Changing LGB 2018d mogul to battery RC

artfull dodger

artfull dodger

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I am looking into changing my LGB 2018d mogul to be able to run on batteries and using Keithco Locolinc RC system that I already have on hand. My plans were to use two 6 cell 5000 mah NImH batteries in series. They are 7.2vt each, so in series I bump the voltage up to 14.4. I plan to feed the mogul thru the power port wiring thats exhisting in the tender. This will also run the factory 5vt lighting and smoke unit(which is disconnected as I never use it). My fears is these batteries wont have a decent run time. One of my requirements for battery conversion is everything is onboard in the tender. One of these batteries will run an LGB Stainz for over 7 hours non stop. So I am hoping they, together, will give atleast 3-6 hours run time in the mogul. I will have to get a different charger that can charge them together, otherwise I would have to disassemble the tender every time I needed to charge. I have my wiring set up so that thru a DPDT toggle switch, I have a center off position, toward the rear of the tender to tie the batteries to the charging jack, and toward the front of the tender to run the locomotive. Any thoughts or suggestions? Mike
 
Because the 2018D wastes the first 5 - 6 volts powering up the lights and smoke unit before the loco starts moving, 14.4 volts will not be enough to get it moving at a reasonable clip. You will need about 19.2 volts. 2 x 8 cells.
Then your problem will be finding a charger that can handle 16 cells. They are not common and therefore expensive.
The best solution would be to separate the motor from the LGB circuitry and power it direct from the ESC. Then power the LGB wiring directly from the battery pack.
 
I have done one of these locos I used a 21 volt battery from Crest. I ended up rewiring Loco and removing pick up bushes etc. You will have to open loco up to disconnect LGB circuit board. I could not get lights etc to work until I did. I also changed bulbs to LEDs so less voltage was needed to power them. You may struggle to fit two batteries in tender if you are running sound using the standard speaker position. I have two batteries and just change them when I need to gives me about 4 hours running time if needed. I use Crest Revolution for RC, came with sound board plus 6 optional function keys to turn lights on and off including cab lights and flickering firebox. Was not to bad a price for first loco, and is good value for all the others I want to change over. I don't have to buy a separate sound board and RC board, as it seems one has to.
 
You might be better getting a 6S (22.2v) or maybe even a 5S (18.5v) Li-po. The Imax B6 charger can handle up to 6S li-po batteries and these can be picked up for around £20 - £25.

Rik
 
Make sure you use a protection board when using Lipos, they last heaps longer. I learnt the hard way.
 
If you don't want flat-out top speed, this compact and high-capacity li-ion pack (over 5 Ah) with a built-in protection board might be worth a look?

http://cpc.farnell.com/ansmann/2447-3035/battery-pack-li-ion-4s2p-14-8v/dp/BT06049

Jon.
 
Is it safe to charge the li-ion packs in the tender. I know some of those new style batteries are best charged in a fire resistant bag, or atleast they are in the RC car world. I know the LGB boards waste power, just dont want the extra work of redoing all the lights ect.
 
artfull dodger said:
Is it safe to charge the li-ion packs in the tender. I know some of those new style batteries are best charged in a fire resistant bag, or atleast they are in the RC car world. I know the LGB boards waste power, just dont want the extra work of redoing all the lights ect.
Click to expand...
The r/c car bods tend to take their batteries to the extremes - both in the loads they place on them and when fast-charging. There is a slight risk in recharging li-ion - you sometimes see horror stories about e-cigs catching fire or i-phones going up in smoke - but if you think of all the gadgets which use li-ion (eg the laptop on which I'm writing this message) then, provided you buy good quality batteries with protection (either built-in or added) and take care when charging, then I believe the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Rik
 
As I have now put a 2019s C&S Mogul in layaway at the local shop, I am going to bite the bullet and build a battery car. I have one of the pink LG&B box cars and the tech at that shop uses a Dewalt cordless battery, li-ion I believe, as the power source for converting LGB to battery. Gives the best run times when you have the draw of sound and smoke. He claims in excess of 6 hours run time between charging with 10 hours not unheard of on a single motor engine. I will put my Locolinc recievers in the tender, along with my soundlinc card in the 2018 which lacks factory sound. Then the battery will just feed the engine/tender thru the tenders power port on the rear. For now I will just back feed the track as I want to retain track power ablities for the moment. IN time I will sort out a way to toggle between track and battery feed without heavy modifications to the factory circuit boards. Mike
 
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