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Here's a very short video of the new board I designed for TMCC upgrades to existing TMCC steamers and for TMCC conversions.  The boards have been designed and ordered, so I thought I'd put my prototype board into something to show what it can do.



The features are as follows.

  • Synchronize the sound and smoke chuff.  This board buffers the chuff switch so that the sound board and smoke fan are synchronized.  The smoke fan is run a preset timed period for each chuff instead of running all the time the chuff switch is closed.  This results in more distinct smoke chuffs.
  • Run smoke fan continuously when locomotive stopped.  A lower voltage is used for slower velocity on the smoke when stopped to have a better look of "idling".

Lighting features similar to current Lionel Legacy locomotives.

  • Provide Rule-17 lighting control for an LED headlight, dimming when stopped.  The LED is driven directly from the board.
  • Provide cab light control to turn off cab lights while moving, and on when stopped.


See my previous topic here on the board development: Improved Chuff & Puff Board

Last edited by gunrunnerjohn
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Thanks for the kind words guys.

 

Ron, the chuffs are synchronized to the input switch, so if it does four chuffs, that's what you will get.  It'll work fine.  I was going to put another magnet on the wheel of the Camelback to get four chuffs, just didn't get to it.

 

Pete, the input chuff goes to an input pin on the PIC with a 100 ohm resistor, a .1uf cap to ground and a 2.2k pullup.  It should handle the logic input from a TAS board fine, but I didn't have one handy to test.  I was testing it on the bench with a function generator with a logic output.

 

Originally Posted by trainnut56:

John, how did you get the fireman to pop out of the cab window.  Thanx Jim r

Ejection seat.

 

 

Originally Posted by sinclair:

I've got a MTH Camelback that I'm planning on upgrading to TMCC after I get a new motor for it.  Now I want to do this to it too.  And LED lighting, and the firebox flicker. Maybe you could add the firebox flicker to it too in the future.

The Firebox flicker is just a flickering LED with DC power.  In a fashion, I've already included it.  Since there is a nice 5V DC power supply, adding a 100 ohm resistor and the flickering LED gives you the flickering firebox feature.

Thanks Ken, let me know how many in your order.
 
Originally Posted by Bob Rumer:

Very good video of the sound and smoke.

Will it be able to install in my Reading 4-8-4 Lionel # 2100?

If yes, I would love to have this upgrade.

Bob 

The only requirement is fan driven smoke, TMCC, and something generating the chuffs.  Obviously, you can add a reed switch and magnet if it's one that doesn't have it.  This is the 1989 model, right?  Was it upgraded to TMCC?

 

 

Originally Posted by Dave Garman:

Hi John,

 

As I mentioned when we last spoke - I'm in for at least 2 of your boards but now that the cat is out of the bag so to speak.....  

 

I'd like mine to have that ejection seat option please !!!!!!!

 

Best,

Dave

The ejection seat is optional at extra cost!

 

The PC boards came in today, so I'm going to assemble a couple and see if there are any issues with the PCB layout.  Once that's done, I'll post a thread in the Buy/Sale forum.  For the initial run of 10, I'm going to allocate them one to a user so more people can be exposed, and to find out from varied folks if there are any issues that I haven't seen.  I'm going to keep a couple of the initial ones for my stuff as well!

 

 

Gunny, I have one of the Lionel 1st run 2-10-4 Pennsy's. It has all of the bells and whistles that Lionel offered back when it was made. I assume one of your boards can be used on this Loco, now where does this thing install, in the tender or engine?

Another thing, can the head light be changed very readily, to "LED", and do you sell them as well?...................Thanks in advance........................... Brandy    

Looks like a neat upgrade.

 

Just out of curiosity (since I stare at the top of a smokestack all day at work when firing steam locomotives), is there a way to keep the fan running at a lower speed and accelerate it for each chuff?

 

I'll have to watch closely tomorrow to make sure I'm not imagining things, but the smoke from the fire is constantly "flowing" out of the stack, the exhaust steam from the cylinders just puffs through it (creating a draft through the fire at the same time).  

 

If you're simulating a clean fire with just the exhaust steam then it looks like you have it covered  

Originally Posted by Brandy:

Gunny, I have one of the Lionel 1st run 2-10-4 Pennsy's. It has all of the bells and whistles that Lionel offered back when it was made. I assume one of your boards can be used on this Loco, now where does this thing install, in the tender or engine?

Another thing, can the head light be changed very readily, to "LED", and do you sell them as well?...................Thanks in advance........................... Brandy    

No reason I can think of that it couldn't be used.  It would install in the locomotive.  The LED's are standard LED's, I can certainly get all you need.

 

 

Originally Posted by Bob Rumer:
Yes it was upgraded to TMCC, it has a switch hooked to the tender axle.
You recently fixed the smoke unit.

Best regards

Bob

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 9, 2014, at 4:41 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum wrote:
>

Right Bob.  I see a lot of engines, so it's hard to keep track of which specific ones I've seen.   It should work fine in that one.

 

 

Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

That  is awesome, beautiful, and well done.  Envy your ability!

 

I'll be needing a few of these also. 

I'll be ready in a few weeks at most to supply all you need.

 

 

Originally Posted by Nicks Trains:

Is this an entire new board or a part that plugs into existing boards?

It's all about cost. 

It's a totally new board, but it works in conjunction with the existing TMCC electronics, it does not replace any of it.

 

 

Originally Posted by SantaFe158:

Looks like a neat upgrade.

 

Just out of curiosity (since I stare at the top of a smokestack all day at work when firing steam locomotives), is there a way to keep the fan running at a lower speed and accelerate it for each chuff?

 

I'll have to watch closely tomorrow to make sure I'm not imagining things, but the smoke from the fire is constantly "flowing" out of the stack, the exhaust steam from the cylinders just puffs through it (creating a draft through the fire at the same time).  

 

If you're simulating a clean fire with just the exhaust steam then it looks like you have it covered  

I can't run the motor slow enough to really simulate that effectively, and I'd also probably have to have control of the heater to do it properly.  Maybe in another version.  FWIW, the fan kinda' does that by default, it doesn't stop instantly, so it coasts to a stop.

I have a few of the chuff boards that Ed from Digital Dynamics made many, many years ago still installed in a few steamers with fan driven units. Only issue is they do not smoke in idle unless you stop the engine at the time when the crank closes the cherry switch and it will emit a steady stream of smoke. If not, the fan is off but the resistor is still on. I believe those boards just needed a resistor of some type to keep the circuit closed.

Regardless, I'm in for a few boards. Have a few Lionel fan driven units that could a chuffing smoke unit.

Good job John! And also a good job in the capacitor board for my 3 volt board Jets engine. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Bob Rumer:
Yes it was upgraded to TMCC, it has a switch hooked to the tender axle.
You recently fixed the smoke unit.

Best regards

Bob

Sent from my iPad

> On Jun 9, 2014, at 4:41 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum wrote:
>

Right Bob.  I see a lot of engines, so it's hard to keep track of which specific ones I've seen.   It should work fine in that one.

 

John, I will send you a e-mail later. I just won another Lionel Reading 4-8-4 # 2100 from Dash. Nobody else bid I got it for $191.00. So this one will need full upgrade.

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