Need new control system, need options (DC, Battery or Digital...)

Henri,
With a Tx22, you could use one of the positions for a Rx66 (or an alternative I could suggest) to power/control the track..

Then other positions for individual loco's, as and when you convert them..


Best of both worlds! :nerd::):nod:

PhilP.
 
With just the regular Deltang and not having Selecta, you can have every loco you have assigned to just one transmitter.
Whilst you can select up to 12 locos Selecta and have them running all at the same time, only one will actually be under control. The rest will just be running free until the one under control is switched out and a different one taken under control.
To me Selecta is just a waste of a channel that could be used for another loco and/or possibly sound triggers.
I cannot see why you would want to leave a loco stationary with the power turned on. All you would have to do with with a single Tx handpiece, is simply turn off the ones you don't want to use.
What is useful with Deltang is you can actually have more than one loco under control at the same time. Depending of course on which particular handpiece you are using.
 
Tony Walsham said:
With just the regular Deltang and not having Selecta, you can have every loco you have assigned to just one transmitter.
Whilst you can select up to 12 locos Selecta and have them running all at the same time, only one will actually be under control. The rest will just be running free until the one under control is switched out and a different one taken under control.
To me Selecta is just a waste of a channel that could be used for another loco and/or possibly sound triggers.
I cannot see why you would want to leave a loco stationary with the power turned on. All you would have to do with with a single Tx handpiece, is simply turn off the ones you don't want to use.
What is useful with Deltang is you can actually have more than one loco under control at the same time. Depending of course on which particular handpiece you are using.
Click to expand...
Well yes and no. Clearly if you are running a Timetable that uses mire than one sound loco the sound needs to staybon whilst the other is running. Ok so not everyone does that but some of us do. Which is why I normally have one Tx per loco as when friends are round as many as 4 locomotives (sometimes 5) can be working at the same time, tricky if you only have 1 Tx.
 
Understood Jon.
What you are describing is not the same as Selecta. If you wish to hand off a loco from one Tx to another operator with a different handpiece the loco will have to be rebound to the new handpiece.
As far as I can see, there is no easy way around that problem.
 
I run Deltang battery RC on my small locos and track power with an original TE for my big ones. Its a shame that there has never been a full equivalent to the original TE. It is a simple piece of kit that just does what I want. I use mine to control ten points as well as the trains. I've bought a few TEs on ebay over the years so I now have three transmitters. One drains the batteries if I leave them in but otherwise works fine, one is perfect and one has some dodgy buttons. The dodgy buttons are due to me accidentally leaving the tx outside for a few days in the rain - black is a bad colour because you don't always see where you left it. I took this one apart and squirted WD40 into the dodgy buttons. After a few applications the buttons are working fine. Hopefully with three reasonable TXs and a spare RX ill be able to keep using the TE for some years.

I do have a receiver and 24v/20 amp controller which works from the Deltang TX connected to the track so I do have an alternative in place and can switch between this and the TE.
 
Tony Walsham said:
Understood Jon.
What you are describing is not the same as Selecta. If you wish to hand off a loco from one Tx to another operator with a different handpiece the loco will have to be rebound to the new handpiece.
As far as I can see, there is no easy way around that problem.
Click to expand...
I have a Tx22v2 by Micron, this has a Selacta switch for 12 different locomotives. What you are describing is interesting I can see this possibly working where one is in charge of a Station and you take over Trains that come to you, doing station work and passing on to another Operator (Station) then picking up the next Train if that is how I understand what you have described. This would mean locomotives constantly changing Tx, is that possible?

Indeed Deltang as a technology works in many differing ways. I guess that this is because it is a system that does all things for all men Cars, Planes, Boats, Trains and perhaps other things that I have not mentioned.
 
Hello Jon.
I know of no easy way of swapping Deltang equipped locos between operators. Other than handing over the train AND handpiece to another operator.
To get from controlling a loco with one handpiece to controlling that loco with a different handpiece a loco will have to be rebound to the different handpiece.

I have a customer in Sydney with four Grandchildren. They each have their own handpiece and take turns selecting a loco from the fleet of 8 battery R/C locos he has for them. That leaves four locos spare. When one of the children wants to use a different loco they park the one they have been operating, turn it off and "acquire" (as in bind to) a new one and go and play with that.
Meanwhile that first loco then becomes available for one of the other children to use.
The children are pretty disciplined and often double head long trains. Obviously two locos with two operators.

It is really easy to do with multiple operators but would probably be impossible to do on your own say, in time table operation.

For an on your own time table operation I will shortly have a pocket size 7 channel handpiece that will be capable of running 4 x separate locos at the same time from one handpiece. Three of them will also be able to have a single sound trigger function for a sound system.

The same handpiece will be configurable for two Low Off control Live Steam locos each under separate control from one handpiece.
 
