Slight Technical Problem

The 1/32 Faller industrial loco that goes around the papermill goes too fast. the motor is moulded into the chassis and would be difficult to change. It runs on two AA batteries but will not run on just one. If I were to slow it down by putting more weight in the wagons would this burn out the motor? I have been able to slow down the G scale locos by simply putting a smaller battery in but cant find one that may do the same in the Faller. Thanks for any suggestions

mikey

Mikey, is it possible to fit some kind of 'voltage variation' control, along the lines of a volume control from say a radio - I think the term 'potentiometer' is what it actually is. If it could be hidden away inside the cab, or the adjacent wagon? I've seen it done on other battery-powered locos etc.

Or you could try to wire a couple of lamps in series with the batteries again these could be concealed in the cb or loco superstructure somewhere.

The only thing is of course anything which increases the load on the batteries will shorten the battery life.

What you need is a nice live steam loco!! I may be able to fix you up with one soon!!

There are many ways you can do this Mikey,

Clive is sort of half way there with a potentiometer or variable resistor but you would need a fairly high wattage (1-5 watts) one of only a few ohms which are quite scarce.
Most 'pots' are much higher resistance but very low wattage.

You can try fixed resistors of a few ohms value. These would need to be again of high wattage ceramic types but are easily available from Selectronic or Conrad in France.

You can make you own custom resisters with resistance wire or heating element wire from an electric fire or even an old hair dryer.

Or....use diodes. They will not control the current by resistance but a diode in series will drop the voltage by 0.7v and thus lower the current and consequent speed.
You will need two, reverse connected, otherwise the motor will only go one way.

Or....
You could buy a cheap gadget that has a simple speed controller built in it.

A vibrator (godet in French)...yes one of those. often run off 2AA or the larger ones with C cells (for more power... ) and I was asked to repair one once...Tis true and when I took it apart at the end (the flat end...) had a neat little diode speed controller. Too good for it's a original use and it found it's way into a OO crane model.
I bought the young lady concerned (she was actually a lesbian nurse with a large collection ) a new model....

It is possible to make a simple transistorized controller with a potentiometer.

Here is one I made a while ago for a 7.2 volt battery pack and a .5 amp motor.

I could make you one if you want. I would have to experiment with the transistor/resistor values for your lower voltage.

Jeez, Carl, how big was the vibrator?????

thanks guys for all the suggestions! Carl I like the vibrator idea! How can i put this delicately? I'll rummage through my wifes drawers and see if i can find an old one!!

mikey

Oh Carl , both myself and Maria had a good laugh, thanks .

Hmm. I can see a lot of G scalers going into adult shops for spares ....perhaps the motors could be used in G scale whacker plates ....

More about the nurse please Carl, with pics if possible, best laugh for yonks

It brings a whole new meaning to playing with your trains.

It's not a joke...you may laugh but it was very serious at the time and an influential part of my life.

She lived in Reading near the old football ground (Elm Park) and her name was Christine although I now wonder if she hadn’t been a Christopher at one time.

She was a physiotherapist at the Royal Berks. When I met her she was indeed sharing a house with a transsexual Polish born fireman who hadn't yet had the final op.....

I didn’t quite realise at the time which side of the love fence she was…..me being so naive and still in shiny boots and khaki, and ‘she’ being a trifle older than my tender years.

I thought it was a tad odd the first time we went out as we were walking through Reading town centre and both eyeing up the same girls…

She eventually lured me back home (a certain Kink’s song comes to mind here) and as things progressed she played a Madonna CD ‘Like a Virgin…..touched for the very first time.’
She said it was like ‘coming out again’ but only backwards, whatever that meant.

Still not totally sure of what she was on about she took me upstairs in the tiny terraced house to a lemon and lime green four-poster and revealed her extensive (and expensive) ‘toy’ collection. The previous mentioned, errant non-functioning ‘wobbly thing’ was a deep pinkish colour that she called Ruby and explained that it was her special one reserved for…yes you guessed, Tuesdays…. She had one for nearly everyday.
I asked what day was missing and metaphorically where I ‘fitted in’ to which she replied softly in one ear “Friday”….I could be her man…for something different and she also invited me to meet her lodger Stanislav soon to be Sandie which of course I declined with my back against the wall.

I at last realised I had met a real Lesbian (as boys you dream of these) and she was a nice pleasant woman actually.
We even planned a week in the Med. on Lesbos with another ‘couple’ but I bottled out at the last minute.
Unfortunately after the novelty wore off - I couldn’t stand the competition with other women so we parted company. Last I heard she was living with a female consultant gynaecologist.

Still after all that, underneath the latex I had a miniature motor (with eccentric gearing) and a speed controller.