I'm in the process again, fitting homemade electrical couplings contacts for the ICE train 2.

Originally I've extended the electrical coupling contacts on my ICE train, 6 connections:

1.) Second motor car rear light
2.) Second motor car headlights
3.) Blue-orange wire for common light
4.) Aux 1
5.) Aux 2
6.) Red wire for Pickupshoe

The couplings derived from the contact plate (k-track flexitracks).
top & bottom coupling (bend it myself)
before superglueing it onto the ICE train carriage coupling, I've soldered a wire to the contact coupling.
This time around I also put a band around the whole coupling to prevent the contacts strips from coming loose. (previous scenario)

I also reduced the number of contacts from 6 to 4.

1.) Red wire Pickup shoe
2.) Blue-ornage wire
3.) Aux 1
4,) Aux 2
In the second motor car, I'm installing a function decoder with light direction function.

to do a carriage, (removing old contact strips, cleaning off old superglue, removing wires), it takes about 4 hours.
8 carriages all together.
Both decoders will supply light power to 4 carriages each with the second motor car having driver cab light.

In a few days a new video of the ICE2 will be made.

John

Thomas,

Here is one picture of the finished product.

You can see the wrap around band which forms a secure bonding of all the contact clips.
By adding more superglue on top of the contacts, I than but the band, at this stage in a U-form and slide it in over the contacts and hold it there with a pair of plyers for a minute or so.
When it has set, I take another pair of plyers and bend the overhanging band over the top contact and solder it to it.
The idea of another coat of superglue over the contacts is to prevent any electrical contact between the contact strips and the band and by soldering the top contact it doesn't matter if it has contact or not because it is insulated from the other 3 contacts.

You have to be quick and precise when applying the superglue, there is no room for errors otherwise you have to start from the beginning again, take off all the superglue so you finish up again with a clean surface and this prevents the contact strips to gain another gap distance. (coupling to contact strip)

The extended contacts can still slip through to the end covers and do not interfere when the couplers are extended (going through curves)

You may notice the coupling has a black tungue clip on its end.
the original was broken and replaced with this one.
I drilled a very small hole into the coupling and the tungue clip, inserted a thin metal rod and superglued it together.






This is the original part.
The end product to the left, a wire is soldered onto it before it is glued to the coupling.
I also ruffen up the surface for a good bond.

Allmost all cuts are used






Here is the original ICE train coupling.

there is a sparepart for the electrical contact for the coupling, which clips on on each side.



I'm also trying to figure out how I can put an interior light into the motorcar 1.

Having 4 contacts and one of the wire (red) is to carry the current to the function decoder in motor car 2.
The other 3 wires are for the interior lights (common blue wire, white (Aux 1) & yellow (Aux 2).
The function decoder has 4 functions available (Aux 1, Aux 2 Aux 3 and Aux 4, the last 2 with a reduced output.

Aux 3 will power the led in the drivers cab.

My motorcar 1 has at the moment a 60901 decoder in it with 2 Function outputs but would'nt be able to have a drivers cab light in it.

I could install another function decoder and just use one lead from the function decoder (Aux 4) to power the driver cab led or I use the red wire instead (running through the whole train) and connect it to the cab light in drivers cab 1, thus loosing the red wire contact for the function decoder.
By doing this I would have to have both pantos up to get the power for both decoders.
Another option could be, driving the ICE from its pickup shoe, power for the decoder in motor car 1 and activating the switching track (signal module) and having the rear panto in motor car 2 up to power the function decoder, leaving the red wire free and use it for my cab light.




John

thanks Thomas

I hope my explanation makes sense

Going through this time consuming work, I thought, Märklin could of used a coupling with a coupling shaft and use an electrical coupling to connect 2 carriages together, like all other carriages.
I than could of used a ready made 4 pin electrical Fleischmann coupling and would of saved my self a lot of time.
Or I could of bought one with the electrical couplings.

John

Thomas,
The set I bought years ago was a 3 part, most probably a starter set.
In the catalogue it stated this train cannot be fitted with interior lights.

1.) I've proved them wrong
2.) You can by the copper links as a spare part.

I hope, the new coupling system is better.
So long they have a standard coupling shaft you could change the coupling if you wish.

Finally I got the train's interior going.
It took me a week of fiddling around with it and it became frustrating not getting it right.
The metal belt around the coupling, worked on some and not on others as contact was transfered from 1 contact to another and therefore creating shorts.

I've bought small led's and by soldering them close to the base, the compound they've used on the leds could'nt stand the heat apllied to them.
Not knowing the leds were faulty and not getting any contact, I rechecked all the wires, contact between carriages and the last resort was checking the leds.
One thing worked without hassle and this is the interior cab light.
Will take more photos and you can see what and how I've done it.

So a video will be on its way.

I also have a video of the BR E 44, beige-turquoise from a Primex set (2702).
Like my Austrian class 674 (DB 74) I'll change the led's from bright white to soft white'

Next week I will continue with my layout and hopefully have 11 trains running,
6 on the mainline and 5 on the branchline.

John