Ok so I have a Aristocraft Doodlebug that I don’t use on my home layout because I haven’t converted it to battery yet. Here;s what i was thinking.
Stupid question about to happen here
I don’t use it much anyways, I have several scientific toy train “guts” and controllers from the cheapo xmas sets, have you or anyone out there taken the guts and put it in an aristo/usatrains/bachman engine?
ph9BRTftPDy2!~~60_35.JPG)
Never tried it.
I’d be worried about whether the cheap controller could handle the amps.
Ralph
Jerry Barnes said he put a 9.6v battery in his Doodlebug and that runs at a good spped, thats the same battery that can run the scientific toys train
I’d probably take the lights off the board and just put a seperate 9 volt battery for lights with a simple on/off switch
then use the rc from the scientifi just to run the motor of the bug
I’ve got a nearly identical project sitting on my workbench right now awaiting funds for a “Li’l Big Hauler” loco. My attempts to swap out the drivers on my son’s el-cheapo locomotive weren’t successful, so I’m biting the bullet and buying him that which I should have in the first place, except now at least I’ve got a cheap R/C control for it and a bunch of rolling stock already.
I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t work except perhaps current draw by the two motors on the doodlebug being excessive.
Later,
K
Kevin Strong said:
I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t work except perhaps current draw by the two motors on the doodlebug being excessive.
Later,
K
That’s what I was referring to. Amps, not volts 
Ralph
Sorry Mark but your talking way outside my experience level.
We have one guy; Gord; that has done a good conversion of an Aristo Doodlebug to a R/c Revelusion…check with Paul Norton at: www.ovgrs.org for a link to the conversion…
Keep the Aristo power brick, and go with a Revolution system…it might cost more, but if you are going to do it…don’t go cheap…do it well once and start having fun…
Back in my early days, I floundered around a bit trying to find the cheapest way to do Batt/RC…I thought I could find a way that nobody else had attempted…I was wrong, the stuff made for LS Trains works the Best!
the following is simply opinion: It’s not worth the effort to use a substandard product. At the least it won’t work, at the worst-you burn your Doodlebug to the ground.
by re-reading your post, I’m assuming you already do Batt/RC on your line…save your funds and buy what ever you normally use. Or toss a 9.6v Battery pack inside with a DPDT switch to control direction and let’er go.
I can easily and cheaply convert them using my normal esc from hobby king $5
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1488111_1434878176740555_286237547_n.jpg)
and the rx
(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1476592_1434878196740553_851543254_n.jpg)i
But i’m out of them right now and didn’t want to order any if I only need 1 each
Mark I posted this in Battery but another cheaper option would be this. Remote controls for light dimmers.
http://trainelectronics.com/Articles/RadioControl-LED-8Amp/
In another thread, it appears that the Doodlebug only has one motor (the lead truck); the rear truck is not powered. (I was going on the premise that both were powered, a la the RDC.) I tend to be the experimental type, so I’d have a go with it. If you end up releasing the magic smoke, you really haven’t lost all that much. It’s not like you were going to use it for something else anyway.
Later,
K
At the risk of hijacking this thread (apology in advance), I’ve used the set up David Bodnar describes. I use it to operate a battery powered track cleaning train. It consists of an MDC critter industrial switcher and two Hartland shortie gons. In the middle gon is the remote control; beneath it is a track cleaning pad. The trailing gon holds a battery pack rated at 14.4 volts. I’ve run this train for up to four hours on a single charge.
The batteries are rechargeable; I do that before every session, just so I’ve got plenty of power. After several trips around the track, I can then use track power to run the rest of my fleet.
I didn’t put the diode in, although I can see it would be easy to do. I have a reversing switch in the loco, and do the direction change manually.
Easy AND cheap.
