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DCC Conversion for a Rivarossi F-19 Pacific/With Photos and Video Added

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  • Member since
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  • From: Texas
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Posted by C&O Fan on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 6:17 PM

Here's a short clip of a passing shot on the bridge

The chuff seems right to me

http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/AddPost.aspx?ReplyToPostID=1684309&Quote=False

TerryinTexas

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http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Monday, April 20, 2009 7:59 AM

rrinker

Snip

 Best bet is to usually get it right for slower speeds, because that's when peopel can actually count wheel revolutions.

                             --Randy

 

Yep I agree after a Scale 20 MPH the wheels are a blur

TerryinTexas

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Posted by rrinker on Friday, April 17, 2009 5:32 PM

 Yup, better than the first vid. Probably the best you can do without swapping motors, or regearing it. Hard to tell in digitized videos sometimes, but it seems liek the chuff rate is too low. A basic 2-cylinder steam loco will have 4 chuffs per revolution, at the speed it was runnign at the end they'd probbaly almost completely blend together. There should be a CV or two that can tweak the chuff rate based on speed, even without adding a cam (which is the only way to get it absolutely correct at all speeds - be that a wheel cam or one on the motor shaft calibrated to the gear ratio and wheel size). Best bet is to usually get it right for slower speeds, because that's when peopel can actually count wheel revolutions.

                             --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
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  • From: Texas
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Posted by C&O Fan on Friday, April 17, 2009 7:44 AM

C&O Fan

rrinker

 Best you can do is set the speed to speed step 1 and adjust CV2 until it moves at the slowest possible speed. That will be as slow as it posisbly can go. To get it any slower would require a different motor and/or gears. Use Ops Mode programming on the main to adjust it. If your DCC system isn't such that it has a throttle which will display the exact speed step, use the JMRI throttle. Adjusting the momentum will slow down how long it takes to get from minimum speed to the set throttle position, but can't make it run any slower.

                                            --Randy

 

Spent the morning playing with decoder pro

ended up with speed step 1 set at 5 and speed step 28 set at 90

with Acceleration and braking rates set at 20

runs much better now top speed looks like 50 scale miles per hour

 

I shot some video of it

In this scene the throttle is set at 50% and to start the loco i just flip the direction switch to forward

and the loco starts it's self using the momentum programed in

I think it's pretty close

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVy-diKH2Qk

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:20 PM

rrinker

 Best you can do is set the speed to speed step 1 and adjust CV2 until it moves at the slowest possible speed. That will be as slow as it posisbly can go. To get it any slower would require a different motor and/or gears. Use Ops Mode programming on the main to adjust it. If your DCC system isn't such that it has a throttle which will display the exact speed step, use the JMRI throttle. Adjusting the momentum will slow down how long it takes to get from minimum speed to the set throttle position, but can't make it run any slower.

                                            --Randy

 

Spent the morning playing with decoder pro

ended up with speed step 1 set at 5 and speed step 28 set at 90

with Acceleration and braking rates set at 20

runs much better now top speed looks like 50 scale miles per hour

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
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Posted by rrinker on Thursday, April 16, 2009 7:00 AM

 Best you can do is set the speed to speed step 1 and adjust CV2 until it moves at the slowest possible speed. That will be as slow as it posisbly can go. To get it any slower would require a different motor and/or gears. Use Ops Mode programming on the main to adjust it. If your DCC system isn't such that it has a throttle which will display the exact speed step, use the JMRI throttle. Adjusting the momentum will slow down how long it takes to get from minimum speed to the set throttle position, but can't make it run any slower.

                                            --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
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  • From: Texas
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Posted by C&O Fan on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:14 PM

rs2mike

Sounds good.  It looks like it takes off from the line pretty quick.  Is that the video or does it really go that fast?

Mike

Sadly its geared way too high Mike

I can put alittle more momentum in the decoder and that will help

I have a request in at the JMRI website for programming help to slow it down

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by rs2mike on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:08 PM

Sounds good.  It looks like it takes off from the line pretty quick.  Is that the video or does it really go that fast?

Mike

alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)

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Posted by C&O Fan on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 4:36 PM

Got the Bugs worked out and shot some video

The sound is much better in person but it gives you an idea

http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q4/TerryinTexas/?action=view&current=MVI_1766.flv

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 7:23 AM
Last night i took the loco apart and the contact pins seemed to be ok
they had good spring tension and were contacting the drivers
yet i fail to get a signal when touching the wheel and frame with
the probes of my meter
I do however get a signal when touching either front pilot wheel on the right side
and the frame
????????????????????????????

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:17 PM

SteamFreak

 There are sprung plungers that pick up current from the front and rear driver rims on the side opposite the traction tires. It's possible for the springs in them to become weakened or burned out completely if too much current has run through them (i.e. a short).

That's good to know

when i tested the drivers with my meter on the OHMS setting i got nothing

so they must be burned

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by SteamFreak on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 7:45 PM

 There are sprung plungers that pick up current from the front and rear driver rims on the side opposite the traction tires. It's possible for the springs in them to become weakened or burned out completely if too much current has run through them (i.e. a short).

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Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 5:43 PM

Used a dremel to cut a small weight to put on top of the pilot

truck to get a better contact with the rail

I used some double sided tape to attach it while I test it to see if it helps

I'll also put a piece of band aid over the top {out of Electrical tape} to avoid a short

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:01 AM

SteamFreak

 Nice job, Terry. One thing I wanted to mention is that I would drill out the stoker opening in the back of the loco, and run the wires through that under the footplate, instead of over. The connector looks like it might lift the front of the tender with the current configuration, which would only create pickup problems.

