Cab2 Charger

Lionel sells the Legacy power brick, I just can't find it on their new site.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Lionel sells the Legacy power brick, I just can't find it on their new site.

Thanks John,

Called their parts dept, and the do not sell Cab2 chargers, according to her.

Joe

@Trainlover160 posted:

Can anyone point me in the direction of a charging transformer for a Cab2. Either Lionel or a generic one with correct voltage and plug in?

Thanks,

Joe Gozzo

Joe,

Do you mean a charging base (#994), like this:

Or the brick that plugs into the wall and powers this?

Mike

@Trainlover160 posted:

Thanks John,

Called their parts dept, and the do not sell Cab2 chargers, according to her.

Joe

Well, someone recently posted the part number and stated they bought it from Lionel parts, so I think recently they were available.  I don't know if they still are...

You could just move to new rechargeable batteries like I did. My new batteries charge by usb cord.

In a pinch, failing other options, you can use something like this: Jameco Reliapro ADU090150A2231 AC to AC Wall Adapter Transformer 9V @ 1500 mA Straight 2.5 mm Female Plug

The only wild card is getting the earth ground onto the outside of the barrel jack.  I had the same issue with my TMCC Signal Buffer and I made a tether cable that taps off the outside barrel and allows you to access the earth ground.

Make this cable and tie the wire to your outlet ground pin and the Legacy Base will be happy with the power source.

If looking for the transformer brick you can find that HERE

PN: cs-6204202001

@zhubl posted:

If looking for the transformer brick you can find that HERE

PN: cs-6204202001

So much for the Lionel rep saying they didn't sell them!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

So much for the Lionel rep saying they didn't sell them!

I think some mis-communication happened when the OP asked for a charging transformer.  Maybe if the OP asked for a 990 power supply the result could have been different.  It's hard to say.

Well, the #993 transformer is the same brick...   Besides, the rep should be able to do a little thinking about the request, right?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, the #993 transformer is the same brick...   Besides, the rep should be able to do a little thinking about the request, right?

Well ..... ordered a pizza Saturday night - all onion, half pepperoni - the girl at the shop asked what I wanted on the other half.

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Joe,

Do you mean a charging base (#994), like this:

Or the brick that plugs into the wall and powers this?

Mike

Both. I guess I assumed that a charger plugged directly into remote. If not the yes I need both

Thanks,

Joe

To be clear, the charger is the cradle, the wall wart is the power supply for the charger.  While it may seem like a small technicality it should be called what it is.

Since the Charging bases are commanding a premium on the secondary market and no longer available (AFIK) new, you may want to consider these NiMH rechargeable batteries (kit with charger) that can be swapped with the original Cab2 Remote batteries.  This charger will also charge the Cab2's original NiMH batteries.

@Trainlover160 posted:

Both. I guess I assumed that a charger plugged directly into remote. If not the yes I need both

Thanks,

Joe

So all you have is the Cab2. Then you need a 990 base to run trains and charge the cab2  with a wall wart to power it.

Or wait for the new base to come out and charge the cab2 by removing the batteries.

How’d you end up with just the cab2?

I purch

@cjack posted:

So all you have is the Cab2. Then you need a 990 base to run trains and charge the cab2  with a wall wart to power it.

Or wait for the new base to come out and charge the cab2 by removing the batteries.

How’d you end up with just the cab2?

I purchased from a true friend here. I obtained at a reasonable price, instead of the seller that are looking to become billionaires!

Joe

Great. Now need the 990 base. I’m thinking that with the new base 3, these high priced 990s will be a thing of the past.

BTW, I use the Panasonic NiMH battery charger because you can do 3 batteries at once. Some other chargers can only do 2 or 4 batteries at once…not 3.

The Tenergy Charger I mentioned above charges and monitors each battery independently, and as such can charge 1, 2, 3, and/or 4 batteries simultaneously.  I use it to charge AAA and/or AA NiMh batteries.  These were originally suggested to me by @gunrunnerjohn.

@cjack posted:

Great. Now need the 990 base. I’m thinking that with the new base 3, these high priced 990s will be a thing of the past.

Speaking of which, that #990 Legacy Command set that went for $2600 never did come back up for sale. I've been checking periodically just to see and I guess some one really did shell out that amount of money for that.

I went big for my charger, this one charges a dozen AA or AAA batteries, and it can also charge two 9V batteries.  It charges them in any combination, each position is independently monitored.

POWXS LCD Universal 12 Bay AA AAA & 9V Battery Charger for 1.2V Ni-MH Ni-CD Rechargeable Batteries, 9V Lithium ion

@ConrailFan posted:

Speaking of which, that #990 Legacy Command set that went for $2600 never did come back up for sale. I've been checking periodically just to see and I guess some one really did shell out that amount of money for that.

I’m not sure how much of the eBay sales history is real.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I went big for my charger, this one charges a dozen AA or AAA batteries, and it can also charge two 9V batteries.  It charges them in any combination, each position is independently monitored.

POWXS LCD Universal 12 Bay AA AAA & 9V Battery Charger for 1.2V Ni-MH Ni-CD Rechargeable Batteries, 9V Lithium ion

I had a different one once that got the batteries really hot. How is that one in that regard?

cjack- Very True, Very True.

@cjack posted:

I had a different one once that got the batteries really hot. How is that one in that regard?

I've had no issues with it charging a variety of NiMh batteries, and I even tried one set of Lithium AA rechargeable batteries successfully.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Make this cable and tie the wire to your outlet ground pin and the Legacy Base will be happy with the power source.

If possible, could you please post a pic that shows how the wire is connected to the adaptor?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

So much for the Lionel rep saying they didn't sell them!

