Saturday, December 19, 2009

Plantraco / Grandt Line Box Cab

While I am waiting for the Futuba Transmitter I have on order, I have started my second RC Loco.  This one will be the Grandt Line - GE 23 TON Box Cab.  I found two of these, one is the motorized versions in HO scale and one is the non-motorized version in HOn3.   

I have a second and really small - postage stamp size - receiver that I will use in it.  I have the Transmitter for this receiver so when I get the Box Cab put together I should have my first running (RC) controlled loco.  I can't wait to see it running around my test track in battery mode.  This second Transmitter, receiver, and battery is from a company in Canada called Plantraco and the receiver and battery are very small. 

http://www.microflight.com/Online-Catalog/Receivers/Micro9-3-Channel-PlugnPlay-0-9g-Receiver

http://www.microflight.com/Online-Catalog/Radio-Systems/HFX900-M2-Transmitter-with-10mm-Bahoma  

The receiver in the picture is sitting next to (2) pennies and the battery is sitting next to (2) nickels. The battery connects to the receiver by the 2 round magnets or small circles you can see on one end of the battery.



The transmitter has the battery charger built in.



My Radio Control effort is all uncharted territory for me so anything can happen from running good to who knows what. 

cont:

1.  I finished enough of the Grandt Line Box Cab to install the RC receiver.  The RC set-up was from a very small airplane.  It ran really nice - but - how many airplanes do you know of that can fly backwards?  It was a bit of a shock when I discovered that I could only go in one direction.

I am working on this. 

2.  The same day I was playing with the Box Cab my LHS called and said my Futaba Attack transmitter was in.  I went over an picked it up.  Back home and with batteries loaded I put my RC McKeen Motor Car on my test track.  The McKeen didn't run very well in forward before and it still doesn't run well forward.  It does run in reverse OK.  I turned the cab around to make it look it was running forward.  I think the springs for the drive system are weak and I also think the gears on the power truck are worn out.

I am working on a complete new motor drive system for it and if it works OK I will do my other McKeen the same way. 

I took the RC McKeen to the San Antonio Model Railroad Association club track to run it.     http://www.samratx.org/
It ran OK after a couple of minor fixes.   I may write a book and call it "A funny thing happened when I ran my RC train".  I ran the McKeen into a tunnel and it never came out.  The McKeen lost its radio signal when it went into the tunnel.  I can fix this one of a couple of ways.  When I make my layout I can run an antenna wire inside the tunnel or any tunnels I might have.  I could also get a RC transmitter with more power.  Or I could have a layout without any tunnels. 

cont:

Radio Control and the Box Cab:

The fix for the RC Transmitter / Receiver was very simple.  A call to the company and the following information:

The receiver has three plug outlets on it.  The primary one is for the motor.  That one only gives me one direction but speed control.  The other two outlets would give the plane right / left and up and down functions and also speed control.  The fix was - plug the motor into one of these two outlets.  That worked but I was told the speed might be a bit slower.  I tried this and I now have both direction control and speed control.  The speed seemed about the same.  I have to do a bit of a rebuild on the Box Cab before I can put it back on my track.  I hope to finish that today.


cont:

Here are a few new pictures of the "HO" Box Cab.  It is very small and very slow - I think.







How would I figure "HO" scale speed?  The Box Cab moves 12" in 24 seconds.  Watching it I believe it is to slow but I could be wrong.  I may try a larger different battery.

cont:

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