Can MTH DCS PS3 be installed in this engine?
If your willing to do the work. Please email me.
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DohertyNJ posted:Can MTH DCS PS3 be installed in this engine?
If your willing to do the work. Please email me.
Did you ever get this engine converted to PS3? If you did, are you pleased with the conversion?
No luck yet.
They're pretty small, it can probably be done, but it'll be a lot of fun. 
Did you try GGG here on the forum?
gunrunnerjohn posted:They're pretty small, it can probably be done, but it'll be a lot of fun.
Could tmcc be installed in this engine more easily, or would that be equally challenging, John?
Why?
rthomps posted:Why?
I have two of these and am interested in having one converted to command control and since I run both DCS and TMCC, I want to know which system upgrade would be the best, most appropriate, and easiest upgrade considering the engine's size.
I'm sure either can be installed. I know I looked inside the TMCC version and it was STUFFED to the gills! I got one where he wanted a Super-Chuffer installed, but that was not possible as it physically would not fit. Since this one has a wireless drawbar, there will be surgery to stuff a tether into it for an upgrade. If it were mine, I'd see if I could get the serial data to drive the tender sound setup as is and use either the ERR Cruise Commander or perhaps the Cruise Commander Lite in the locomotive. It would be really nice to retain the wireless tether if possible.
John et. al., I certainly don't have the knowledge of things electrical and electronic nor ability and patience to attempt such a conversion myself. You mention the way you'd do it if it were your engine and I like your idea of keeping its wireless drawbar intact.
You mention getting the serial data to drive the tender sound setup as is and use either the ERR Cruise Commander or perhaps the Cruise Commander Lite in the locomotive. If you could do that then you're definitely the right person to do the conversion if you'd be willing.
Also, since this is a scale engine, am I correct in assuming adding Cruise Commander would give me the ability of pulling more passenger and freight cars than the Commander Lite would?
If you're interested and have the time for this conversion, I'd appreciate you emailing me with all particulars. I'm located within an hour drive of you so engine drop off and pickup rather than shipping is no problem.
Thanks.
It is a bit of a science project to see if the TMCC serial data would drive the wireless tether. I assume they use the standard serial data format, but I obviously don't know for sure. I'm sure Lionel could tell us if it would work.
Since this tender has the Legacy style IR drawbar with the receiver on top, consider connecting it to a compatible Legacy locomotive and seeing if you can control the sounds. I'd try it with the locomotive programmed as a TMCC locomotive. If that works, then the IR serial data should work coming from the CC or CC-Lite.
As far as picking the Cruise Commander or CC-Lite, that would be dependent on what would fit in the boiler, it's a smaller diameter than many, that's why I mentioned the CC-Lite. As far as pulling power, it has a pretty small motor, so it's not clear that you'd tax the CC-Lite before you ran out of torque with the motor. My inclination would be tilted to the CC-Lite as it's smaller and I'd want to leave room for the Super-Chuffer. 
GRJ,
The IR transmitter and receiver are the same used for TMCC / Legacy locos. You will need to a RS 5.0 audio board in the tender (or RSL). If you use Railsounds 4.0 you will need the additional AD20A board (not a lot of room in that tender once you cram in a speaker and enclosure. Aside from the tender issues, it connects to +5, Ground and serial like any other steam loco (if its a 3-wire IR) or just serial and ground if its a 2-wire IR.
Enjoy that one!
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
Since there is already serial IR data going to the tender, isn't the tender already setup for serial data? My question was if the conventional model serial data was compatible with the TMCC serial data. It would be fairly easy to drive the IR LED in the locomotive with the serial data, I can deal with that if the tender works. 
It has the 2-wire tether.
John
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gunrunnerjohn posted:Since this tender has the Legacy style IR drawbar with the receiver on top, consider connecting it to a compatible Legacy locomotive and seeing if you can control the sounds. I'd try it with the locomotive programmed as a TMCC locomotive. If that works, then the IR serial data should work coming from the CC or CC-Lite.
Unfortunately, John, I don't have a Legacy engine or access to one so I can 't check it myself.
As far as picking the Cruise Commander or CC-Lite, that would be dependent on what would fit in the boiler, it's a smaller diameter than many, that's why I mentioned the CC-Lite. As far as pulling power, it has a pretty small motor, so it's not clear that you'd tax the CC-Lite before you ran out of torque with the motor. My inclination would be tilted to the CC-Lite as it's smaller and I'd want to leave room for the Super-Chuffer.
Perhaps, I'm not understanding correctly but I thought in a prior post this thread, you mentioned Super Chuffer with tmcc was impossible with this engine.
