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Some thoughts on MPC

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Posted by sir james I on Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:23 PM
The tabs are easier to see if you hold the car upside down. Get one end loose and then the other.

"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks 

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Saturday, March 29, 2008 8:27 PM
I just converted [tonight] a K-Line switcher [motors in the trucks] to TMCC.  Something as some MPC's.  Next converting two MPC GP9's to TMCC and sounds with cruise.

 God bless TCA 05-58541   Benefactor Member of the NRA,  Member of the American Legion,   Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville Laugh,   KC&D QualifiedCowboy       

              

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Posted by 3railguy on Saturday, March 29, 2008 9:38 PM

 ChiefEagles wrote:
I just converted [tonight] a K-Line switcher [motors in the trucks] to TMCC.  Something as some MPC's.  Next converting two MPC GP9's to TMCC and sounds with cruise.

Chief, how much does it cost to do what you say? Who do you buy your stuff from? I'd like to convert a GP-20. It's got a pullmore motor however. I don't care about cruise if pullmores are an issue. What about smoke units? Ever tried that?

John Long Give me Magnetraction or give me Death.
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Posted by 3railguy on Saturday, March 29, 2008 11:49 PM
 sir james I wrote:

This car has no box, so if that's a problem, go to the next listing!

HOWEVER this car  is in Superb condition....CLEAN  It has the slightest sign of wheel wear from minimal usage. In short, it's a Sweetie!!!

I love this guy's ebay listing. LMAO! I'm gonna spring for it. It's a car I want.

John Long Give me Magnetraction or give me Death.
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Posted by ADCX Rob on Sunday, March 30, 2008 10:41 AM
 LL675 wrote:

I just got a brand new, in the box, never run MADE IN THE USA Lionel!!! been picking up some Pennsy "Baby Madisons". got the 9510  Combo yesterday. nice detail,look good behind my 675. watching a few more, just need to find one of the observations. I'm liking MPC more and more.

I've heard the roofs of these cars are hard to get off. any tips?

 Thanks

The secret seems to be to squeeze the notched windows in from the bottom or sides instead of trying to reach over the top... hold the car in front of you with the windows facing to your left & right between your hands.

Press in on the "notched" rear windows with both index fingers using a pushing up motion at the same time to "unlock" the raised tabs from the windows. Switch to the front windows and do the same. Repeat on back windows again... usually by this time you have opened up the roof enough to get a grip on the roof panel and raise it straight up & out of the car.

Over 30 years using this method and I've never cracked a window frame/strut. 

Rob 

Rob

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Sunday, March 30, 2008 12:23 PM
 3railguy wrote:

 ChiefEagles wrote:
I just converted [tonight] a K-Line switcher [motors in the trucks] to TMCC.  Something as some MPC's.  Next converting two MPC GP9's to TMCC and sounds with cruise.

Chief, how much does it cost to do what you say? Who do you buy your stuff from? I'd like to convert a GP-20. It's got a pullmore motor however. I don't care about cruise if pullmores are an issue. What about smoke units? Ever tried that?

Was using Digital Dynamics but switched to Electric RR.  Mini commanders worked great if no sound is needed.  Last purchases were Electric RR Sound Commander Combos [TMCC, Cruise and Sounds].  Going to install them in the MPC GP9's and moving Mini Commanders from them to the K-Line switchers I have.  One switcher will have to be a repaint/decal to get NS.  

Smoke units:  I mainly use Lionel smoke units.  They will not fit in some narrow shells.  Since I am using command, I build bridge rectifiers to reduce voltages as 18V produces too much smoke and might burn out the element. 

For headlights in dummies, I am now using LEDs that I got form a company and you do not have to install diodes.  They are small and fit in the headlight places in shells.

 

I built my own brackets and use one side sticky closed foam insulation from ACE [the wide type used to seal camper shells and etc.].

This was the test of the first one I tried.  Ended up using only three rectifiers to get good smoke.  

Will try to paste a converted MPC GP9 repaint/decal that I removed mini commander kit and going to intall Sound Commander Combo.  If room, will add smoke.

[suddenly CTT will not paste from Shutterfly????]   

 God bless TCA 05-58541   Benefactor Member of the NRA,  Member of the American Legion,   Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville Laugh,   KC&D QualifiedCowboy       

              

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Sunday, March 30, 2008 12:26 PM

Had to use the insert images to get it to work??????  Crasy software.

 God bless TCA 05-58541   Benefactor Member of the NRA,  Member of the American Legion,   Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville Laugh,   KC&D QualifiedCowboy       

              

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Posted by 3railguy on Sunday, March 30, 2008 3:12 PM

Chief, thanks for taking the time to post. The NS geep repaint looks sharp. I googled Electric RR's sight and it looks like the AC commander deluxe kit with sounds @ $120 is what I want.

I noticed the cruise commander is tachless and works with DC motors and they have an AC version on the drawing board. I wonder if they mean DC permag motors as pullmores will work off DC as well as AC.

John Long Give me Magnetraction or give me Death.
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Posted by lionelsoni on Sunday, March 30, 2008 5:24 PM

There are a couple of ways to get speed information from a permanent-magnet motor.  One is to measure the armature resistance R and use the fact that the armature voltage E is equal to the back-EMF from the motor, which is proportional to speed, minus the ohmic voltage drop; that is, speed is proportional to E - IR, where I is the current drawn by the motor.  Another way is to drive the motor intermittently, allowing it to alternate between acting as a motor and as a generator and tachometer.  This has the advantage of not requiring knowledge of the armature resistance.  However, the on-off operation generally makes the motor run hotter than with pure DC.

These methods are not easily adapted to universal motors.  However there are other ways to get at speed information.  One is similar to the intermittent method, but with a small constant excitation current during the off period.  Another exploits the fact that voltage E is proportional to the product of current I and velocity.  Therefore velocity is proportional to E/I.  In other words, an ideal universal motor looks electrically like a resistance proportional to its velocity.  A real motor has the actual resistances of the armature and field in series with this ideal virtual resistance.  So it is possible to measure speed by dividing motor voltage by current, then subtracting off the real resistances.  What is left is proportional to speed.

Bob Nelson

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Posted by 3railguy on Sunday, March 30, 2008 5:56 PM
Lionelsoni, what you are saying is the kind of thing I was getting at. I should wait for the AC version to come out.
John Long Give me Magnetraction or give me Death.

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