Great new radio control for live steam

M

Moonraker

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Recently I purchased one of Tony Walsham`s new radio control systems for live steam from RCS. It is excellent.
Taliesin + TX-22.jpg
I installed the receiver into my Roundhouse Taliesin at the bottom of the right hand side tank. This left the left
hand side tank free for a flute type whistle, operating valve and servo.

The small knob is for reversing and selects full gear in each direction when turned to its limits each way.

The large knob is the regulator and rotates from zero to fully open. It can be operated easily with the thumb.

The top left button is on/off. The top right button is the whistle and pressing it rotates the servo on channel 5
to its limit.

The two function buttons turn their two servos from mid to their limit when pressed. Anybody got any ideas what
I can operate with these. I have considered lights and an uncoupler but both mean too much modification to the
loco.

I did some range tests and found that I could operate it from 30 metres away without difficulty. It may operate
at longer ranges but I was limited by the size of my garden. Operating from the left, where the receiver is
shielded by the boiler full of water and the other tank, made no difference to the range performance.

The things I really like about it are:

  • [li]I can put it in my pocket when attending to the loco[/li]
    [li]No spring loaded levers so I can put it down and the loco keeps running[/li]
    [li]For the first time in my life, I can put the transmitter into the loco carrying case instead of carrying it separately[/li]
 

Regards
Peter Lucas



 
That looks a very practical design. If I get a steamer that does not come with r/c pre-installed I will give it a go.
 
I would think even if your steamer does have R.C. it would be easy enough to change over, just change the receiver (Rx), the existing servos and the rest should be compatible. Certainly Tony will advise. It is a nice neat unit.
 
Thank you for the compliments.

BobG. You may not even have to change the RX. These are Deltang R/C based TX handpiece units and as such are DSM2 compatible. If the locos are already using Spektrum or Orange RX's, the RCS TX's will work with them as is.
 
WKDOR said:
And Planet T5s Tony? You know there are lots of these in the UK.
Click to expand...

The RF module in the TX-2s Peter is using is made by Deltang and works with any DSM2 R/C. I sold a lot of Planet Radios here in Australia and would dearly like the Deltang system to be compatible. Unfortunately because Planet is not DSM2 my Deltang based TX's will not work with Planet RX's.
I doubt that situation will change any time soon.
However, fortunately the Planet and DSM2 RX's are pin and channel compatible so if it is RCS battery ESC's involved you can simply plug in any DSM2 RX.
 
I gradually changed all my R/C locos to manual, because of the (for me) impractical model aeroplane style R/C devices. But this looks pretty much what I had always wished for :o
 
KandNWLR said:
I gradually changed all my R/C locos to manual, because of the (for me) impractical model aeroplane style R/C devices. But this looks pretty much what I had always wished for :o
Click to expand...

This is precisely why some of us have done our own "conversions", see http://www.gscalecentral.net/controls-signals-and-electronics/repackaging-a-commercial-radio-control-transmitter/
 
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