McWaffel
-
Content Count
207 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Everything posted by McWaffel
-
DCC (and other digital tech) for LEGO trains
McWaffel replied to McWaffel's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Oh, damn I didn’t realize that extension chord is 9V-compliant. I need to check how much each option would cost. @Toastie you can talk about the ESP stuff here too, I just created this thread specifically so we can talk about all sorts of tech, that we were doing in the 2022 trains topic before. I simply don’t want to ruin pristine, working 9V motors ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I‘m just waiting for FxBricks to release theirs, because they supposedly will allow a split between pickup and drive power, so people can put DCC decoders in between. if I wanted to do that with my 9V motors, I would have to basically permanently modify them, which I don’t want to do -
@Pendra37 huh, you make a good point actually. I might need to go read some ESP documentation. Thanks for bringing this to my attention
-
@Pendra37 besides my personal deep hatred for batteries and rechargables: Wireless communication is unreliable. Also it doesn’t allow you to do signaling, switching and detection. With metal rails you can power the entire layout from the track. Want to run a motor for a switch? Just wire it to the rails. Want to light a building next to the track? Power from the rails. Want to have red/green signals on the track? Power from the rails. Want to detect where a train is on the track? Only need to measure what track section has power draw. Want to reprogram a DCC decoder? No problem, you can do it with the train sitting on the track. Rail-powered trains are basically 0 maintenance. No charging, no swapping batteries. They’re also not as heavy because you don’t need to haul all those batteries around. You can build smaller engines, because you don’t need to house batteries Edit: You only need to feed power to your track and that’s it. Literally everything including buildings, automation and trackside features like motorized railway crossing barriers can be powered AND controlled through the track without having to run wires everywhere and it can be done without expensive wireless receivers (which need an antenna, which means they have a fixed minimum size)
-
@Toastie yes DCC is what I want to get too in the near future. And obviously that’s only possible with conductive track. But for that to work I need to wait for FxBricks to release new motors (or to find burnt-out 9V motors to buy)
-
I ran some numbers. 9V track cost $12.99 when it was released in 1991. Adjusted for inflation it would be $26.61 in today’s money. This was for eight straights, which are 102.x cm, so let’s say it was $26 per meter. Plastic track currently sells for $19.99. This is for 8 straights and four curves (which nobody needs) and some flex track (which nobody wants). Without the flex track it comes down to almost exactly $13.34 per meter. As a side comparison, FxBricks track costs $69.99 (last time I checked) for 8 double straights, or just over two meters (204cm) of track. So it’s around ~$34.50 per meter, give or take. So yeah, plastic track is definitely cheaper. Half price cheaper, almost. But now you need to factor in running costs. Because the power draw from my outlet to run the trains is so low, it’s basically negligible. The lights in my room probably use significantly more than the trains, and those are all 100% LED. A pack of 12 AAAs costs $6 on Amazon (just checked), which 6 are required to run a PF train. In my experience, that lasted me around 45-50min of runtime. Let’s say 1h, for the benefit of the doubt. So running trains is about $3 per hour per train. The break-even-point is reached after four hours of runtime per meter (yes, I realize it’s a strange metric). In other words: for every meter of track you need to add four hours of runtime to the break-even-point against 9V track costs. I could calculate numbers for running trains on rechargables etc, but I can’t be bothered. So what does this all mean? I don’t know, you tell me.
-
Brilliant. You can’t make this stuff up. I can imagine being a parent pr grandparent who knows nothing about LEGO and who goes to the store to buy a gift for their child/grandson. I see the train, I remember my child/grandson has a LEGO train. I see the price, it is great. I decide to buy it. cannot imagine the feeling I would have if they build it and it’s tiny and doesn’t go on the track
-
So basically, the success of the set is based in part on scamming parents. Nice
-
I restored some 9V track and motors with guitar care products
McWaffel posted a topic in LEGO Train Tech
Tip of the day: restoring 9V motors and track with guitar care products After my dark ages ended I busted out my old 9V system and ran it for fun. I noticed that they would only run on speeds 3+ if I had cars attached, and that often times I would have to push start the trains if they came to a stop, because of contact issues. Since it’s been more than a decade after I ran them last, I could not remember if this is just how it was, or if my track and motors had gone bad over time. Some time ago, I ordered some guitar care products from Gibson, for my guitar, and since the metal parts on my guitar are in perfect condition, I never saw a need to use the metal cleaner that came with it. The other day I was setting up my 9V train for Christmas and I stumbled upon this bottle of unused guitar metal cleaner. So I decided to use it on some curved 9V track to see if it was any good or would cause damage. As it happens, the track came back quite nicely, so next I took a motor and started cleaning the wheels using the cleaner and a microfiber cloth, as well as q-tips. After rubbing and polishing the wheels for 5min each, I wiped them down and put them on the track for a test run. I am happy to report that they‘ve never run better! I did not even bother polishing the rest of the track, as the motors have never stalled/disconnected anywhere. They run great at any speed, even on speeds 1 and 2. Additionally, the 9V bulb no longer flickers at all, even at the lowest speed setting. I highly recommend you to try this out, if you have a 9V system! I suppose you can use any low abrasion metal cleaners for this. I just happened to have a bottle of Gibson brand cleaner. I have attached a couple of pictures of the track in comparison as well as the train wheels and the cleaner I used. Track on the left is untouched, the right one was polished with the cleaner and a microfiber cloth. 9V motor wheels after polishing. The cleaner I used -
Very cool build, unfortunately the video link doesn’t work for me
-
I have exactly one PF train in my lineup of mostly 9V trains (and the crocodile without a motor). that PF train got one set of fresh batteries when I first bought it (at an insane discount). Set 60052 I believe is the number. It ran out of batteries on day two. Then I put one more set in and it died the same day. I was so disappointed, I never used that engine again. Now I have replaced the PF motor with a 9V motor. Best decision ever. The batteries from my second run are still in there as dead weight. I also can’t wait to see FxBricks release motors and power pickups. I’m gonna equip everything with pickups and motors immediately and go DCC on the first day of their release
-
I still fail to see the benefits of using batteries over DC power provided by the track. someone who thinks batteries are better needs to explain to me why they think that.
