Multi Channel RF Controller for my sons Trains

Today, 06:21 PM

Hi

My son has Tomy motorised trains that run off a 1.5v AA or C battery.

I'm getting fed up of stop and starting his trains so I was wondering how easy would it be to Radio control these trains.

What I would like is a control box that can control up to 4 separate trains. I assume they will all run off different frequencies. Each train will have its own receiver.

The train simply require the RF control to disconnect the battery on and off which in turn will turn the motor on / off.

The RF Receiver need to as small as possible and the cost kept to a minimum.

Please help..

Ralphy

Look into Micrel's QwikRadio line of transmitters/receivers. There are extremely simple (and simple to use) ASK/OOK radio units used to transmit very small amounts of data (like "ON/OFF", for instance).

Hi

Many thanks for the reply.

I don't really understand some of the technical side.

I'm tempted to buy cheap RC cars from ebay and to use them but I'm not sure how I would tell which receiver works on which channel. i.e. I don't want to buy RC cars that all work off the same frequency.

Ideally I want a 4 channel transmitter and 4 separate receivers.

How does a RC receiver turn a battery on and off?

Kind regards

Ralphy2 said:

How does a RC receiver turn a battery on and off?

Kind regards

Click to expand...

There are two ways an RC receiver can be set to turn a power switch on/off. 1) Rig a servo to press the button an a small microswitch/lever switch. 2) Get an electronic "kill" switch. They are used in ignition airplanes to positively kill the ignition. Here is one example: **broken link removed**

Have you searched model train stores and web sites. Remote control of various train functions is quite common today.

As for your general comment about channels and knowing which receiver works on which channel, you seem to be confusing the term "frequency" with "channel." You could in fact use separate frequencies, but that would require separate transmitters for each receiver. That woud be quite cumbersome, not to mention expensive.

Channels refers to separate controls a receiver/transmitter pair uses. Take an example of a two channel transmitter and receiver. The left stick or button would control one channel and the right the other channel. The distinction is based on a type of coding that is transmitted and interpreted by the receiver. Both channels are the same radio frequency. In your envisioned setup with four channels, one control function, be it a switch or lever, would control each channel. You would need four receivers and just plug the switch or servo for each train into the correct (but different) channel slot on each receiver.

John

Hi

OK, that's cleared up a few things. So I need a 4 channel transmitter.
Which transmitters / receivers on the market would do my job? Any on eBay?

Also how does a RC toy car move forward and backward? i.e. how does the receiver turn the motor.

All nations control the allowable radio spectrum. In the US, there are specific frequency bands for airplanes and surface as well as bands that can be used for both. You want either a set for "surface" use or for both.

4 channels is sort of the bottom end of RC gear, except for some very cheap 2 channel toys. And yes, they are all over ebay and other sites, such as RC Universe (https://www.rcuniverse.com/market/ ). Futaba, Hitec, and JR are common brands in the US. There are also swap meets held by various clubs in your area. A lot of the 4-channel stuff is basically give-away.

Have you looked for model railroad or car clubs? Where are you?
John

I wouldn't bother with model railroaders, since they use DCC almost exclusively (which isn't radio control at all). Try model car nuts instead.

carbonzit said:

I wouldn't bother with model railroaders, since they use DCC almost exclusively (which isn't radio control at all). Try model car nuts instead.

Click to expand...

Not really: https://www.wonderhobby.com/racogatrsets.html

That is just one of many examples.

The problem with cars and airplanes (incidentally) is that their RC systems are fundamentally designed to steer. Railroad Radio Control is not as focused on steering and more on activating switches.

John

carbonzit said:

I wouldn't bother with model railroaders, since they use DCC almost exclusively (which isn't radio control at all). Try model car nuts instead.

jpanhalt said:

Not really: https://www.wonderhobby.com/racogatrsets.html
That is just one of many examples.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Oh, I see. Those are what they call "toy trains". (Not that any self-respecting model railroader would ever admit that their expensive, scale-realistic trains are also toys ...)