" I'm sure either can be installed. I know I looked inside the TMCC version and it was STUFFED to the gills! I got one where he wanted a Super-Chuffer installed, but that was not possible as it physically would not fit. "
Mike, the info you gave to GRJ mentions possibly using Railsounds 4.0. Would that be the same exact sound set that came with the engine, or a better sound set than the factory installed sounds? If not better and not the factory installed sound set the engine came with, could the original factory sound set be used and installed with the tmcc conversion? Btw, thank you for the info you gave to GRJ.
Also gentlemen, the sole reason I want to convert this engine is to give it slow realistic running speed capability (cruise control?) Am I correct that such speed control is only possible with either a tmcc or dcs ps2 or ps3 conversion?
I'm admittedly a Strasburg Railroad model junkie as I have all the SRR engines, passenger cars, and rolling stock and building items made . including some duplicates, except for the recent MTH Lionel tinplate set which I've no interest in and the 3rd Rail Sunset Strasburg Mollie made a few years ago which I unfortunately passed on for lack of funds at that time.
Btw, if anyone knows where I can obtain that 3rd Rail Sunset Strasburg Mollie, please email me (my email is in my profile.)
The Mogul is a small engine, and when you put the Odyssey DCDS, the motherboard with the R2LC on it, the smoke regulator, and the fan driven smoke, it gets kinda' crowded in there. The CC-Lite isn't any bigger than the Odyssey DCDS, that's the whole motor drive and TMCC receiver package, so there is room left over with that configuration.
The sound set in your locomotive is not RS4, it's the RailSounds Legacy format board (incorrectly called RailSounds Lite according to Jon Z.). I have no idea what sounds it actually has, but I'll venture to guess they're better than the RS4 board.
I'd still find someone with a Legacy locomotive to try the experiment I mentioned, that would tell you if it was practical to keep the wireless tether or consider another avenue.
gunrunnerjohn posted:The Mogul is a small engine, and when you put the Odyssey DCDS, the motherboard with the R2LC on it, the smoke regulator, and the fan driven smoke, it gets kinda' crowded in there. The CC-Lite isn't any bigger than the Odyssey DCDS, that's the whole motor drive and TMCC receiver package, so there is room left over with that configuration.
The sound set in your locomotive is not RS4, it's the RailSounds Legacy format board (incorrectly called RailSounds Lite according to Jon Z.). I have no idea what sounds it actually has, but I'll venture to guess they're better than the RS4 board.
I'd still find someone with a Legacy locomotive to try the experiment I mentioned, that would tell you if it was practical to keep the wireless tether or consider another avenue.
Thanks for the reply, GRJ. As you're likely aware the Mogul came equipped with a fan driven smoke unit and as mentioned there's no one I know of with a Legacy engine, but perhaps if I brought to the North Penn club on a either you or someone there could check the tender for me???
If you are up for a field trip, you could stop by my house and we could take a look at the possibilities. Send me an email and we'll figure it out.
Hey guys, sorry for the lapse in responding. If memory serves me correctly the soundboard only decodes the chuff input, whistle and bell is triggered by DC offsets, not serial data. You would need a different RSL board (one from a command loco, but those are typically not for sale through service) but are available through ERR. I would assume the RSL from ERR would accept the IR receiver input, but I do not know that for certain. My "upgrading" world ceased in 2008 when I joined Lionel and my priorities changed. What can and cannot be accomplished with RSL's in an upgrade scenario I cannot answer with certainty, (aside from what institutional knowledge I have from modern production products) hence GRJ's suggestion of testing with a Legacy loco.
Those conventional locos used a separate 5V supply inside the loco to drive the smoke fan motor & DCDS-C (the DCDS's Lionel had in inventory were reworked to include reverse unit logic with speed control and cannot be reused with a receiver and expected to work with Command control. There was also an AC reg used to drive the smoke element.
Like I advised previously, you will want to use an RS5.0 audio board or an ERR RSL to decode the IR receiver, you cannot reuse the RSL that is in there now (my gut tells me this is accurate up to about 98%). I do not believe the existing conventional RSL will work with serial data coming in on the IR receiver (but I could be mistaken, again test it with any Legacy loco that has a top mounted IR transmitter on the drawbar and you'll find out instantly!).
Thanks,
Mike
Bummer Mike. What you say certainly does make sense, but being hard-headed, I'd have to actually test it just in case it does work.
Another possible avenue, although somewhat of a kludge, would be to use the ERR Sound Converter to manage the whistle & bell and let the locomotive manage the chuff through the serial data. Of course, since the serial data is really "received" on the sound board, you'd have to rig a buffer to tap off the serial data for the Sound Converter.
If you're correct about the board only responding to chuff, I think I'd probably just use the ERR Small Steam board. The Small Steam board has the "hooter" whistle that should be similar to the Strasburg Mogul whistle and would make the installation a lot simpler.
The locomotive wouldn't be a major issue, other than if the handrails aren't insulated. I'd use the ERR CC-Lite and my Super-Chuffer to manage the smoke, it supplies the fan motor voltage.