-
You must have forgotten that we used to have electric trains in LEGO with 12 and 9V systems. On the floor in kids rooms. And it was nothing like H0 either. All that we would have needed from there was PWM-ready motors for DCC decoders and that would have been the end of it. DCC is also fully controllable via computers. Phone, tablet, laptop, whatever you want. So that argument you made is also not relevant. DCC also allows you to electrically switch tracks and lights and sounds without having to run any cables. The power can be provided through the track and the signal as well. If you ever get the chance to play with a fully equipped DCC system, I highly recommend you do so. It’s fantastic
-
Wow I didn’t even see this at first but that‘s completely different from my POV. It‘s 2022. LEGO trains should be electrically fed and DCC capable. Batteries are a *huge* waste of energy and resources. It’s one of the most expensive source of energy per watt by miles. Rechargables somewhat redeem themselves but they too degrade. I don’t think your battery train will run in 20 years time. But guess what? My 24 year old 9V train is running perfectly. And it’s gonna run perfectly in 20 more years from now
-
I would love to agree with that, but the evidence doesn’t support your hypothesis. Trains have consistently been making it through the support phase of IDEAS. For years. Where does it show that this fact has had any influence on changes in the product lineup?
-
You need to get your manners and your tone in order. Big time.
-
That’s not what I said. What I said is LEGO can clearly see there is a lot of demand for trains and yet we basically get nothing. The croc loco was hugely successful (if you ask retailers), and did we get a replacement for it when it was retired? Nope. Oof. They’re just corporate workers, bro. Sorry to break it to you. Apple is also not interested in making great products, they just want your money. This is also reflected by the change in the VIP system coming up. Just wait for a monthly subscription service to LEGO for GWPs and discounts. Or maybe because they don’t care. There’s bigger fish to fry. TLGs whole concept the past few years was to create and establish entirely new customer bases. Their core base is completely neglected. Every system change they do is aimed at new customers. „Built cities with old style road plates for 40 years? Well sucks to be you, we’re doing new ones that are incompatible with everything else we have on the market.“ Says the company making three sitcom apartments, two of which don’t sell. A) no need to be condescending B) never assume malice if it can be explained by stupidity C) it’s hardly the designers. It’s 100% some marketing and corporate folks trying to figure out how to best squeeze money out of peoples pockets without investing too much time and effort. This is also reflected in other themes, like city for example. As well as the arguments I made above (subscription service, road plates). There are many more examples. We don’t even have a train station anymore, lol
-
It’s been going on for years and they have not done anything about it. So obviously they don’t care. LEGO designers are on record saying what TLG wants them to say. FTFY. Agreed. Also agreed. trains are obviously not as niche as we think. If it sells enough so that companies like BlueBrixx, FxBrix, TrixBrix etc. can all turn a profit selling track, plus a whole host of brick toy manufacturers making train models and buildings for trains aimed just at adults… don’t tell me trains are a niche. That’s obviously not true. TLG doesn’t care about trains and it shows. Year after year there’s trains in LEGO ideas. There must have been at least 10 trains that made it through in recent times. Not one got released. Yet they keep passing the 10k supporters. See my argument above
-
LEGO just hates trains. Besides modular buildings, trains are the most common theme that keeps making it through to the LEGO ideas 10k votes, yet we get nothing. Somebody at LEGO didn’t have a train set as a child and now they want nobody to have one. Thankfully there’s now a lot of other brands offering brick trains and accessories
-
Fx Bricks (Michael Gale) announces Fx Track system
McWaffel replied to HoMa's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Yes but you could also just run another power cable, which you should anyway and that’s better than any joints by a long shot, so not really that good of an argument, and surely not worth spending 25% more over -
If you could have only one train for the next four years (2022-2026), which would you pick and why?: 1. Large creator steam locomotive (no carriages) 2. High speed passenger train with engine + two carriages 3. Cargo train with engine + three carriages 4. Revamp of one previously released train set (tell us which one)
-
I restored some 9V track and motors with guitar care products
McWaffel replied to McWaffel's topic in LEGO Train Tech
I sure do, 2016 SG Standard in ebony with the batwing pick guard 🤟🏼 -
Fx Bricks (Michael Gale) announces Fx Track system
McWaffel replied to HoMa's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Yeah it is probably because of increased shipping and supplier costs. However it’s nearly a 20% increase within a year. Personally, I would (and will) still buy switches curved track and motors, but straights make no sense to me anymore -
Fx Bricks (Michael Gale) announces Fx Track system
McWaffel replied to HoMa's topic in LEGO Train Tech
I just noticed that the prices for straight track elements on jb-spielwaren was increased by ~18% from 60€ to 70€. This is a bit of a bummer, to be honest. I bought two packs for 60€ each back in March. The current going-rate for used 9V straights is 3,50€ on bricklink, which would be 56€ for the same length of track. I understand that that’s a used product vs. a brand new product, but with this price increase it‘s now a 25% difference. Or in other words: used 9V track is about 25% cheaper. To me, this makes buying straight track from FxBricks obsolete. Only the new geometries are now interesting, because those are obviously not available from the used-market -
I don’t think they will pause trains, but I do hope we get larger trains going forward
-
This one was released shortly after my dark ages began. So I missed out on it unfortunately