RCS is proud to present a range of installation options for battery R/C of
THOMAS & FRIENDS
Locos.
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Ever since Bachmann© released the THOMAS & Friends (and the Li'l Big Hauler) locos, RCS has been looking for a way of converting them as economically and as simply as possible to battery R/C and sound. Now we have found such a way.
EVO-BATTERY HANDPIECE RCS has recently released our new pocket sized RCS EVO-BATTERY (EB) handpieces which are easy for small hands to use. Ideal low cost Radio Control has been made possible. Direction and speed control is with a medium sized knob which is set up for Centre OFF control. Directional LED lighting is possible, as are sound triggers. You will only need one EB handpiece as you can bind as many locos to one TX handpiece as you like. You will only need extra TX handpieces for extra operators. You can swap all locos between any extra handpieces at will. If you already have DSM2 TX's stick radios or RCS TX-1, TX-3, TX-5, or TX-7 handpieces. You can use them instead of the RCS EB handpiece.
The EB was made as simple as possible to help keep the costs down. There are two sound triggers. ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLER RCS is now selling a small easy to fit and use 6 amp* VIPER ESC made by Mtroniks in the UK. We have chosen this ESC to be the most suitable for use with Thomas & Friends. Thorough testing has proven this new ESC to be reliable in the field. * 6 amps seems like overkill, but it is the smallest ESC Mtroniks make. LOCO HEAD & TAIL LIGHTS If you want directional constant brightness lights you will need to use the directional lighting outputs available with a # REV-LT kit. LED's supplied separately. OR: Replace the DSM2-RA-Mini Rx with an Rx102-1(AB)LR Rx instead and use the lighting features of the # Rx102-1(AB)LR Rx.
BATTERIES The Thomas & Friends locos are perfectly happy using 9.6 volts, which is plenty fast enough for most users. Although it is not too fast for young operators who like driving locos fast, but all too often end up crashing them. The loco bodies are quite large enabling 8 x AA rechargeable cells to fit in fairly easily. The cost of batteries is always a factor in all battery conversions. To help keep costs down RCS is supplying rechargeable 4 in a row side by side flat AA holders for 4.8 volts each pack are economical and will fit in most of the locos. 2 x holders with 4 x AA batteries each are required @ A$ 30 each. They come without standard servo lead connections and the wiring is to be spliced for 9.6 volts. They fit most of the locos except Percy and Thomas. Percy can use two 2 x 2 inline AA holders that use 4 x hybrid AA LSD batteries in each holder or 4 x regular AA size NiMh batteries in each holder. Thomas does require specialist packs of 2 x 2 long AA cells to be made up. These are more expensive than the flat packs but not outrageously so. All batteries are 2,000 mah capacity which will run a loco for at least 2 hours.
INSTALLATION KITS Our fused regular BIK-U3b 3 amp installation kit is used. This is installed on the back of each loco or tender where it is easily accessible along with a battery charge port. Tender - loco connector cables are provided free of charge for EMILY & JAMES. Check out installations ideas at the bottom of this page. CHARGER We use and recommend the Powertech PLUS charger (MB-3632). These are a conditioning smart charger and require a 12 volt regulated DC power supply. The chargers are supplied with the correct plug for the # BIK-U3 installation kit jack, which will be mounted on the back of the loco. Re-charge time is about 2 hours from flat. These are a one time purchase and can be used with all your locos. You can use any charger you like that is suitable for NiMh, but the charge plug must be a 2.5 mm x 5 mm type. SOUND SYSTEMS These are an optional extra. We use and recommend the economically priced Australian made MyLocosound steam sound with a voltage controlled chuff. The current model has 5 x sounds, some of which are programmed for automatic operation. You will only need to trigger 2 x sounds using the Ch # 3 pushbuttons. You will require 1 x # 2-W-S. You could use Ch # 5 for just one sound trigger (whistle) which would require another # 2-W-S
Other wise you would need a TX-7 for more sound trigger functions.
