Trainhead, I'm not sure where you are from but there is Lionel Service Station right near here in Metuchen, NJ called R&D Lines. He will fix anything that is Lionel in warranty or out of warranty. I believe there is a list in the box with the locomotive that shows all of the Service Stations.

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:

quote:

Originally posted by Train Memories:
Pete.
Before you put all your faith in Weaver, I send them my Lionel SF 4-8-4 for an EOB (4 chuffs) and they send it back that they could not do anything because it had the tether connection (between the eng. and tender). I also talked to I think Ken, the head guy, at ELECTRIC RR, and he also said they could NOT do anything fo me. So I'm still here with my engine, hoping and wishing.
Reuben

Do you know if TAS was able to upgrade engines with wireless tethers? I am guessing a special interface would have to made to translate the wired signals from the tender to wireless and vice versa. Another option would be to replace the wireless with wired tether.
Pete

Yes, with the Drop-in EOB board.

Can someone tell me what the EOB does for a TMCC equipped engine?

Thanks,

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by PRR Baby:
Can someone tell me what the EOB does for a TMCC equipped engine?

Thanks,

Steve

Engineer On Board cruise control.

Wow! 9 pages, 403 replies, and almost 36,000 views.

It gives you cruise control, and chuff select, 1-2-or 4 chuffs per revolution which is selected with the control. Works with both tmcc and legacy.

Since TAS is no longer an option, can one use the MTH smoke unit is a TMCC engine?

quote:

Originally posted by marker:
Since TAS is no longer an option, can one use the MTH smoke unit is a TMCC engine?

I have heard of people doing this. The units cost around $50 is I remember correctly.

I have several MTH smoke units that I plan to use with TMCC. You still need the TAS Chuff and Puff circuit, if you want the smoke to puff in sequence with the chuff. It is not a difficult circuit to build, but there is a priority programed chip in the circuit.

quote:

Since TAS is no longer an option, can one use the MTH smoke unit is a TMCC engine?

The original PS-1 units are fine. Newer units were designed to run at lower voltages.

Do you know what voltage that is?

Unfortunately no.

I just looked at the upgrade kit web pages and they seem to indicate the older smoke units would still work? This isn't what I remember from the earlier kits but that was several years ago.

I've done PS-1 to TMCC and just used the original fan driven smoke unit. I know that PS-2 kits include the newer couplers, the lighting harness, and the speaker because all of the guts were designed to run at lower voltage.

quote:

Originally posted by Lisa Marie Tahtaras:
I have several MTH smoke units that I plan to use with TMCC. You still need the TAS Chuff and Puff circuit, if you want the smoke to puff in sequence with the chuff. It is not a difficult circuit to build, but there is a priority programed chip in the circuit.

Hello Lisa
So when you talk about the Chuff and Puff circuit, do you mean the board that came with the TAS smoke unit?

The reason I ask is that, I have a TAS smoke unit that I bought just before they closed that I wanted to install it a Lionel PE Berk that I converted to TMCC.

I did the conversion by finding a similar Mini-Berk and swapping the caps of the engine and tender and all things with it and with TMCC work correctly and work correctly via DCS too.

I also just last week installed a motor speed controller from Electric Railroad and that works really well too.

But back when I got that TAS fan unit I tried to install it and first it was a bear to get into the smaller O-27 cap but I finally ground enough material away from the inside of the cap to make it fit and lined up with the output tube I had to fab, but then unfortunately there was this one capacitor from the board that just wouldn’t allow the whole thing to be installed as it just was to tall to allow the TAS board to sit over all the TMCC mother board connections.

If it weren’t for that one cap I probably could have made it fit but with it, it just jammed down into the motherboard plugs and would not allow the Berk cap to sit down all the way to I could screw it together, so I had to abandon the idea.

Recently though I revisited it by seeing if a MTH smoke unit would fit and it fits nicely but the draw back to it is I can’t figure out any way to sink the chuff and puff.

I thought about incorporating the existing mini switch, which is the one that gets switched off that combined cam lever for the mechanical smoke pump, but as far I can tell that is what activates the current chuff and puff sound so if I take that out, I will loose that.

If you have any knowledge about this, which is sounds like you might, I would greatly like to discuss it with you if you don't mind.

Thanks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WBFLine,

If you have the TAS smoke unit, that will fit except for one capacitor, Go to Radio Shack and buy another cap with the same rating. The voltage can be higher but not lower. Install it with longer leads, so it can be somewhere else. Make sure the polarity is correct.

Hello Lisa

I suppose I could always do that with the existing cap, IE, unsolder it and solder some extension leads and attach it somewhere.

But to be honest, especially as these are not available anymore, I was hoping not to do anything to it that might make it unsellable.

From your first description it sounds like you might know how to build something that I could use in place of it and use the MTH smoke unit as I know that will really fit well and I can always get any parts for as with the TAS unit I wouldn't.

Thanks

In order to build your own chuff and puff circuit, you need to acquire the programed chip from TAS. I don't have a source for it. The rest of the components are available from Radio Shack. Then just copy the TAS circuit board.

Another option to obtain 4 exhaust chuffs per driver revolution is to add two more lobes to the chuff cam on certain engines. Three years ago I did this to the first run Lionel Pere Marquette scale Berkshire #1225 and to the Lionel scale Daylight GS-2 #4410. In these and similar engines the 2 lobe chuff cam is located on the first driver axle, under the pc board. After removing the boiler shell, the pcb that covers the front driver axle, and the micro switch (chuff switch), clean the cam with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner on a Q-tip, rotating the drive mechanism by hand. Mix some quick setting JB Weld and dab some into the hollows between the existing cam lobes with a toothpick, duplicating the bumps on the existing cam lobe. Allow to harden. Be careful to make sure the new JB Weld lobes are as precise as possible, centered in each depression between the existing lobes. This ensures an evenly timed exhaust chuff. You want the chuff switch to open between the cam lobes as the axle rotates. I had to do some trimming of the JB Weld lobes with an Xacto knife after the JBW hardened. Since the existing chuff switch is reinstalled, the new 4 lobe cam makes 4 chuffs per driver revolution and puffs the smoke 4 times. A small amount of lube on the cam lobes keeps them contacting smoothly on the chuff switch arm. If you really want to make a more permanent 4 lobe chuff, I think Northwest Shortline makes them. They are in two pieces so you can screw them on to the axle. No changes need be made to the TMCC that came with these engines. Phil