Just received my pre-ordered crane from Walther's #932-41956. Says it is "DCC ready" but Walther's is not suppling a decoder as after market nor will they even recommend one.
All I want to do is control the motor (draws 18ma @ 15.4 VDC at stall) and 2 or 3 light functions. No room for sound, barely room for a decoder...size does matter....
Anybody have any ideas???? Or better yet, already done one so I can steal their "work".
Got any pics of the inside?
Probably something like a TCS MC2 would fit - doesit have a socket of any sort or are they callign it DCC Ready because the motor is isolated? If there's an 8 pin socket, parhaps somethign like a DP2X would plug right in to it, if there's enough clearnace above the socket.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Manufacturers (importers) like Walthers never recommend a decoder because they don't make one -- it's usually up to the end user to determine what will or will not fit based on prior experience in selecting a decoder.
The first thing you need to do is open it up and see whether there is a decoder socket of some type, either an 8-pin NMRA or 9-pin JST, and how small the decoder needs to be in order to fit propely. "DCC Ready" has too many vague meanings and is nothing but a form of advertising hype..
I have opened this...no wiring harness or plug, just power from pick up to motor.
Not sure that "never" is an appropriate response to Manufactures not making a reccomendation for DCC decoders. I have had Bowser, Intermountain, Atheran, BLI and others list decoders that will fit their loco's.
Randy,
I have a bad enough time posting typed words without trying to add pictures. Size is a major concern, smaller the better. As Rich has pointed out in multiple forum posts that this is a "child's toy" so I have to consider that when I attempt to do this....
Walther;s describes this crane very well. Hand crank to operate the boom and hook. Motor drives one axle on each truck. Pickups on wheels. Page says, Space for decoder. The page does NOT say DCC ready. Do not assume.
Reminds me of a similar HO crane sold some years ago with the crank.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Not exactly on topic, but could you give us a review on how the crane runs, quality of detail and rigging, etc. Thanks.
Jim
As Rich has pointed out on several occasions, this is a "child's toy". That being said, here's my appraisal. Runs fairly well on DC, a little noisy but may quiet down with proper lube and more run in time. Has cast on details which are a bit over size, cab "glass" is way too thick, paint is reasonable and lettering is sharp.
I bought this more as an experiment and to see how this motor lash up worked. After receiving it the grandkids got a kick out of it. That's when I thought about putting a motor only DCC decoder in it and add/modify some of the details. I have an older Tichy boom car that I am going to match paint and decal for UP to use with this crane for the kids to play with. For less than $65 + decoder, it ill be a fun summer project.
A Micro Tsunami or LokSound Micro would work but probably very tight and I doubt any room for a speaker. No doubt a diesel sound.
I found the crane diagram page at the HO Seeker site and it looks like the hand crank mechanism occupies much of the space. It is the Walther's 1995 version of the crane and it does not have any motor/gear mechanism info. If there was any way to scan the diagram that comes with the crane, Larry at HO Seeker would post the diagrams for you if you email it to him.
I,ve learned the hard way about Walthers sales hype.I orderd one of thier 134 foot turntables thats suppose to be dcc .I ordered it Sept 19 2010.Every 3 months they push the dilivery date back! The ad caught me eye and I really needed one for my layout.If they don,t diliver this time (July 26th )I,m asking for my money back!!!!
L&N.....Gone but not forgotten
Rich,
The "instruction" sheet that came with this is useless. Has two small poor quality photos of the cab with a line drawing off how the rigging is installed. No exploded views or diagrams of the interior. The winch system does take up quite a bit of the main housing but after making a play dough model of the micro Tsunami I think I can get it mounted inside the rear part. It would certainly fit in the cab but I was actually going to try and model the cab interior complete with an operator.
I've taken a few photos but not ready to tackle uploading them to web so they can be downloaded here. One of these days when I feel "computer geeky" I'll read up and do it.
Thanks for the heads up on HO Seeker. In all my searching I had never come across that site. He has some great early info posted.
Bill
Not sure what this post has to do with adding a decoder to a Walther's crane.....There was no "hype" on Walther's pre-order info, they said it was easy to convert to DCC, not DCC ready. My original post was to see if anyone had any ideas on what to use for a decoder.
DCC ready to me, means it has some type of plug or harness that you may or may not be able to plug in an after market decoder.
What I assumed from Walther's info about this crane was, I would not have to go through the mechanics of isolating the motor from the frame....
Sounds like a plan.
Not sure which Micro Tsunami sound would be appropriate. You might email Litchfield Station and ask for opinions. They have helped me.
No idea on speaker choice though. No idea of space after the decoder is installed. Litchfield has a pretty good selection of speakers and good prices with free shipping over $75.00 the last time I ordered. Baffle for the speaker might be nice depending on the cab design.
It ought to be an interesting project.
MOAVBILLY Not sure what this post has to do with adding a decoder to a Walther's crane.....There was no "hype" on Walther's pre-order info, they said it was easy to convert to DCC, not DCC ready. My original post was to see if anyone had any ideas on what to use for a decoder. DCC ready to me, means it has some type of plug or harness that you may or may not be able to plug in an after market decoder. What I assumed from Walther's info about this crane was, I would not have to go through the mechanics of isolating the motor from the frame....
Many make "assumptions' when it comes to DCC. I see this a lot. Stepping from DC to DCC is a bigger jump than many realize and do not take the time to study the basics and there are many possibilities when it comes to DCC installs.
Since your going to use the boom car with the crane. You could put a sound board or small decoder in the boom car box and run your wires underneath the boom car to the crane. Put a small speaker in the crane. I would try that.
Bob