RCM2 FROM TMCC SPEEDER

All you need for triac lighting outputs s a .01uf capacitor across them, no resistors in sight.

If you using the motor drive for Rule-17 lighting, remember that many reed relays are polarity sensitive.

Do I need a dummy load on the motor output ?    Seems like the 550 ohm load from the reed relay is too high to present a proper load. If I do need a load on the motor output should a 10ohm 10w resistor be OK ? I may have to play with that value to make sure the reed relay has enough power to close at the crack of the throttle.  I  have .01uf caps on the lighting outputs.  My reed relays are bipolar. I use a diode if I want them polar. I love the RCM2 board it's way handy. Now all we need is a 16A slave PWM driver for four motor AAs that uses the RCM2s motor output  as a F/R signal. I have seen some 20A H bridge  arduino boards on eBay for just a couple $ that may be hackable to our purposes. I have been using TAS boards and installing 16A triacs for driving AAs with four motors. However I think that an RCM2 and the arduino H bridge may be quite a bit smaller and I'm running low on TAS boards. Only one EOB  left and a couple SAWs. On the topic of 4 motored AAs have you driven such with one ProtoSound 2 or 3 board ? That may be the solution to my AA problem. I've already decided that PS is the solution for my steam upgrades. I thought seriously about Legacy upgrades but handling the Tach sensor is so much more difficult. Bruk's diagram for Legacy boards makes it so tempting.     Speaking of Bruk I haven't seen a post by him in quite some time.  Hope he's OK.                                                    Thanks John.          j

The motor drive is FET based, it doesn't need any load.  Truthfully, even if you decided to put a load in, 10 ohms is way too stiff, consider something more along the lines of 50 to 100 ohms.

Actually, handling the tach sensor for Legacy isn't that bad, and the rewards are plenty.

4 motored units don't play with PS/2 or PS/3, I've never tried it, nor heard of anyone trying it.  I suspect that's pushing them too hard.

Bruk isn't here anymore, but he's fine.

John do you happen to have the feature's code numbers for the RCM2 ? I notice on the wiring diagram that coupler outputs can be used for lamps and a smoke unit and I can only sumise that in order to prolong the coupler pulse for lamp or smoke units there must be a way to tell the unit to turn on these connections till you turn them off. Lionel.          Thanks           j

Actually, the RCM2 is programmed for the specific features, there are no feature codes to change it's behavior that I know of.  This is the same as the previously available ERR MC-II board.  Remember there were three versions that had different functions for the two outputs.

Thank You,                                   j

I was confusing Feature set with the Soft Set feature. I had to reread the manual.  A couple of years ago, about the time the original ERR went under,I was looking at the Mini Commander and trying to figure out how to control a RS-1&2  Bell/Whistle with it. Perhaps in conjunction with a DPDT relay.  When I finish this project I think I will try again.                            j

Yep, I never depended on the Soft-Set for setting the ID, I always provided a switch.  If I didn't want to have a plain switch, I put a reed switch under the shell and used a magnet to set program mode.  That works well with small motorized units where a physical switch is inconvenient.

I have plenty of space for a switch. I was under the impression that the soft set allowed you to control the length of the coupler pulse up to 2 seconds or simply on/off.   Which I think may work on railsounds 1 and 2 to trigger bell /whistle. Regardless I am a big fan of this little board.          j

Soft-Set was a feature of the ERR Minicommander ACC, but AFAIK, never on the MiniCommander 2 aka RCM2.

Right ! I was reading the wrong manual. But I do have a couple of the MC, ACC and when I finish the PA-1 will try and make the ACC version work as a Sound Converter. Perhaps two relays to switch a couple of diodes in or out. Thanks John.          j

If I need remote control sound, I use these.

Finally, the Universal MP3 Sound Board Has Arrived

I have actually considered reviving the ERR Sound Converter functionality as the board schematic and code is readily available.  Just too many projects, too little time.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I have actually considered reviving the ERR Sound Converter functionality as the board schematic and code is readily available.  Just too many projects, too little time.

