About 4 years ago, I purchased a Velvet Touch R/C system with all the trimmings, from Jonathan Bliese of Electric and Steam Modelworks. Well, life interfered, and I wasn’t able to complete the project. I boxed up everything and put in on the shelf, first waiting a move that didn’t happen, then, because of that move, I had torn out my railroad, and the project was just not on the front burner, anymore.
Finally, a few weeks ago, the project came up on the Consolidated Ships Maintenance Plan, (CSMP for you swabbies), and I sent Jonathan the following email:
[i]Jonathan,
I am quite sure that you might not remember, it has been so long. However, in the summer of 2005, I purchased from you a “Velvet Touch” R/C Throttle, a Futaba Attack 2ER, a 2K2 from Phoenix, and a “TEN-LOC” from Tony Walsham. Within a day of it’s arrival, you sent me an email stating that you were rushed when you boxed it up for me, and didn’t think that you had sent all the parts, nor did you think that you had programmed the 2K2 for the Mallet it was to go into. You asked me to send you a list of what was missing.
I did my best to inventory the stuff, but having no experience with R/C at all, all I could see that was missing was the speaker for the 2K2, which you sent post-haste.
I tried to make sense of what was there, corresponded with you several times, asking for help, which you graciously supplied, but in the end, I decided that it was beyond me, and put it on the shelf, thinking that if I let it set for a while, I would find the electronic muse and it would all fall in place.
Then, “Life” intervened, I had to tear out my layout and box it all up.
In the meantime, I gained some experience with installing R/C in various locos, and have now returned to the Velvet Touch. I now know that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. The reason that I was so mystified was that there were some important pieces missing, and without them, I couldn’t make heads or tails of the project. I am missing the Y-Cable, and what appears to be an RF noise choke.
If you would be so kind as to tell me how I might obtain those, I will be forever in your debt. Programing the 2K2 I can take care of here, at a friends shop.[/i]
Jonathan replied:
[i]I likely have a y cable around here somewhere. You need this item only if you use Tamiya connectors for battery hookup. I do not use these because they are too large and bulky.
The RF choke item is optional. I always install without it and check performance. Add it in only if required. I do not believe it will be needed with the Velvet touch/2 stick radio setup as this is a high power system and is not easily susceptible to interference. It all depends on the loco motor generally . I believe I have some of those around here also, but never use them.
I still use Tamiya, just not as much. There is also a mini Tamiya, not that much smaller, and for jobs below 5 amp total draw I sometimes have used a BEC type connector. But mostly I do not use them at all. Hard wire to a terminal strip /battery install kit , and you can always unscrew the connectors to get batteries out years from now if needed.
Let me do some looking in my parts and stuff. No payment required.
The parts are on the way. If you end up not using the Suppression chokes just send them back in a bag sometime
Glad to here you are giving it a go again. Things have changed quite a bit since then.
Jonathan/Emw[/i]
In today’s world, this kind of customer service is too often missing. Thank you, Jonathan, for your excellent service.
Steve Featherkile
ps. Yes, the mallet finally runs on RC, and has sound.
Nice guy.
My mother had this weird reason for Jon (I’m not a Jonathan). She liked the name John, but hated the nickname Jack, so she chose the form with no H so people would think it already was a nickname