whole conversion without taking the engine apart, just by unsoldering the wires that come to the two switches at the front of the smokebox. It looks like it, but I'm often flumoxed by the magic of electricity. If anyone has converted an Annie to remote control and track power I'd be delighted to hear of your experience.

Thanks

[Eugene]

Apparently the on board use of the TE is very sensetive to power interruptions, they are guaranteed to happen and cause unexpected results.  Use battery power, that seems to be ok.

I use the airwire 900 , 2 Ahr AA NIMH batteries and keep them up by charging
from the track via a bridge rectifier. This allows use of cheap, relatively low AmpHr batteries. Best of both worlds. The 900 antennas are only 1.5" long!

Using this on an Annie and a USA NW2 switcher. And now on a Bachmann 0-4-0 sidetank Porter

Eugene

[grumpy]

I am in the middle of doing just the same thing . The instructions I got with the TE says that nothing is done to the loco .The direction from the transmitter goes through the receiver to the track then to the loco. The  RC is from the transmitter to receiver.
Don.

[Greg Elmassian]

I've been on the Aristo forum plenty, never heard that the 75 MHz units are sensitive to power interruptions, nor any complaints from them being used on board in that manner.

The negatives I have heard are poor range, sensitivity to interference, and they only have a 2.5 amp capacity, so people blow them up when THEY make a mistake in wiring.

A good antenna and a fuse to the motor will usually solve the problems, and locating the receiver away from the motor or any "weird" electronics.

PB+J asked about track power. Not wanting to start a war, but why do the battery guys always come back with "go battery?", instead of helping the poor guy?

Grumpy: you are reading an instruction manual for installing the Aristocraft plug in decoder in an Aristocraft loco.

That's why it reads that way. When this product was created, there were no other locos with a compatible socket. Now there is the K27 with a compatible socket. No other locos have this.

Regards, Greg

[piercedan]

The Aristocraft 75 mhz receiver has a memory setting that needs to be turned on for track power.  If there is a power interruption, the engine will go to its former state when power is once again applied.

So if you remove this engine while it is running and then place it on a track the next day, it will take off and run in the same direction and speed as the previous day when it was removed.

The best manual for programming the 75 mhz receiver is the HOTE manual!!!

Also, place the receiver in the tender to get it far away form the motor noise and if receiving issues, place a black-kat antenna on it.

[tac]

If you are using TRACK POWER then you do not need to install ANYTHING in the locomotive.  The Train Engineer handheld transmitter sends a radio signal to the trackside unit, telling it how much power to apply to the track and in which direction.

This is why so many folks use the hand-held TE and the trackside unit - it works with any track-power locomotive in any scale.

What you have is for remote operation with on-board battery power - NOT for TRACK power.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

[altterrain]

If you are using TRACK POWER then you do not need to install ANYTHING in the locomotive.  The Train Engineer handheld transmitter sends a radio signal to the trackside unit, telling it how much power to apply to the track and in which direction.

This is why so many folks use the hand-held TE and the trackside unit - it works with any track-power locomotive in any scale.

What you have is for remote operation with on-board battery power - NOT for TRACK power.

tac
www.ovgrs.org

There are plenty of guys using the on board TE receiver with track power. Similar to DCC except using radio control instead of thru the rail signals.

-Brian

[jsmvmd]

Dear Friends,

Would suggest you look at "Atlantic Central's" comments on his system using TE and walk-around block control for HO. Fascinating stuff. On his comments, I purchased a TE to use with a small layout at home, hoping to expand to something big!

Best Wishes,

Jack

[Greg Elmassian]

TAC, read the very first post, the person asking the question says he wants to use the 75 MHz on board receiver.

Maybe you don't know this, but the 75 MHz was NEVER made in a trackside unit, it is made to plug into the Aristo socket.

Also, it has a limit of 2.5 amps, so hooking it to the rails adds to the possibility of running more than one loco from the receiver and destroying it.

Regards, Greg

[tac]

TAC, read the very first post, the person asking the question says he wants to use the 75 MHz on board receiver.

Maybe you don't know this, but the 75 MHz was NEVER made in a trackside unit, it is made to plug into the Aristo socket.

Also, it has a limit of 2.5 amps, so hooking it to the rails adds to the possibility of running more than one loco from the receiver and destroying it.

Regards, Greg

Thanks, Greg, but I'm still confungled.  How do you use the the onboard receiver with track power?

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org
 

[Greg Elmassian]

You can plug it into an "adapter" socket. Then you have screw terminals. Hook the motor to the motor screw terminals, the track pickups to the track screw terminals and it will run.

Then you can hook up the lights to the proper terminals.

Very similar to using the QSI PNP board with the accesory screw terminal board.



In fact you can use the QSI screw terminal board (it's the bottom board, unfortunately, the screw terminals are the green plastic block in the back, hard to see)

Regards, Greg