Hooking-up a Lionel Railsounds Boxcar on my Layout

You don't say which sound button you are using, Is it the 5903???   Try the button on your bench and see what happens...The power from PH-1 must be routed thru the sound button to work properly....

Marty

Martin D.
The Lionel Sound Activation Button I'm using is #5906.

Banjo Flyer
Yes, that's the diagram I used. I bench tested each button separately with the red and black wires attached to a voltmeter set to R1, and I got a 100% read out with the button NOT pushed.  Pushing the button did not change the read out.  It seems to me the read out should be zero with the button NOT pushed, then show 100% when the button is pushed.  Are the buttons faulty?

Mike

Power up and measure the track voltage with a meter set to dc.  The ac wave should give no result. The button pressed should give a DC reading. The diodes trim off one side of the ac wave slightly.

AC consists of  pos. & neg. waves. A diode "eats" about 1.5v of one of those ac wave portions ; which wave portion is decided by diode dirrection. The result is an offset of one ac polarity wave being larger. That difference is seen as dc by a dc only relay or a board. (on modern, a pos. dc gives whistle, neg. gives bell. Post war relays don't care about  pos. from neg. and activate on either signal)( it is actually pulsed dc at 60x a second=60hz)

Or switch meter to ohm, each diode is a one way gate. You should get a reading one way; switch lead posiitions and you should get a zero. (you have to make sure the diodes meaured are not set in a completed circuit. If a full loop occurs in a circuit, you can't tell if a reading is the diode or another component passing the test power between the meter leads.) I.e., each diodes anode/cathod must be 100% isolated from each other; sometimes this means removing one diode leg from a board just to test it; checking a string in series has no issue as long as a loop doesn't exist.

  There are lots of threads here on the subject as well. Has to be dozens with a diagram for d.i.y. 

  You can do it with a single diode too. The diode chain provides a 5v boost needed for air whistle use as the motors eat a lot of juice, slowing locos when used. Postwar transformers usually have the boost, modern ones don't boost because they use low draw can motors or electronic reproduction of sound. With a homemade one, you can even set up a boost toggle; +5v when needed +0v when not needed.  

Anyhow, the chain is eating about 6.5v. (full throttle puts less voltage on the rails with a boost) . The button removes a few diodes, voltage rises and the last diode provides the offset. Leaving out diodes from the build just gives less boost.

Choose diode size to exceed the maximum amps your trains and cars will ever use. (6a min..  A 15a lug type would cover about anything).

(I'm being short, fast, & really my mind is elsewhere; my composer is acting up, dog is whining over a "hot" female nearby, and two idjits are arguing too.

....likely folks will elaborate if I can't or if I skipped a part, etx.

Here is a link to a diagram for diy.  You can likely find similar inside those buttons. http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/Wh...tton-Bell-Controller 

I think those old buttons are only rated at 4a. I wouldn't try a cranky pw engine & tender, you can pull over that 4a pretty easy with two pw motors going....lit cars too and you're even more apt to toast a button

Adriatic

Thanks for the helpful info. I'll try the suggestions you offered.  I'm trying to bring sounds (bell and horn) to accompany a "Lionel Steel" modern diesel switcher -- which I bought because it is a small unit and equipped with TMCC, but no sounds. Progress report to follow.

Mike

Mike H Mottler posted:

I'm using only one of the three layout lock-ons for the Railsounds connection (not all three in parallel). Maybe that's an issue. Or something else ...

 

Mike, ALL track power needs to route through the 5906 sound buttons for them to work -- you can't just wire them into one lock-on, if you use a total of three on that circuit.

One more thing... make sure you have something else on the circuit when you test it, such as a lighted caboose or even a plain light bulb. This will help your RailSounds boxcar trigger a little more reliably.

TRW

TRW:

I wondered about that; i.e., I connected the two SA buttons to only one of three lock-ons on my L-shaped layout.  I re-read the Lionel Instruction Sheet for the #6-5906 and discovered the requirement to route the SA buttons in the circuit to all lock-ons on the layout. Fortunately, my track power distribution panel provides add'l terminals where I can make a connection that will feed all the lock-ons simultaneously.

I have several always-on Lionel die-cast lighted bumpers on three rail sidings. That should comply with your suggestion.

When tested with a transformer with HORN and BELL buttons built-in, the Lionel RAILSOUNDS boxcar sounds great. LOUD, even though the volume control is turned way down.

I look forward to the time (hopefully in my lifetime) when Lionel will offer a RAILSOUNDS boxcar that responds to TMCC commands via a CAB-1.

With appreciation, 

Mike
mottlerm@gmail.com

Adriatic:
PaperTRW:
Banjoflyer:

I re-did the wiring of my two Lionel Sound Activation Buttons (6-5906) at the layout so that all three lock-ons were included upfront in the track power circuit. Presto!  My RAILSOUNDS boxcar worked as intended. Thanks for that tip, which affirmed the info in the Lionel Instruction Sheet, but I confess I glossed over that factoid during the first reading.

Now that the two buttons are installed correctly, I tried to activate the sounds with my CAB-1, as per the comment by banjoflyer regarding his Lionel AF boxcars.  With my PowerMaster switch set to COMM and then to CONV, I pressed the HORN and BELL buttons of my CAB-1. No sounds.  Not surprising, since the the Lionel Instruction Sheet for the RAILSOUNDS boxcar made no mention of it responding to TMCC commands.  Apparently later versions of Lionel AF RAILSOUNDS boxcars were empowered to respond to TMCC commands - an audio benefit to him and other owners of that AF product!

These Lionel buttons do not have handy mounting holes for attaching them to the layout surface or a fascia board, so I'll use double-stick foam tape to mount them.

Good to go ... with diesel sound, bell, and horn.

Mike
mottlerm@gmail.com

Mike,

Which RailSounds boxcar did you end up purchasing?

Todd

Just like Carey Grant ?..Beep beep beep?

Hey; Mikey... He likes it!

  ( )

  I hadn't thought of a bad button positioning.  I'm grinning at TRW's insite.

I've found it is possible to test most whistle/bell functions with a 6a or larger diode just bridging the rails on a 6a 1033 transformer.

1033 transformer, but the diode will get hot fast (pliers to hold it). I haven't bothered to think out the long term effects on the di9de, transformer, a larger transformer, a larger diode, etc. so I just use that way on one line and two pieces of stock (I wont care a whole lot if I burn one out) but so far so good for a year.

Just try to recall (and/or confirm) the 4a note on how much power you can drag through the buttons and measure drawn amps to avoid any engine/car combos that might exceed the 4a (e.g. I  know two pw here that may cook those quick. Double headed; cooked for sure)

  A 3.75-4a fast blow fuse would protect the buttons but replacing one burnt diode would cost about the same too.

You could mount the buttons via tape or glue (caulk/silocone are a good glue for less than permenant attachments) to a thin sheet of hardboard, sheetmetal, flat plastic, etc.. Drill holes outside of the buttons area. Trim the sheet to leave just tabs with holes outside of the buttons area, bordering it.  Mount with screws, etc.

I'm having composer issues. Chunks of text are vanishing. Just an fyi if this posts seems incomplete.

paperTRW:

My Lionel Railsounds boxcar is 6-17214, yellow with "Railbox" decor. I selected it because I prefer a "generic" boxcar without a specific roadname.

Mike