Bachmann 1-20.3 scale diesel with R/C conversion

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converting G-scale locomotives to R/C ( radio-controlled )

is a good solution if you don't want to worry about bad connections via dirty out-door tracks ,

or if you don't feel like investing in a DCC system , but you still want to have all these cool extra functions

controlled via a wireless remote , in this case a R/C transmitter

there are several ways of doing such conversation

in this chapter I show a conversation for NI-CD or NI-MH batteries which are inside the locomotive cab ,

( no extra battery-car needed ) but it is also configured to switch over to conventional track-power

since this is a model of a 45 ton diesel-switcher I didn't need full power = fast speed ,

therefore I settled for a 12 volt setup ( 14.4 volts max ) which gives enough speed for this type of locomotive

and the choice for an ESC was much easier

with 12 to 14 volt I could leave the original smoke-generators as well the LGB sound-system works with this lower voltage

( normal track power is 16-24 volts , depending if you use regular transformers or a DCC system )

I used a 6 channel mini-receiver to have extra channels ( besides just the throttle )

to control the smoke-function ( done via a separate ESC to control even the amount of smoke )

and for the R/C transistor switches which control the bell and whistle from the sound-system ,

as well to turn the sound on/off via R/C since that LGB sound-system has a cool start-up and shut-down sound

click on the individual photos to see them full size and to read more details about this conversation

everything was wired as a plug-and-play system for easier access and later expansions

I did this R/C conversation a few years back for a very good friend of mine

Willy

CustomRCmodels

01-2008