Re: HO Power pickup question

Jay1028 wrote:
> I have a caboose (HO) that I would like to light up.  It has plastic
> wheels.  I have been looking around for metal wheels that will get the
> power from the track but non have wires attached.  Just metal wheels.
> How do I get power from the track with the metal wheels do I have to
> replace the trucks?
> Thanks
> 
> jay
I did something like that some years ago.  You need metal wheels.  For 
two rail wiring (HO is two rail except for one European maker) the 
wheels have to be insulated from one another, otherwise laying the wheel 
set on the track would short the power supply.  The insulation is 
accomplished by an insulating bu****ng in one wheel.  So the axle will 
remain common with one wheel but insulated from the other.
   If you can find metal trucks, then the metal axles will conduct juice 
to the metal truck.  Just solder a fine wire to each truck and route the 
wires to the lamp.
   If you cannot find/afford a pair of metal trucks, you can put wipers 
into plastic trucks. You want to pickup your juice with an axle wiper, 
NOT a wheel tread wiper.  Tread wipers have too much friction to be 
practical.  Whereas axle wipers have mechanical advantage that reduces 
the overall drag.  The wheel rim acts as a lever, giving the axle a 
twist.  The mechanical advantage is pro****tional to the ratio of wheel 
diameter to axle diameter.
   Make your axles wipers from phosphor bronze sheet metal.  Brass is 
not springy enough.  I got my phosphor bronze from a piece of metal 
weatherstripping.
   Look around and you may be able to find HO scale brass marker 
lanterns  pre drilled to accept fiber optical light pipes.  Smaller than 
lamps are surface mount LED's.  LED's require more complex electronics 
than lamps, but if your electronicing skills are up to rectifiers and 
current limiters, you can squeeze a surface mount LED inside an HO scale 
lantern casting.


-- 
David J. Starr

Blog:  www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com