There is a simple wireless method that hasn’t yet been mentioned.

just use a remote control servo to operate the control knob of a dc controller.
All you need is a

transmitter, a
rx and a servo, and power supply
A dc controller- a starter set

it depends on what features you want, as this method will give a wireless pure dc controller.

Dan
 
dunnyrail said:
I have a Tx22v2 by Micron, this has a Selacta switch for 12 different locomotives. What you are describing is interesting I can see this possibly working where one is in charge of a Station and you take over Trains that come to you, doing station work and passing on to another Operator (Station) then picking up the next Train if that is how I understand what you have described. This would mean locomotives constantly changing Tx, is that possible?

Indeed Deltang as a technology works in many differing ways. I guess that this is because it is a system that does all things for all men Cars, Planes, Boats, Trains and perhaps other things that I have not mentioned.
Click to expand...
Sounds to me you need to go digital Jon.
 
Tony Walsham said:
Hello Jon.
I know of no easy way of swapping Deltang equipped locos between operators. Other than handing over the train AND handpiece to another operator.
To get from controlling a loco with one handpiece to controlling that loco with a different handpiece a loco will have to be rebound to the different handpiece.

I have a customer in Sydney with four Grandchildren. They each have their own handpiece and take turns selecting a loco from the fleet of 8 battery R/C locos he has for them. That leaves four locos spare. When one of the children wants to use a different loco they park the one they have been operating, turn it off and "acquire" (as in bind to) a new one and go and play with that.
Meanwhile that first loco then becomes available for one of the other children to use.
The children are pretty disciplined and often double head long trains. Obviously two locos with two operators.

It is really easy to do with multiple operators but would probably be impossible to do on your own say, in time table operation.

For an on your own time table operation I will shortly have a pocket size 7 channel handpiece that will be capable of running 4 x separate locos at the same time from one handpiece. Three of them will also be able to have a single sound trigger function for a sound system.

The same handpiece will be configurable for two Low Off control Live Steam locos each under separate control from one handpiece.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the explanation Tony, as I only have 2 and only likely to have 2 other Deltang Locomotives I cannot see the need for anything but my one handset. All of my Fosworks conversions have an individual Tx, expensive but it does make life easier for Timetable running and visitors. The Deltang conversions are recent 2 Steam Trams and swopping between 1 running and the other standing works well. As the other 2 are likely to be Engineers vehicles with tiny Deltang receivers the single Tx will suit them also.
stockers said:
Sounds to me you need to go digital Jon.
Click to expand...
Te he been their done that now have 3 Battery Powered DCC locomotives and growing by the day.
 
Interesting discussion, especially as I could be facing the same situation at some time in the future.

re battery powered locos, can you have a siding where you can park a loco and it recharges through the track?
 
ColinK said:
Interesting discussion, especially as I could be facing the same situation at some time in the future.

re battery powered locos, can you have a siding where you can park a loco and it recharges through the track?
Click to expand...
In theory yes, but you would need a switch to change to a charge mode on the loco then turn the charging on. Though some guy in the States has done a loco that was DCC track and battery powered and picked up juice charging the battery as it went, horribly complex and all stuffed in a HO hood diesel.

Would not work for LiPo batteries though as you need a 3 wire system for ballanced charging.
 
Thanks for your replies. I was thinking if charging from a siding works, I could add the wiring to my indoor layout as I’m building it. But more normal charging methods sound easier.
 
dunnyrail said:
Would not work for LiPo batteries though as you need a 3 wire system for ballanced charging.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily..

'Three-wires' for a '2S' pack.. But what if you have a single-cell, or a '4S' pack?
You could have the balance charging circuitry in the loco. - more expense and complication.


Charging from the track:
Can be done, but them you need to keep the track and wheels clean. If you have a slightly dirty connection, it would confuse the charger.

Complexity again.. - What would happen if the loco was on an energised DC (or DCC) track, and switched to charging?

You would need to remember to switch the loco to 'charging-mode' once it was parked-up.
 
@ Henri.
That idea of the servo from a98087 is not bad at all.

Or a cheap rc on 2.4gh from ali with 7 receivers and esc? under 50E.
Sinds you want the same thing, just back and forward speed controlled.
ATM of this writing i am waiting for the rubber boat to arrive from china, so i hope i can tell next week if it works or not.

For your cells you can get them pretty cheap, it depends on how much pieces you want.
Most are around 1 euro for 1 cell 2500-2700mah.
As a dutchie you would pay 7 euro or something for shipment.
 
C ColinK ,
I am not sure what you want.
But i think the simplest solution would be a female 3,5 mm socket or similar hidden underneath in your loco.
Drive them to the shed, switch off the loco and put the dc charger in.
Charger can be easy made from a old pc psu in combination if necessary with a dc dc converter or a simple voltige regulator.
Or some extra rails in between and extra contacts on your loc in the form of metal strips? just thinking out loud.
 
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