@MartyE posted:

I think some mis-communication happened when the OP asked for a charging transformer.  Maybe if the OP asked for a 990 power supply the result could have been different.  It's hard to say.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, the #993 transformer is the same brick...   Besides, the rep should be able to do a little thinking about the request, right?

It would also be helpful if Lionel was consistent in how they describe and categorize their parts.  I followed the link for SKU 6204202001, and the description is "TRANSFORMER / LEGACY BASE / 8 VOLT 2 AMP - 6204202001".  However, in the TMCC instructions (I know it's not Legacy, but it serves the same purpose), Lionel calls this a "Command Base Wall Pack"; if one searches for that, Lionel's website brings up SKUs 6102911010 (12 volt output) and 6307156010 (9 volt output), both of which are out of stock.  Not to mention that the part numbers are displayed in the format nnn-nnnn-nnn which doesn't match the SKU and won't yield results when searching - the pic for 6204202001 shows a p/n of 620-4202-000.  Their system needs consistent naming and numbering.  Part numbers should either use dashes or not.  As someone who spent 35 years in IT, all I can say is aaargh!

And another question...

The power supply for TMCC set 6-12911 outputs 12vac, the supply for "Legacy" Cab-1L/Base-1L (6-37147)  outputs 9vac, while the Legacy supply outputs 8vac.  Since the function and wiring of these transformers is similar between TMCC and Legacy, in a pinch, are they interchangeable?

Just since we are getting precise, which is a great thing, the thing on the keyboard that looks like a dash is actually a hyphen. A dash is longer. It is as long as an n or an m (long dash).  It's used when there is a pause or range (between words). A hyphen separates parts of a word. So, I'm thinking that a part number is like a word and a hyphen can separate parts of it to make it easier to read. Many word processors will put in a dash if you hit two hyphens. No?

@Mallard4468 posted:

The power supply for TMCC set 6-12911 outputs 12vac, the supply for "Legacy" Cab-1L/Base-1L (6-37147)  outputs 9vac, while the Legacy supply outputs 8vac.  Since the function and wiring of these transformers is similar between TMCC and Legacy, in a pinch, are they interchangeable?

While they might work, they're not universally interchangeable.  The Legacy brick is a much higher capacity brick than the BASE1L brick, hence the much larger size.  My advice is "don't", you certainly risk at least malfunction if not damage.

@Mallard4468 posted:

If possible, could you please post a pic that shows how the wire is connected to the adaptor?

Using John's picture:

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Make this cable and tie the wire to your outlet ground pin and the Legacy Base will be happy with the power source.

The connections are straightforward.  Within the barrel connectors, wire the female tip to the male tip and the female sleeve to the male sleeve.  One end of the single smaller wire also connects to the either barrel connector's sleeve (which barrel connector doesn't matter).  The other end of that same single wire connects to earth ground on an outlet. This can be done by connecting to the third ground pin of a 3 prong plug or to the outlet cover screw (with paint removed) of a grounded outlet.

The barrel connectors plug into the base's power input jack and into the appropriate voltage AC wall transformer's output.

@SteveH posted:

... One end of the single smaller wire also connects to the either barrel connector's sleeve (which barrel connector doesn't matter).  ...

That's what I was assuming.  However, since one end of the small wire isn't visible in the picture, it's not clear how it's connected to the barrel.  Is it soldered to the barrel near the molded plug, which would mean that it won't fully seat into the connection (although probably close enough)?

@Mallard4468 posted:

That's what I was assuming.  However, since one end of the small wire isn't visible in the picture, it's not clear how it's connected to the barrel.  Is it soldered to the barrel near the molded plug, which would mean that it won't fully seat into the connection (although probably close enough)?

Two small wires (black in the picture below) can be soldered to the inside of the sleeve extension, without causing interference with the cover installation.  The 3 wires selected will need to be small enough to fit inside the cover's strain relief sleeve.  The two primary current carrying wires should be fine with 22 gauge and the third ground wire should be fine down to around 28 gauge, maybe less.

Nice picture Steve, and that's exactly how I built them.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Nice picture Steve, and that's exactly how I built them.

Thanks John.  I find reverse engineering to be typically much easier than forward, especially when the model is solid.

That is a great picture. I guess you import a picture of the connector. and draw with some program? Use some kind of stylus?

@cjack posted:

That is a great picture. I guess you import a picture of the connector. and draw with some program? Use some kind of stylus?

Thanks Chuck.  You guessed correctly.  Windows 10 Snip & Sketch to capture.  For simple drawings like that one, you can mark it up just using the mouse in Snip & Sketch.  If you want to work with multiple pictures or font based text, I import the captured image from Snip & Sketch into Windows Paint.  There are other more sophisticated programs out there, but I'm content with the free options.  CAD is a different story, I recently started using Fusion 360 for 3D modelling.

@zhubl posted:

If looking for the transformer brick you can find that HERE

PN: cs-6204202001

are you suggesting that will solve my problem.  

Can't tell by the pic. if it is 3 pronged.

@msp posted:

are you suggesting that will solve my problem.  

Can't tell by the pic. if it is 3 pronged.

No idea what your problems are, if you elaborate we might have a suggestion.

If you know for sure need the power supply for the #992 BASE-2 or the #994 Charger I assure you that is the OEM power supply.

@zhubl posted:

No idea what your problems are, if you elaborate we might have a suggestion.

If you know for sure need the power supply for the #991 BASE-2 or the #994 Charger I assure you that is the OEM power supply.

sorry response to the wrong thread.....

No problem, if it is the #992 base shown below with the #991 cab-2 (together they make the #990 set) like I said that is the correct power supply. There have been reports on occasion there is a fuse inside the power supply that can be replaced.