Speaker placement inside these locos is not very easy. In our earlier installations we had a small oval speaker under the coal load of THOMAS which worked OK. However we now mount a 40 mm x 30 mm oval speaker in the backhead of the tank locos. This has proven to be ideal. The loco body acts as a "boom box" so the sound volume can be quite loud. Sound is vented through the cab which has a removable roof. A larger speaker can be installed in the tenders of James and Emily etc. |
| PARTS USED BY RCS FOR A BASIC THOMAS & FRIENDS INSTALLATION. (1 x Per loco unless stated) Order as a kit below or scroll down to individual items you want & add to cart. Please note. Reduce quantities In cart by placing a - before the amount. Then "update cart". PDF INSTRUCTION PAGES ARE LISTED BELOW. |
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| LOCO |  THOMAS |
 PERCY |
 EMILY (Free connectors) |
 JAMES (Free connectors) |
 TOBY |
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Use an EB for single loco control and 2 x sound triggers on one handpiece. |
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EVO BATTERY DSM2 |
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| VIPER-10-15 |
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| DSM2-RA-Mini |
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| BATTERIES | 2 x SPECIAL PACKS  |
2 x # 4-AA-TS + 2 x LSD-AA |
2 x 4-AA-HOLDER |
2 x 4-AA-HOLDER |
2 x 4-AA-HOLDER |
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| H-Shrink (For connecting batteries) |
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| BIK |  |
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| APPROX COST |
A$280 + A$ 20 postage |
A$233 + A$ 20 postage |
A$224 |
A$224 |
A$224 + A$ 20 postage |
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| NEXT LOCO (No TX) |
A$191 |
A$144 |
A$135 |
A$135 |
A$135 + A$ 15 postage |
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| OPTIONAL EXTRA ONE TIME BUY ONLY, BUT A CHARGER IS NEEDED FOR THE FIRST LOCO. | ||||||
| MB-3632 CHARGER |
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| 2 AMP 12 VOLT PS |
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| OPTIONAL EXTRAS FOR LIGHTS & SOUND ETC. | ||||||
| LED KIT* | ||||||
| STEAM MyLocosound |
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| IR-Remote (Only 1 x required for adjusting sound) |
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| SPEAKER |  |
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| * NEEDED IF FITTING LED's ONLY ** ONLY NEEDED IF FITTING SOUND OR INCANDESCENT LIGHTS | ||||||
| IDEAS FOR COMPONENT LAYOUT | |||
THOMAS |
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| Remove rear 6 x screws only. | Remove part of plastic screw support. | Placement of batteries/ | |
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| Rear holes drill pattern. | Charge jack & ON - OFF switch mounted. | Basic VIPER ESC & RX in coal bunker. |
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PERCY |
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| Battery placement. | Mounting components. | Speaker output. | |
EMILY |
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| Battery Placement + ESC + Sound | Mount BIK | Rear of tender | |
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| Front of tender w/LED indicator | Speaker mount | Inside rear body shell | |
JAMES |
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| Inside rear of tender. | Speaker & support under components. | ||
TOBY |
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| Battery placement + ESC on top | MyLocosound + speaker | BIK Installation | |
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| Remove Toby switch and wiring. | |||
| Model | Price | Image | Description |
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EVO BATTERY REQUIRES AN ALKALINE PP3 9 VOLT TRANSISTOR BATTERY. |
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| EVOLUTION BATTERY  |
A$99 | |
Use an EB for single loco control and 2 x sound triggers on one handpiece. |
| Model | Price | Image | Description |
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| BASIC ESC. REQUIRES 1 x DSM2 RX. | |||
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VIPER-10-15 |
$49 (L) | |
Basic direction and speed control. |
| MANUAL BIND DSM2 RX. | |||
| DSM2-RA-Mini |
$22 (L) |  |
BASIC 6 Channel manual bind DSM2 RX End Mount for LIVE STEAM & BATTERY R/C. Ch # 1 Failsafe goes to middle position. Best for coal bunker on Thomas & Percy. PDF Instruction manual |
| AUTOMATIC LIGHTING CONTROLS. |
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| REV-LT |
$19 (L) |  |
Motor Output voltage monitor. Works with any brand of R/C ESC. Analyses motor polarity and switches AUTOMATIC Front & Rear lights. 100 ma ea. PDF instructions |
| LED-KIT-3 |
$10 (L) |  |
Two prewired 3 mm LED's for Front and Rear lights only. Automatically selected by a # REV-LT. |
| LED-KIT-5 |
$12 (L) | |
Two prewired 5 mm LED's for Front and Rear lights only. Automatically selected by a # REV-LT. |
| Model | Price | Image | Description |
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| BATTERY INSTALLATION KITS | |||
| BIK-U3B |
A$29 | |
3 amp Battery Installation Kit. Prewired 2.5mm charge jack. Mounts on rear of loco. Screw terminals = easy wiring. PDF instructions |
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| MADE UP AA SIZE BATTERIES & CONNECTORS | |||
| 4.8v-2ah |
$40 (L) | |
4 x cell (4.8 volts) 2000 mah LSD Hybrid AA NiMH flat pack with bare wires. |
| H-Shrink |
$6 | |
25 pieces of heat shrink tubing 100 mm long in 5 x different sizes. Used to cover wiring joints. |
| AA SIZE LSD HYBRID BATTERIES & HOLDERS | |||
| 4-AA-TS |
$6 |  |
4 X AA TWIN STICK SIDE BY SIDE & END to END. These are a low cost way of installing 4 x LSD-AA cells in Percy. Wire 2 x holders in series for 9.6 volts. |
| 4-AA-HOLDER |
$ 3(L) |  |
LOW COST 4 x AA cell (4.8 volts) flat pack without standard servo plug. For all other locos. To be wired in series for 9.6 V. |
| LSD-AA |
$27(L) | |
4 x AA size 2,000 mah LSD cells. Supplied fully charged. |
| SUITABLE PLUG IN SMART CHARGER | |||
| MB-3632 |
$89 | |
Multi chemistry condition charger. Up to 15 NiCd or NiMh cells. Up to 6 Li-Ion or LiPo cells. Requires a 12 volt regulated supply. |
| 12vDC-2A |
$30 | |
Regulated 2.0 amp 12 v DC switchmode power supply for the: # MB-3632 With 7 x different plugs. Suitable only for use in Australia. |
