RailPro > Finished RailPro Installation Examples

Kato SD40-2 - Deadrail Install with Railpro

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KPack:
I found the information I needed on this thread: http://rpug.pdc.ca/index.php/topic,235.0.html  Thanks Terry!

I purchased some 3.7V 700mah batteries from a hobby vendor online (banggood I think), that came in a 5-pack with charger for something aroud $20.  I then bought a few Pololu voltage converter boards from Litchfield Station, and some 2-pin plugs from Evan Designs (modeltrainsoftware.com). 

The hardest part of doing on this was figuring out where to fit the battery.  I used a Kato SD40-2 and the only place a battery like this would fit was in the fuel tank.  That meant milling off most of the metal from that area, which was a huge pain in the rear.  My friend was kind enough to do it on his mill for me. 

Once the milling was complete, I set the battery inside the fuel tank, routed wires through the frame and past the motor, then soldered it to one end of a 2-pin plug.  The other part of the 2-pin plug was soldered to the voltage converter board.  Then the power wires for the LM-2S were soldered to the converter board.  And that was it, really.  It wasn't much more complicated than that.

Here is an overview of the installation.  The Pololu converter is mounted to the styrene board right in front of the LM-2S module. 


Another view showing the wires coming up by the side of the motor


The battery inside the fuel tank


Look at how much room is above that speaker!  I love how Kato's motor is so low.


Here is a quick video showing how the battery works:


-Kevin

William Brillinger:
Nice work Kevin!

Alan:
Very cool. You really must report back on battery life after you have a bunch of hours of operation on the battery. The model plane guys seem to center around 100-200 charges for their batteries although they tax them heavier. Several battery testing web sites seem to agree on 500-1000 recharges max. Very curious to see how it plays out on model trains.

BTW Pololu makes all kinds of neat stuff for robotics. Their 2571 step-up regulator would allow you to get the normal RP 14.8V if you wish. It is slightly larger but should fit most places.

If you are thrifty like me, and can find the mounting space then check this out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-MT3608-Step-Up-Power-Apply-Booster-Module-DC-DC-2V-24V-2A-NEW/171907688472?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41451%26meid%3Dcfce865084c74c2f8361c6af72b22476%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D191871557118

nodcc4me:
Nicely done Kevin. Hard to believe you could fit all that hardware inside a diesel.  :D
Being somewhat electronically challenged, I'm not sure how you are able to run it with sound on only 3.7v?

KPack:
Thanks guys.  Alan, the battery will eventually have to be replaced, and with Kato's fuel tank being mostly open, that will not be much of an issue.  I will end up cutting out some of the plastic in the center of the tank, and slide the battery out.  A replacement will go in and I will either tape/glue it to the frame, or add some styrene to the tank to hold the battery in.  I do need to look into Pololu more and see what other products they have that we can use.  I was really impressed with the size of the their board....it takes up almost no space at all.

Al - I have a ton of space in this locomotive.  Partly because Kato mounts their motor so low, and partly because the only things I'm adding into the shell are the very small Pololu board and the small 2-pin plug.  I purposefully mounted the battery in the fuel tank because I wanted to keep the interior of the shell clean.  The other thing I did (you can see it in the 1st picture if you look carefully) is I mounted a small strip of brass on the stryene board to use as the "common" for all the lights.  All the lights have their positive wire soldered to that board....it really helped to keep things clean and tidy.  And I always like to tuck as many wires as I can between the motor and the module so they aren't hanging all over the place like a rat's nest.

-Kevin

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