Piko BR80 + eMotion LS + Pulsed Smoke + Auto Uncouplers

[muns]

Hi all,

I purchased a second hand unchipped Piko BR80 a month or so back and thought that it may be an idea to add a sound decoder, pulsed smoke and automatic uncouplers. The Pulsed smoke unit will be an older (non SUSI) 19v unit with a high performance element (I aquired a couple of these on the cheap a year or so ago - about time I used them).

So I collected the bits....

1 x eMotion LS programmed to the BR80 sounds (8211510)
1 x Visaton 50mm 5w speaker (8241060)
1 x 19v Pulsed smoke unit (8412201)
1 x High performance 19v heating element (8412208)
1 x Flexible tube set for pulsed smoke units (8412901)
1 x Automatic coupler (2 pack) (8414002)
3 x 3way MiniCT cables
1 x 4way MiniCT cable

 

[muns]

First jow, is to install the high performance element into the pulsed smoke unit.

Take the pulsed smoke unit and undo the 4 screws holding the top cover on to reveal the innards:

Lift out the circuit board and unplug the standard heating element.

Here are both elements, standard on the left and the high performance on the right. The standard element consists of one resistor and the high performance version two. Each have a wick that draws the smoke fluid up from the resivior.

Plug in the high performance element.

Replace the board into the casing, making sure the wick is positioned correclty.

Replace the top cover.

 

[muns]

So now the smoke unit has been upgraded its time to dismantle the loco. I'm not going to describe how to do that here as there is an great little article (by whatlep) in the Product Review section that tells you how: http://www.gscalecentral.net/product-reviews/piko-s-br80-sow-s-ear-or-silk-purse.html

 

[muns]

So after dismantling, its time to see if the Pulsed Smoke unit will fit.....

So take the boiler part....

Remove the smoke stack, turn it a quarter turn and lift it out. Prise the smoke box door moulding off, it is lightly glued which should break easily (well it did on mine)....

 

[muns]

Positioning the Smoke unit inside the boiler, I decided that I would need to support it somehow...for this I cut a piece of teflon sheet that I happend to have that was a reasonable thickness - I would have used plasticard if I had any. I drilled holes in the correct places for the lugs on the bottom of the smoke unit and adjusted the shape so that it fitted nicely against the boiler sides.

 

[muns]

The Massoth Smoke Unit Tube set contains 3 lengths of different clear tubing....

The largest diameter tube sits snuggly into the Pulsed Smoke Unit. The medium diameter tube fits snugly inside the large tube and neatly inside the BR80 smoke stack.

So I cut a small length of the larger tubing and a piece of the medium tubing....and fitted the large over the end of the medium....

In order to make it easier to attach the tubing to the smoke unit, I chamffered the larger tube a bit.

Here is the smoke stack (with inserted tubing) attached to the smoke unit.

And the smoke unit & stack attached to the boiler.

 

[muns]

Guess what? After fitting the pulsed smoke unit into the boiler, the boiler no longer fit back to the chassis - the smoke unit fowls the weight.....

I trimmed the forward support down level with the outer part of the boiler casing.

And with my trusty hacksaw, chopped a bit out of the weight.

Removed a chunk from the red plastic decoder mount and added a new plastic clamp at the front.

 

[muns]

Next will be the uncouplers.....

 

[muns]

Right....time to fit these little beauties....

Note that the "bands" holding the ucoupler together should be in place during this operation else you may end up with a pile of bits.

 

[muns]

The rear coupler is straightforward...

Remove the original uncoupler.

Split the auto uncoupler by removing the two fixings

The underside of the auto uncoupler motor assembly:

Attach the loop part of the uncoupler to the coupler arm:

I chose to use the original fixing screw (bottom) rather than the one suppled with the uncoupler (top) as as the aligment of the fixing holes were slightly out (and the Massoth supplied one didnt fit the hole).

Feed the motor connection through the chassis and attach the unit to the loop part of the uncoupler, ensuring that the square nut fits in the slot.

Rear coupler fitted - job done.

 

[muns]

Now for the front uncoupler....this is a little trickier....

Remove the two screws that old the "reed switch" housing (ringed) and put the housing aside. Note that I have put the buffer beam back on temporarily, I will have to remove it again to refit the boiler. Remove the existing coupler.

I split the uncoupler, connected the loop part to the coupling bar using the original screw, fed the connection wires through the chassis an attached the motor unit to the loop part

According to the manual for the uncoupler, fitting the front coupler requires some modification of the loco....well here is why...

So....time to adjust the "reed switch housing" to make enough room for the uncouopler.....out with the saw and the hobby cutting disc. As the reed switch housing is 2 bits (top and bottom), I used the two fixing screws to hold them together whilst I was doing my butchery. The result....

Now as this is a "reed switch housing", why not go the whole hog and fit reed switches....so does the Massoth 8242020 Reed contact PCB fit the cut down housing....

It does....complete the reed switch sandwhich and fold the cable under, feed the cable through the chassis and fit the reed housing....

Another part of the job done

 

[muns]

Comming soon.....installing and wiring up the decoder.

 

[nygma]

Excellent post. Love the upgrades.

 

[Nemo]

Great work mark, well detailed with execellant piccys, looking forward to part two.

 

[Gizzy]

Excellent work so far Mark....

 

[whatlep]

Great thread. Just shows what fun you can have with one of the BR80s. Perhaps a good candidate for Massoth radio control too once the DRC300 is available?

Thinks - how many Massoth add-ons can you get onto a single loco? :thinking:

 

[muns]

Great thread. Just shows what fun you can have with one of the BR80s. Perhaps a good candidate for Massoth radio control too once the DRC300 is available?

Thinks - how many Massoth add-ons can you get onto a single loco? :thinking:

Was thinking of adding a Micro Power buffer as well.....undecided at the moment

 

[whatlep]

Great thread. Just shows what fun you can have with one of the BR80s. Perhaps a good candidate for Massoth radio control too once the DRC300 is available?

Thinks - how many Massoth add-ons can you get onto a single loco? :thinking:

Was thinking of adding a Micro Power buffer as well.....undecided at the moment

Excellent idea! As you know, I think the latest Massoth power buffers are the Mutts Nutts in any single motor loco. Easy enough job to attach to an LS. Go on, you know you want to.....

 

[Railfan]

Excellent idea! As you know, I think the latest Massoth power buffers are the Mutts Nutts in any single motor loco. Easy enough job to attach to an LS. Go on, you know you want to.....

Do it! Do it! Do it!

Excellent job, Mark.

 

[jose07]

Hi Muns, excellent review. I hope you finish the story with the cabling and connecting the uncouplers to the decoder.

As a matter of fact I haven't seen any CLEAR guideline about cabling the uncouplers to Massoth or Uhlenbrock (or other) decoders. My first doubt is whether both uncouplers are cabled to the same function output of a decoder, or can be cabled separate. Massoth manual ask you to connect one uncoupler to a single connector available in the decoder, what about the other uncoupler?, is there another little connector to hook it up ?. Then, the three cables coming out of the uncoupler, aren't they too many?, thought that two were sufficient.

Well, I know you are extremly competent in these matter and will be able to help.

Best regards
Jose