Running out of projects is harmful to your health. So Don't. My last order to the original ERR which never got filled was for a bunch of Mini Commanders and four Sound Converters.  I bet you could sell a bunch. I have several Railsounds 1 and 2 boards and have wanted to put them in my  post war locos but only have one Sound Converter. Looks like my trains are going to sit a couple of weeks. County zoning board changed the definition of the side of a house and decided to say my house was on a corner lot, Is not , it is a bend in the road!  I can no longer store my sailboats in my driveway after living here since 1985 So I guess I have to fix some things and sell the boats. Ultimately more $ for trains but time away from my trains. I stopped sailing five years ago so I guess the zoning change came at a good time. Should have sold the boats five years ago and they should be grandfathered. It's time to sell them regardless.         j

@JohnActon posted:

Running out of projects is harmful to your health. So Don't. My last order to the original ERR which never got filled was for a bunch of Mini Commanders and four Sound Converters.  I bet you could sell a bunch. I have several Railsounds 1 and 2 boards and have wanted to put them in my  post war locos but only have one Sound Converter.

I could probably sell a few, but in order to do a production run, I'd have to do several hundred boards.  Paying up front for all of those is a risk that I'm not willing to take.  I've done several projects that I thought were a sure thing, one being my universal sound board and another being the remote control system.  Once they were available, all the "interest" that was seemingly generated evaporated and I have boxes of boards.

Yeah, I get that,  your boards, as well as toy trains in general, fall on the luxury end of the spectrum not the necessity.   Sure would be nice to have a few Sound Converters though. Thus a hack of the Mini Commander, ACC as a stop gap.            j

Well, the MC-ACC is no longer available either.

I still have a couple. But not sure yet if I can use them as a Sound Converter.  I think I can Gonna give it a try.         j

I don't see how you use the MC-ACC as a sound converter, there is no whistle/bell command outputs on those.

If I'm not married to the whistle/bell buttons I can make it do things it is not designed for, If I can make the AUX 1 and 2 buttons pulse last for 2 seconds, and the soft set instructions say I can. With a diode and a spdt relay I can blow the whistle and with a second relay can ring the bell. At the moment I don't have anything better to do with the M.C.ACCs Perhaps I can't make it work. The M.C.ACC instructions mentions contacts on the board for controlling RailSounds but does not elaborate on how to do so. This board is so versatile but the instructions are not always clear how to accomplish what they claim it can do. The instructions mention controlling RailSounds but don't show how. Below is a PDF of the manual for anyone interested.   I have nothing to loose but tinker time        j

Yep, if you repurpose buttons on the remote, many more things are possible.  I used the MC-ACC to drive one of my sound boards so I could have TMCC controlled sounds.  For my Wienermobile, I used the coupler outputs of the MC-2 to trigger my sounds.

@JohnActon posted:

I still have a couple. But not sure yet if I can use them as a Sound Converter.  I think I can Gonna give it a try.         j

For the benefit of those of us just following along, what is a Sound Converter? Thanks

George

@GeoPeg posted:

For the benefit of those of us just following along, what is a Sound Converter? Thanks

George

A little board to allow you to use conventional whistle/bell boards for command upgrades.

George this is what it looks like. I have several Railsounds 1&2 boards and it will give them full TMCC sound function.  I have one but am speculating that I can use a Mini Commander ACC. with some hacking to preform the same functions. I have two of the MC ACC    3Rd Rail is out and not likely going to get more. So neither the Sound Converter or the Mini Commander ACC boards are currently available sadly .            j

@JohnActon posted:

George this is what it looks like. I have several Railsounds 1&2 boards and it will give them full TMCC sound function.  I have one but am speculating that I can use a Mini Commander ACC. with some hacking to preform the same functions. I have two of the MC ACC    3Rd Rail is out and not likely going to get more. So neither the Sound Converter or the Mini Commander ACC boards are currently available sadly .
      

If you're willing to activate the horn with things like the couplers, you could use an R2LC board, perhaps with one of my Dummy Locomotive Boards.  There are still R2LC boards floating around, and you could even use some of the less popular R2LC-C07 boards for this task.

John, good idea, will send you the ProtoSound boards the 16th and a check. You can put the boards in the return package.          j