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Z Scale Battery Controller
Phil a Z scale enthusiast asks:
“Is there a way to utilize a Rokuhan Z gauge battery train controller (RC03) to power non-Rokuhan accessories such as street lights and scratch built carnival rides, as well as power the train? Rokuhan does not sell the sockets separately that fit into their accessory power terminal (A016) which links to their RC03 controller…. Alternatively, I require a battery controller for a Z scale suitcase layout I am currently constructing. Is there any other battery controller that would do the job (power train and accessories) that anyone is aware of?”
10 Responses to Z Scale Battery Controller
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Phil,
Have a look at the Rokuhan webpage (http://www.rokuhan.com/english/products/accessories/), there are all cables (feeders) listed.
I’m not a Rokuhan expert, but use them e.g. for Nm/Nn3.
RP
Roland , Educate me on Nm/Nn3., I’ve worked a little bit with ON30 and HON , starting out with Bachumans ON30 trains , kits and kit bashing rail cars , and with HON useing a Kato 11-103 Powered Motorized Chassis to make engines useing brass laser kits and shapeways 3D printed rail buses . where can I find similar things for making custom engines and rail cars , the only powered chassis I know of is Rokuhan and Bandi , can you tell me who makes body shells to fit these . it’s something I really enjoy doing making my own custom trains , even took a fished price thomas ingine apart , cut the frame out to make a Kato drive fit giving me a one of a kind motorized thomas engine .
Thanks in Advance
Steve
Steven,
Take it easy…
My Nm-layout sees BanDai shells on Marklin Z 0-6-0 diesel chassis, a Bachmann N 0-4-0 steam engine with Atlas Shay tender on Z 2-6-0 and a Swedish DelPrado shell on Marklin Z BR V160 chassis.
It’s not my primary layout, more experimental.
You can connect just about anything to just about anything else; all you need is the right male/female connectors. If the brand-specific connectors on the equipment on hand (like the Rokuhan ones) do not fit the equipment you want to power, just cut them off and connect something suitable – preferably by twisting the wires together, soldering them to make a good joint and covering the bare wires with heat-shrink sleeving (which you will have to slip over one of the wires before you make your join. When cutting off a coonector from any wire, always leave enough wire attached to it to enable you to reinstate the situation you started with if you change your mind or find there’s not enough power.
the first Marklin lay out I did I did in an old suitcase , with the 9 volt Marklin battery controler , but given that I couldn’t control the speed of the engine I started thinking what type of reostate could I use . and I dug up a Auroa slot car control from when I was a kid back in the 60s , it worked well for my first layout allowing me to control the speed of the engine , by regulating the battery voltage . very crude but it worked and then I started looking online for something better and came across this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-6V-12V-24V-28V-3A-PWM-Motor-Speed-Controller-Forward-Reverse-ON-OFF-Switch/153486000713?hash=item23bc7a8249:g:MoUAAOSwbWlc2D-x . if my link gets elimated searc for a ” Motor speed control with forward and reverse ”
and found this to work very well , and then knowing how batteries wear out conected this to a ( volt power supply , the same type that you woud use to charge a 9 volt battery for a cordeless drill or screwdriver , I also found 9 volt adjustable power supply that will also work but with out the forward and reverse , but can still be made to work with a switch controling the current to the track
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-12V-2A-Speed-Control-Volt-AC-DC-Adjustable-Power-Adapter-Volt-Supply-Display/292593143006?hash=item441fe90cde:m:mPO2AX1X2L6LYasLKGykNcQ
search ” Speed-Control-Volt-AC-DC-Adjustable-Power-Adapter-Volt-Supply ”
I’ve also used both of these to power N scale trains with out a problem and given what transformers cost have found both of these very good .
with the first controler I build a wooden box to mount it in out of scrap wood from scratch building houses and leftover pieces from Laser cut kits and made them so I could either conect a plug in power supply or a 9 volt battery
I hope this helps you will try to post pictures
Steve
pictures of my home made 9 volt transformer
1st picture is the controler
2nd is having mounted it in a small cardboard box
3rd and 4th is one of the wooden boxes I built , that I made so I can either use a 9 volt battery or plug in power supply , and I also have it wired with both Marklin plugs and a Rokuhan conecter .
2nd picture
4th picture
1st picture of the controler
the first 2 pictures I tryed to post didn’t make it
2nd picture controler fitted into small box