LGB Steeple-cab Battery RC Conversion

Having bought this Steeple-cab specifically for battery RC conversion, my first task was to determine what components I was going to use, motor is classed as 22 volts DC, and experience has shown these will run on a 3S Lithium battery pack at 11.1 volts, but I prefer to run mine on a 4S pack at 14.4 volts. However, I gave the loco a quick run on "track power" to ensure it worked okay.

With the body removed I could see how much  room I had for the battery pack and Rx.  Using standard AA and AAA for size comparison it was apparent that a Li-Ion 4S pack made fro 14500 would fit in one side, the Rx I had decided on the Revolution Mini Receiver CRE57012S, and the switch and charging point a Micron bespoke item. I also decided that the 4 LED lights would be 2 wire bi-colour (White/Red) LED, and so would use the motor power so the colour would be switched by direction change. Due to the space I also made a conscious decision not to fit sound, also I think I could get a speaker in the cab roof, and just about room for a sound card with the Rx

Parts bought and delivered, time to start the conversion:

	The motor is a 3 pin block, but with the top and bottom plates removable, after removing the body from the chassis (just 4 screws), and the motor block out of the chassis, the top plate was removed to confirm which pins connected to the motor.
The bottom plate was removed and the additional pin connection, the wheel contacts and skate contacts were identified.
	These were all easily removed, and with the block apart I took the opportunity to lubricate the gears. Reassembled ensuring the plates went back on the correct way, though I think they will fit either way around.
The motor block now dealt with, it was refitted to the chassis, and time to turn to the rest of the conversion.  A look in the body showed what room there was, and a test fitting of the actual battery pack fitted with a battery management system (BMS) (most important with lithium batteries) was carried out. It was decided that the pack would fit with the BMS upwards.

	The very simple wiring harness was removed, but looking at the circuits, I decided I would not use these lighting boards for the LED, I would produce new boards from Veroboard, but utilize the push in lamp holders to hold the LEDs. The new Veroboard LED holders were cut to the same dimensions as the original boards, the lamp holders removed from the old boards.
The lamp holders were fitted so they aligned with the headlamp space. The Micro charging board was fitted inside the cab, though I first position had to be abandoned as one of the doors would not open. The components were assembled, the Rx was "linked" to the Tx and it was then run.  As the LEDs were push fit in the holders it was simple to rotate the connections to get the correct colour for the running direction.
	Mounting the Rx was not going to be simple as it requires bolting, and the space did not have a bulkhead that accommodate that.  So a piece of Veroboard was fixed to the lighting board using PCB Single Row Right Angle Header Strip Connector.
Everything was then put into the body, however a few minor changes were required as the chassis/body interface is very close.  Lighting boards had a half row removed from the top, and the battery position was crucial.

	It was also identified that the wiring under the cab needed to run centrally to ensure is sat within the well in the chassis, simple masking tape strips kept the wires in place.
Having tested the running and lights at every stage, with the loco assembled running was not an issue.  However as mentioned earlier, the charging board was not where originally planned and had to be moved further inside.  Only when fully assembled was I able to confirm I could connect my charger.

	The LGB figure that came with the loco was not suitable, and being an equal opportunities railway a female driver was selected from, Clavey Models.  The original was for 16mm scale at 90mm high, however the company will resize, so "Lucy" is 1:22.5 at 75mm high.

One point I did find out is when the loco is assembled and the body and chassis are fully mated, if a door does not close properly it could be the cab floor has raised due to a stray cable, remove the body screw and just ease apart and using blunt instrument push the wire back into position. 

First full test run:

 

Main Suppliers used for the components: 

• Fine Scale Brass
• RC Trains
• Micron 
• Clavey Models

Main Electronic Components used: 

• Revolution Micro Receiver w/Sound
• Li-Ion 4S (14500) battery pack with on-board protection. 
• Integrated on/off charging module