can I take the tmcc/railsounds/crew talk from an engine that has a pul-mor motor and put it in to a ac/dc motor engine and all will be fine.
and then take the electronics from a ac/dc motor engine and hook it up to the other engine which has the pulmor motor.
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
Not exactly. :)
The motor driver board is different for AC and DC motors. The R2LC, and the two RailSounds boards are the same for AC or DC, and they will exchange.
I'm confused about what an AC/DC motor is, are you talking about a can motor? Those are DC, the DCDR converts the AC from the track to DC for the motor under control of the R2LC receiver.
What is the specific move you're considering? Sounds like you're trying to swap the electronics from a Pulmore loco to a DC motored one, and then move the DC motored electronics to the Pulmore motored one. Why?
First, I do not know the answer to your question. However, mixing and matching electronics is not a good idea. Although it might work OK in a specific instance, it is more likely that some of the electronics will be harmed. MTH warned against mixing tenders in their system even though the connector plugs matched. In that case all of the motors were can style motors. I believe the problem was mixing a 3v system with a 5v system .
Earl.
The TMCC parts are a lot more standard as a rule than the MTH stuff. I've mixed the TMCC parts a bunch, and I've never had a problem. There are certain firmware versions of R2LC boards that don't always work with every driver, but they also don't do anything bad. The electrical interface of the R2LC and R4LC boards is identical, and the RailSounds 4 boards are all the same interface as well. You can run into issues of operation mixing them, but it's very unlikely you'll release the magic smoke.
As I've stated, the one exception to this is the ACDR and the DCDR driver boards, they are different for AC or DC motors and are not compatible. However, I've moved the electronics from an AC motored engine and just dropped in a DCDR board to get it running, works perfectly. The interface from the R2LC to the ACDR or DCDR is just four wires, 5V, GND, and PWM inputs for forward and reverse.
The ac/dc motors I'm talking about are the ones lionel came out with in the 70's I think that they put in engines like GP-9's. if you goto this auction you will see what I'm talking about. http://www.ebay.com/itm/260977727145?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
What I want to do is put tmcc from another engine I won on the bay the other night that has a pul-mor motor in it with tmcc to this engine if I win it and put its electronics in the engine I won with a pul-mor motor in it.
That auction describes the motor as "universal". Traditional Lionel motors are universal motors, that is, series-wound motors that will run on AC or DC. "Pull-mor" is an American Flyer term referring to traction tires. Lionel began to use the term for their universal motors instead after they acquired American Flyer.
Modern locomotives tend to use permanent-magnet "can" motors that run only on DC. Some were meant to run on DC-powered track. But locomotives sold now are generally equipped with rectifiers so that the locomotive will run on AC, even though the motor runs on DC.
Bob Nelson
Bottom line is that is considered an AC motor as far as the TMCC stuff is concerned. That being the case, it's the same as the other AC motor, and the electronic package should work. For the TMCC electronics, a DC motor is a can motor with a permanent magnet field.
Note that you MUST bypass the brushes on that motor to frame ground using a 1uf non-polarized cap with at least a 50V rating. If you don't, the motor driver will be VERY unhappy. Take a look at the other locomotive, you'll see the caps connected to the brushes.
If the other locomotive was a diesel, and the RailSounds electronics is the later modular boards, you're done. If it's the earlier RailSounds 2.5 board, you have to have a sensor to sense wheel rotation, and that will have to be wired in.
It would be a lot easier to provide specific details if you provided specific details about what TMCC package you have.
John my intensions it convert this into a NYC engine then make this a Conventional engine and resell it as a conventional engine making sure buyer understands tmcc has been removed for the price I got it for couldn't turn it down I couldn't of bought the electronics for that price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/320862810817?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Well, the good news is, that's a modern set of boards, so you won't need the pickup for wheel rotation, the diesel sounds are driven from the throttle setting on those with a VCO.
Here's the Lionel Parts List for that locomotive.
That was a pretty good price for a TMCC equipped locomotive, and the package should move right over to your GP-9.
Even though this engine has module Tmcc boards it does not have a vco, you will have to transfer the truck.
Bill
Bummer, I didn't realize any of them with the modern board set didn't have the VCO. Couldn't he mount a reed switch & magnet like a steamer? I know that some older diesels like the Phantom locomotive and older GP-9's used a microswitch and cam on the axle.
He could use a reed switch and magnet or just transfer the truck. The truck is equiped with a micro switch.
If they're both the same color, that's an option. I was doing a similar upgrade but the UP trucks were silver, the others black. :)
Well after getting both engines the GP-20 with tmcc has a pul-mor motor the GP-9 has a upright AC motor but it takes less of a hole to go Thur the frame so Lionel has riveted a plate to adjust for smaller hole. So I'm down to a couple of things I can do
1 switch rear trucks ( by the way it appears the needed holes are there) and keep front motors and switch all electronics .
2 remove everything repaint the frame put all back in and just switch shells. ( would have to do this to both)
then there is a 3rd option lol sell the GP-20 for what it would cost to buy ERR AC commander and railsounds 4 for a GP 7/9
Anyway from what I can see these are my options.
If the rear truck is the one with the micro-switch, you could "simulate" that with a magnet and a reed switch like is done for RailSounds conversions for steamers. All the axle switch is doing is providing a pulse as the wheel turns to adjust the RPM of the engine.
This is one of those things that seeing it would make all the difference.
How hard does it look to swap the rear trucks? I'm guessing from the description you'd have to remove that riveted place and move it over?
Rivets is on front truck for the different sizes of motor diameter, the rear really doesn't look that hard. It looks like a easy switch over both have black trucks the only real difference is the color of the frames. other wise the frames are the same the GP-20 is dark blue where the GP-7 (NYC) is Black. So when I have my vacation in April ( between normal days off and vacation taken I have 9 days) I plan to do this switch over and also convert my N/S dash 8 from conventional to TMCC also with railsound 4 for a dash 9 have all the parts now except will need to get a set of coil couplers for the GP as it doesn't have them. may need to get a mars lens and put a mars light in the GP-7 as the GP-20 had it and will bring it over when I switch electronics I hope to switch as much as possible still attached so less soldering wire connecting as possible.
You really should do a little work on soldering practice. You open up all sorts of possibilities if you're proficient, and it's not that hard to do.
Oh I very comfortable in soldering but why do it if you don't need to you just asking for problems. Its like the old say "don't fix what isn't broke."
I guess that last comment doesn't compute, at least with me. Most of the time I find it a lot easier to be able to assemble exactly what I want rather than buy something that I wouldn't have to solder and try to make it fit.
Whatever floats your boat.
its not trying to make it fit as both engines have the same frame just one has the motor mounted different so all I'm saying is if you don't need to unsolder something why do it.
now on another scenario I just took the GP-20 apart only had to unconnect about 5 places and all was with connectors so what I'm going to do since I got the frame down to just the frame is paint it and then reassemble it ( which I should of from the beginning considered). Then I will put the GP-7 shell on it and its done. Then do the same to the GP-7 and put the GP-20 shell on it and it will be done. Only thing is I need to contact my supplier and get a mars lens for the GP-7 and coil couplers for it.
Boxcar Bill who I think posts here and over in OGR has compatible electrocouplers. He has excellent prices as a rule, you might want to check him out. His site is Modern Toy Train Parts
Thats my supplier
I guess you know about him in that case.
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