2095.03

Madman

Madman

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I received my loco today. Very nice indeed. Did the usual maintainence check before putting any power to it. Lubed the gears and so forth. The sound is very good. The horn sounds a short blast as the loco starts to move, and a long blast when passing over a track magnet.

Since I will be operating on battery power, I had one question. First, let me point out that my batteries and G Scale Graphics hardware is located in a trailng car. That said, my question has to do with feeding power to the locomotive. On all of my LGB locos, I use the rear lighting socket to power the loco. Somewhere, in these forums, in the distant past, I read where powering some of LGB's locos in this manner could have adverse effects on the circuit board. I did a quick bench test using the lighting socket as described, and everything worked accordong to Hoyle. The sound, lights motors horn, etc. Does anyone have any recollection of the backfeeding through the lighting socket issue?

One other item that I noticed was a small rectangular box at the end of one of the motor blocks. It is about 1/4" square and about 1 1/4" long. It sits crosswise to the loco. Hangs down just a bit below the motor cover. Seems to have a manet inside of it. Not sure what it would be for.
 
Could these be the reed switches for the sound/whistles? I don't think there would be any problem with feeding the Loco from the light sockets EXCEPT that the wires from the socket to the board are not very heavy, so putting the load for the motors through them is probably not ideal.
 
I was doing some experimenting and nothing happens when a magnet is passed over it. It does attract metal on one end. That's what makes me believe a magnet is inside of it. The reed switch for the horn is neatly tucked under the forward motor housing cover.
 
Dan,
I believe later locomotives have a current limiting fuse on the rear power socket. Depending on the age, most likely not fitted your loco.

The square electical fitting on the truck is obviously a magnet to operate a track contact.
 
I think Paul is right going by memory, that you do not want to put much of a load (two motors) on the lighting sockets.
 
Can you post some pictures of the attachment to the motor block?
 
Madman said:
I received my loco today. Very nice indeed. Did the usual maintainence check before putting any power to it. Lubed the gears and so forth. The sound is very good. The horn sounds a short blast as the loco starts to move, and a long blast when passing over a track magnet.

Since I will be operating on battery power, I had one question. First, let me point out that my batteries and G Scale Graphics hardware is located in a trailng car. That said, my question has to do with feeding power to the locomotive. On all of my LGB locos, I use the rear lighting socket to power the loco. Somewhere, in these forums, in the distant past, I read where powering some of LGB's locos in this manner could have adverse effects on the circuit board. I did a quick bench test using the lighting socket as described, and everything worked accordong to Hoyle. The sound, lights motors horn, etc. Does anyone have any recollection of the backfeeding through the lighting socket issue?

One other item that I noticed was a small rectangular box at the end of one of the motor blocks. It is about 1/4" square and about 1 1/4" long. It sits crosswise to the loco. Hangs down just a bit below the motor cover. Seems to have a manet inside of it. Not sure what it would be for.
Click to expand...

There has most definitely been warning re the use of the sockets for providing power as they are supposed to be just to provide Lighting Power to any vehicles attached. Warning may have been in the Mad days. I used these sockets in this way and changed it all after seeing the warning. But why are you using a Battery Car? If you strip out the board and use an Aristo System with a Jones Sound Card (see my thread re mine):-
http://www.gscalecentral.net/tm?m=144722&high=battery+conversion < Link To http://www.gscalecentral....igh=battery+conversion
you get a much more versatile loco. I know that you can get more loco's to use the same battery car to save money so is this more important to you?
JOnD
 
"I know that you can get more loco's to use the same battery car to save money"
I also have two modes that I can use. One battery car is fitted with G Scale Graphics simple critter control, while the other has a G S G R/C setup. So I can just let the train run and make station stops on it's own, or have complete control.
 
Its not a track magnet that has been stuck there is it?

It could have been used to operate reed switchs on a previous layout?

As mark suggests a photo would help to identify the said item:bigsmile:

is it really attached or just wedged in when it has been shipped?
 
Definitely a magnet for track contact operation. That'll operate reed switches placed across the track like all LGB's and any that can be bought separately :D
 
Agreed, looks like a home-done magnet for EPL switches.
 
Is it me? Or does it look like it's stuck on with double sided tape?
 
minimans said:
Could these be the reed switches for the sound/whistles? I don't think there would be any problem with feeding the Loco from the light sockets EXCEPT that the wires from the socket to the board are not very heavy, so putting the load for the motors through them is probably not ideal.
Click to expand...
If you take a look at the internal wiring (i.e. to/from the motor block and circuit board) through which the motor power flows, it is pretty small (24 gauge?) wire and that doesn't seem to cause any problems. The reason I would wire the power separately though is to be able to isolate the battery power from the tracks - and the aux lighting sockets are connected to the track pickups unless you cut the wires.
 
Your right the wiring to the motor wires are not much bigger! but the load is split between two motor blocks and the light plug wiring would carry the load for both motors.
You would still need to isolate the motor blocks to stop the back feeding to the rails which ever way you choose to go.
 
The backfeeding of power to the rails is solved by removing the skates and carbon brushes. I'll have to take another look at the wires coming from the lighting socket. They appear to be the same gauge as the wires from the motor blocks. However, your suggestion to wire the motor blocks directly to the lighting socket sounds like a good one. I tested the loco today with a trailing battery car, and it performed beautifully.
 
But the motors were supplied at block....supplied by brass bus-bars. The wires between were mostly for supply of the lighting.

The question is, what gauge of wire does one need for the two motors (assumed one amp for each motor at operational draw) at 24V and then to up the ante what would the load be at full stall (5 amps + each motor)...all that heat has to go somewhere!
 
I don't see any brass bus bars in this loco. I do know that some of the older models have them. I ran the loco this afternoon with a string of cars in tow, using my method of feeding power through the lighting socket. It ran for an hour and a half with all working according to Hoyle. My battery is 14.8 volts, and I was not running at full throttle. I would guess that there was somewhere around 12 volts going to the motors. I'm not sure where you got the 24 volt figure from.

As for the little black box in the photos, I removed it last night. It was held in place with some sort of brittle adhesive. It popped off readily. There was a plastic spacer under it. Perhaps it may have appeared to resemble double sided tape in the photos.
 
The busses are in the blocks. You can see them here, all the flat brass that contacts the skates and plunger-brushes:

http://www.themt.de/images/xl/20080221-1555.jpg

My providing 24V is the top rating of those motors and LGB supply votage, but then then your 2095.x would be going about 200kph at that voltage with a light load.

My point, you may be OK running, but I would hate to see the loco get stuck (or have an LGB motor lock up, it does happen) and burn your wiring. Sure, for years LGB used these plugs on their tender locos (2015 series) but then again the thought that one motor is getting all its electrical supply from the tender or loco was not the intention, but to give the bonus of 12 vs. six contact points.

Using one of the online calculators (it must be right, it is on the interwebs) for wire gauge, at 24V and 5 amps and under a metre in length gives a result of 1.5mm thickness or 16 gauge in US terms.
 
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