Battery R/C and sound in a Bachmann 2-4-2t

Tony Walsham

Manufacturer of RCS Radio Control.
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This is the latest version of the Amercanised Bachmann 1:22.5 Lyn loco.

Apart from some cosmetic changes and detail additions, it is the same as the "LYN".
Earlier installations featured 14.4 volts of AA size NiMh batteries. They required fitting one 7.2 volt pack in each side tank.

For this installation I chose a single Twin Stick 4s1p 1700 mah Li-ion pack which will fit easily in just one side tank. The RH side tank cover is easier to remove than the LH side. Be very careful not to lose the tiny little screws that hold the boiler straps in place.

Remove the loco weights and cut away the plastic stanchions that hold the weights in place.

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A 5 mm hole was drilled in the "hidden" boiler side for the battery cable access.

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The battery pack was glued into the side tank shell. The cable was fed through the drilled hole into the boiler cavity. The side tank cover was then replaced and the tiny screws holding the straps in place.

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There is actually quite a bit of room in the boiler once the old motor block mounting stanchions, left over from the very first "LYN", are removed.
Removing them is not easy but essential. First thing is remove the smoke box front with switches and the smoke unit. The front part is later modified for use as the ON-OFF switch and charge jack housing.
Then remove the plastic smoke unit mounting point so you can poke a long hacksaw blade into the boiler.

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When the old stanchions are removed the inside looks like the above.

The Rx, VIPER-10 -15 ESC, 2-W-S and myLocosound are all glued in place with silicone adhesive.
The Rx antenna pokes forward inside the smoke box.

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I discarded the switches and pcb from the smoke box front. A styrene plate was made using the old pcb mount holes as the support for the ON-OFF switch, charge jack & MyLocosound IR receptor.

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It was wired up like this.

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The battery pack voltage IN and power OUT to ESC are both using JST plugs and sockets. (Polarised so they cannot be misplugged).

Remove the motor block pcb and all the stock wiring except the motor connections and the chuff timer leads.

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A JST connector was added to the motor leads to simplify connecting the parts.

Just like the "LYN" the loco runs superbly.

I am going to use the new RCS EVOLUTION-BATTERY Tx handpiece. These are smaller than my regular handpieces and are designed to make use by children easier for little fingers.

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This "Centre "OFF" control handpiece uses just one knob for speed and direction.
There are two pushbuttons for 2 x sound effects triggers as marked. The latest version of the MyLocosound is programmable for automatic operation of the start & stop whistle signals plus the bell etc. The operator can trigger a grade crossing whistle and the "All Aboard" call.

Later this year for Australian customers, I will be offering new locos RTR with battery R/C and sound.
For overseas customers I will shortly be offering a specialised installation kit for the the "LYN" and this 2-4-2t.
 
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Nice job, would be nice to hear a vid of it running to gauge the Sound Card again. Perhaps on Blocks?
JonD
 
Nice neat install, Tony.
With the battery pack being a Lith-Ion, as you obviously charge it in situ (hence the charging jack inside the smokebox), I assume that the pack you're using has a built-in protection board?
Like JonD, I'd be very interested to hear the sound card in operation?

Jon.
 
Thank you gentlemen.
It is a standard MyLocosound card version 14c.

Unfortunately I have no idea how to do movies.
I do have a camera that can do them but I have never used it. I do all of my still pics on a Fuji camera that I acquired in 2004.
It is very good on macro for such an old piece of ironmongery to what they can do nowadays.
I would suggest approaching Peter Lucas. He does pretty good videos.

Jon,
Yes, the battery pack is protected with a fitted pcb. Made up by the Sanyo agent here in Australia.
So far so good. They are expensive though.
The smaller 18500 cells I used in this installation are actually more expensive than the more commonly used 18650.
 
Very nice job Tony.
Did you use the 'chuff' leads? - If so, how does the MyLocoSound card cope with the contact bounce?

They are a very nice model, but those tiny screws!! :eek:

PhilP.
 
To date, I have used the stock chuff timers in all the LYN installations. I tried them this time and the chuff was simply just too erratic. So for now, I left it using the variable voltage.
I have a club running day this Sat at Zillmere in Brisbane on Easter Sat.
Unless I can sort it out before Thursday I will take some tools with me on Friday so I can have a play around with it.

What I can tell you is the loco looks really good with a rake of four of the small Bachmann 1:20.3 rolling stock with a small Caboose.
I daresay someone at the meet will be able to make a movie. Then edit and publish it.
 
It will be interesting to see how long a run time you get from the 1.7 Ah pack..... any idea what the current draw of the Lyn's motor is? I'd always assumed that Bachmann locos, like most of the other US makes, drew a significantly higher current than LGB or other Buhler-motored locos do?

Jon.
 
To date, I have used the stock chuff timers in all the LYN installations. I tried them this time and the chuff was simply just too erratic. So for now, I left it using the variable voltage.
I have a club running day this Sat at Zillmere in Brisbane on Easter Sat.
Unless I can sort it out before Thursday I will take some tools with me on Friday so I can have a play around with it.

What I can tell you is the loco looks really good with a rake of four of the small Bachmann 1:20.3 rolling stock with a small Caboose.
I daresay someone at the meet will be able to make a movie. Then edit and publish it.

Thanks for coming back on this Tony..
I fitted a Massoth decoder to one of these a short while ago.. Not sure if they have gone 'simple' for chuff, but it is just wipers and bits of metal on the (enlarged) axle.. So you get contact bounce. The one I did sounded more like a disco beat-box, than a synchronised steam loco.
I was told to leave it like that, and see what the Customer thought. - Haven't had it back yet!
If I had had more time, I wold have played about with trying to 'de-bounce' the contacts with some electronics.
 
Hi Jon.

I think the current draw is less than 1/2 amp.
I commonly got 2 hours plus with the 2,000 mah AA's I used to use. That is with sound working.
I used 1600 mah NiMh AA cells in a Bachmann Big Hauler and always got 2 plus hours. Again with a train and sound working.

Phil.
This is the first 2-4-2t where the chuff timers did not work correctly.
I haven't had a chance to look at it just yet. Experience tells me that they can come good on their own. I usually just polish the strips and put a bit more pressure on the wiper arms.
 
Hi Jon.

...

Phil.
This is the first 2-4-2t where the chuff timers did not work correctly.
I haven't had a chance to look at it just yet. Experience tells me that they can come good on their own. I usually just polish the strips and put a bit more pressure on the wiper arms.

Thanks Tony..
I was working with a Massoth sound decoder, and it is 'custom and practice' to use a Hall Effect sensor with them.. Perhaps the electronics of the MyLocoSound card is less 'sensitive' in this respect?
 
Nice job, would be nice to hear a vid of it running to gauge the Sound Card again. Perhaps on Blocks?
JonD
There is a Youtube video of the steam soundcard, the same version which Tony is using, at
. This is installed in a Lyn.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound
 
.. And a video from 'GERik' of how to connect it all up.. ..


(Note to self): Must get an up-to-date MyLocoSound card, and have a play..
 
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