I am starting the process of converting my Bachmann 3 Truck Shay to RC\Battery. First obstacle is placement of battery. I have seen other photos of the battery being installed in water tank with speaker but I don’t believe any of them are as close as shown below. Anyone see any issues with battery being this close to speaker magnet?
no problem
I’ve done the same thing with zero problems.
T
Thanks Greg and Terry. I am sure I will have other questions as I continue down this path, but I needed to get this resolved before I continue.
BTW: Greg, your website is a plethora of information. Many thanks for sharing with everyone.
Hi Dan, you have your correct answers. If you visit my web site you will see photos of how I place the battery next to the speaker. If you have any questions contact me through the web site.
Don
I never even thought to ask this question. Glad you did and I am thankful for the answer because my battery will lay on my speaker enclosure
Devon Sinsley said:
I never even thought to ask this question. Glad you did and I am thankful for the answer because my battery will lay on my speaker enclosure
I considered putting it on top of the speaker. Not directly in contact with it but on a platform built over the speaker. That got squashed because it was to high for the tank cover to fit back on. I’m still considering building a box on top of the water tank and make it look like a tool box and hiding the battery in there. Not sure how that would look. I’m not concerned about prototypical looks, just reasonable for the purpose.
Instead of a shelf consider enclosing the speaker altogether in a sealed box. It will sound better. Then you can rest the battery on it. But with the room issue that would have to be addressed. I am not intimately familiar with the Shay so not sure what you could do. But does the speaker sit directly below the coal load (it is a coal load right?)? If so could you make a taller coal load that is hollow on the bottom to fit the battery? I am shooting in the dark as I have no idea what your up against.
Devon, the 3rd truck on the Bachmann 3 Truck Shay is a water tank as shown below.
As mentioned earlier, I am still considering building a box on top of the tank to house the battery and disguise it as a tool box. I am going to do some significant bashing to the entire shay so adding the tool box (or it could be any type box for that matter) would probably fit right in to what I have in mind. The photos below give you some idea of what would be required to enclose the battery. Its about 1 ½ inches tall by 3 inches wide and long.
Hi Dan, If I may ask why are you using such a big battery. The CR-2105 14.8v 2200 mAh fits inside nicely inside your water tender with no modifications and will run this loco for 3 hours. Do you need over 3 hours?
Here is a photo of the battery install and the BIKU for power and charging jack. The red/black wires in the foreground are from the battery and charge jack. On the other side the red/black wire go to the circuit board to send power to the Bachmann board and RailLinx throttle.
Mounted and wired throttle and Phoenix board in oil tender. You can use the DCC wiring.
Hey Don. I do not necessarily need that big of a battery but its what I have and I’m not in a position to purchase another one right this minute. The battery will fit inside the water tank with the speaker with no problem, I’m just considering other options. My plan for the time being is to just put it inside and maybe look at moving it later on. I will put the G3 receiver and the P8 sound board in the oil bunker. Plenty of room there. Once I get everything hooked up and I know it all works, its got to come back out. I am going to strip the loco to the frame and rebuild it to Waverly Southern’s specs… what ever that turns out to be. Well, I do have a vague idea of what it will look like when I am done, much older and ragged.
Well looks like you have options. Since your already planing to bash it anyways that really extends your options. Hey make it a four truck shay and put the battery in a. . .just kidding. I think it would be entirely feasible that a company would add something to the top of the water tank. lots of good usable space. So your tool box or even a tank extension for holding more water maybe. I think you have some good fodder there for fun.
Now I don’t know why I don’t know this but are the Shay’s oil burners since you mention an oil bunker? This has alluded me but I admit I know next to nothing about geared locos.
Shays burned wood, coal and the later models burned oil. One of the changes I am considering is converting this one to a wood burner. Makes sense since it will be used in the logging industry.
THe only battery I would not place near anything is the old lead acid types as they can leak acid and destroy anything they touch (original PH hobby batteries)
This includes the alkaline batteries.
Yea, and you can hide an awful lot under a high stack of wood.
Many logging Shays burned coal or oil because it burned hotter then wood, and therefore gave the locomotive more power.
You can also cram that four battery square pack into the firebox, makes it handy for the climax and two truck shay.
T
Devon Sinsley said:
Well looks like you have options. Since your already planing to bash it anyways that really extends your options. Hey make it a four truck shay and put the battery in a. . .just kidding. I think it would be entirely feasible that a company would add something to the top of the water tank. lots of good usable space. So your tool box or even a tank extension for holding more water maybe. I think you have some good fodder there for fun.
Now I don’t know why I don’t know this but are the Shay’s oil burners since you mention an oil bunker? This has alluded me but I admit I know next to nothing about geared locos.
Devon,
It is my understanding that most Shays that were used for logging ops were converted to oil to cut down on hot embers going out the stack and causing fires in the woods. Wood fired locos throw the most embers, coal less and oil the least. HTH
That makes sense.
Terry Burr said:
You can also cram that four battery square pack into the firebox, makes it handy for the climax and two truck shay.
T
I put my battery in the water tank (5000maH LiPo with balance plug accessible via water filler), my motor controller Syren10 robotics control in the coal bunker and my sound (Mylocosound) and speaker will go in the firebox, the thinking there is that the sound will be right behind the pistons.