 

I hadn't thought of doing it that way

but i will look and see if there is room

This loco does have pickup problems

From what i can tell only the front 2 right side pilot wheels pick up. Not the drivers

and i don't understand that

I'm trying to figure a way to add weight to the pilot wheels for better rail contact

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by SteamFreak on Sunday, April 12, 2009 10:16 PM

 Nice job, Terry. One thing I wanted to mention is that I would drill out the stoker opening in the back of the loco, and run the wires through that under the footplate, instead of over. The connector looks like it might lift the front of the tender with the current configuration, which would only create pickup problems.

  • Member since
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Posted by C&O Fan on Sunday, April 12, 2009 4:32 PM

I Put the Loco on the Programming track Saturday morning and held my breath as i powered up the

system

Thankfully no smoke

The sound came on with a clank of the Johnson Bar then the pumps started running

I gave the whistle a try and was really impressed with the High Bass Speaker

GREAT SOUND

I use decoder pro to Change the address to the road number

and took it for a spin

Sounded great BUT need to work on the electrical pick up

So back to the work bench !

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Friday, April 10, 2009 9:00 AM

Finished up the Loco side wiring and test fit Tender and Loco

I used the Drawing from Tony's Train Exchange to wire the loco

the only difference is my motors + and - polls were switched

 

The Step plate looking thing you see between the Loco and tender is actually the wire plugs

 

TerryinTexas

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http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 6:05 PM

Tested the head light and it was bad so i replaced the bulb with a 16 volt bulb

Not as bright but should last longer

Finished up the tender side of the wiring

The automatic wire strippers are really a big help

 

I used a 2 wire plug and a 4 wire plug between the engine and tender

the 2 wire is for the light and the 4 wire is for the track pick up and motor

The other 2 wire is for the speaker

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 9:58 AM

I Soldered the speaker wires and used shrink wrap to insulate them

after testing i will seal the hole in the base where the wires come out

to make it an air tite baffle

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Monday, April 6, 2009 3:30 PM

Rather than use the oval speaker i'm going to try a Round High Bass Speaker

I cut a support to hold it steady in the tender

and i lucked out because it does just fit

It comes with it's own baffle

Kinda looks like a bottle cap

I'll use a  2 pin connector for the wires so i can easily swap speakers

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by C&O Fan on Monday, April 6, 2009 1:15 PM

rs2mike

Thats funny.  How did it run before you put the motor in it?  Maybe there is something binding in the shaft or something.

 

Ok I found the problem  ME !

STUPID STUPID STUPID !

There was another loco on the layout bridging the isolation gap which by it's self

was causing a short but it was alowing the Pacific to run slowly for about a foot before

shutting it down with overload protection

once I moved the offending loco back accross the gap and removed the short the Pacific ran

like a dream in both directions

I found the problem by accident when i removed the pacific but the over load light stayed on !!

so i checked the whole layout and sure enough one DCC loco was about one inch too far forward

accross the gap

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Banged Head Banged Head Banged Head

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by rs2mike on Monday, April 6, 2009 12:38 PM

Thats funny.  How did it run before you put the motor in it?  Maybe there is something binding in the shaft or something.

alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)

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Posted by SteamFreak on Monday, April 6, 2009 12:06 PM

 That's odd, the gearing in these was quite well made, although a bit too fast. I would clean the gears thoroughly and regrease, but it sounds more like a running gear or quartering issue, which can be directional in nature.

  • Member since
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Posted by C&O Fan on Monday, April 6, 2009 9:42 AM

rs2mike

Great job terry.  I have used cvbackshop motors a couple times.  The current draw is wicked low.  I used the heisler motor for my riv heisler and put an n scale decoder in it.  I also put a heisler motor in an ahm plymoth diesel switcher.  With very little work this has also turned out to be a quiet and slow runner.  I think you will be very pleased with your motor.

Mike

The motor is very quiet but i'm having some gear problems

I may have to replace some as it wants to lock up when i change directions

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Texas
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Posted by C&O Fan on Friday, April 3, 2009 11:00 AM

 

I made a speaker baffle for the oval speaker
out of cardboard but i may still use the
round high base speaker if it fits
 
 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

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Posted by rs2mike on Thursday, April 2, 2009 7:41 PM

Nice job Terry.  Thanks for the picture tutorial.  I am saving this for my berk transition.

Mike

alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Texas
  • 2,934 posts
Posted by C&O Fan on Thursday, April 2, 2009 3:53 PM

I made a Speaker face plate out of card board

That fits just under the coal load

I also made a Cardboard shelve for the decoder in the back of the tender above the weights

 

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
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Posted by C&O Fan on Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:56 AM

I plan on adding weight to improve electrical contact

I drilled and tapped the rivet that holds the electrical contact in place and inserted a 2/56 screw for the wire attachment

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
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  • From: ohio
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Posted by rs2mike on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 7:13 PM

Great job terry.  I have used cvbackshop motors a couple times.  The current draw is wicked low.  I used the heisler motor for my riv heisler and put an n scale decoder in it.  I also put a heisler motor in an ahm plymoth diesel switcher.  With very little work this has also turned out to be a quiet and slow runner.  I think you will be very pleased with your motor.

Mike

alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)

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