Hi guys.
As some of you know I mostly have 1-gauge Märklin, and a few years ago I also build a waggon with batteries etc.
to allow me to run "Dead rail" = running the trains without power coming from the tracks
The system is very much home made, in a way quite simple; but at the same time in a way quite complex
Just now, when writing this and trying to find a link to my description, I realize that I've never made a topic describing
what and how I did it; but at least the train can be seen here:
https://www.marklin-user...aning-machine#post593289A few more details can be seen here:
And here:
The "master plan" then were to make a system that would work on original Märklin decoders using Märklin Motorola; you can buy several
dead rail systems; but they all require DCC decoders in the locomotives, and I didn't want to exchange all my existing decoders
Now, with the new 60667 MS2 coming from Märklin, I got this idea, maybe not the cheapest solution; but something that is quite easy
to do, and only using more or less "plug and play" standard parts from Märklin - and you can easily mount the parts and remove them again as needed :
Inside one of the bigger locomotives, you mount a 60112, 60113, 60114 or 60116 Digital Connector Box.
You also mount a 18V Dewalt / Milwaukee / etc. battery to supply power to the Digital Connector Box.
The original power pick up wires in the loco, which normally takes power from the tracks, are re-routed
to take power directly from the Digital Connector Box.
Then a 60117 WLAN receiver box, also mounted in the loco, is connected to the 60112, 60113, 60114 or 60116 Digital Connector Box.
And now you can control your loco from a 60667 WLAN MS2 on any layout without power coming from the tracks,
using all of the existing functions available on the originally installed decoder, no matter which protocol it's using
A lot of smaller details could be interesting / needed, e.g. if running on a layout with live steam locomotives, you might need to disconnect
the original power pickup wires in the loco, since live steam locomotives usually makes a short on the tracks.
It could also be an idea to mount 60112, 60113, 60114 or 60116 Digital Connector Box + battery + 60117 WLAN receiver in a separate
wagon, to make it easy to take the parts out and use them elsewhere; then you just need 2 wires going from wagon to loco.
This has to be tested when 60667 and 60117 are available
Per.
P.S: The next idea, which probably should have it's own topic, and surely requires someone smarter than me, is to make an APP connecting
a smartphone directly to a 60117, making it possible to control the locomotives directly, without the need for a 60667 MS2............