Playmobil R/C Train ?????

[Madman]

I just committed to buying a Playmobil train. I've been after these for quite some time. I figured $60.00 for everything pictured seemed fair. Anyway, I know these are meant to be controlled by the R/C transmitter, not included and a battery. I think I'd like to convert them to run on battery power, controlled by my own Chinese transmitter/receiver setup.

Has anyone done this or something similar ? Or, what transmitter and battery do I need to restore them to the original operating method ? Are these the Playmobil trains that use a crystal ?

 

[dunnyrail]

Yes they use an old RC System, I think 25 MHz which is even older than the 40 MHz System and both pre digital. Both can be a bit glitchy but the PM System worked pretty well but with a fairly low grade of control. A more modern system will give you much better control, look at fitting in better Batteries for longer runs and possibly Sound to give a great experience. I have a few of the suitable Crystals for Sale (see Sales in here) but the Post to US would make them not worth your while.

 

[Deleted member 4232]

Moved

 

[PhilP]

I'll be pulling one apart, to fit new-gear, in the near future.. - I'll post something on the Forum..

 

[a98087]

Easy to work on, the motor block is just a few screws and 2 clips to separate,

If you need to house some electronics outside the motor block, drill a small hole in the top of the pivot on the blue motor block, and run the wires through the pivot,

This makes it a lot easier and allows the bogie to pivot easily without any wires getting trapped

Hope that makes sense

Dan

 

[-bbbb]

I think you can use any old 27 MHz controller with that train as long as you have matching crystals in the train and controller. I've used the playmobil 3670 controller on these successfully, but I had to recalibrate the fine tuning control to use as speed control(simple to do). I've used non-playmobil crystals in one of mine and it was fine. You will need the gray 7829 battery holder for this train: PlaymoDB Set Inventory - 7829 I think it is still available from playmobil UK for under $10, but it's not available from playmobil USA. The black playmobil battery packs with blue chargers use nicad batteries and often don't hold much of a charge anymore. Alternatively you can make your own battery pack with 4 AA batteries in series, but you would have to wire it in somehow. I have been wanting to try to swap out the batteries in my old black battery pack, if I could only get it open. Walt said there is a capacitor to desolder and resolder in the black one. There is a place near me which sells simple AA battery packs for 4 AA's in series for about 50 cents each. One thing to be aware of on these old PM RC trains is that if you do get a battery holder, the copper contacts which the battery pack touches are often in need of cleaning (with sand paper). You might think it's broken or has a burnt out motor when really it might just need it's contacts cleaned (aggressively).

 

[Walts-Playmobil]

The battery holder 7829 is no longer available. But you can get it as a spare 30 67 9850. The cost is £6.35 plus postage. I have just checked and it is still available,

 

[Emartin]

I think you can use any old 27 MHz controller with that train as long as you have matching crystals in the train and controller. I've used the playmobil 3670 controller on these successfully, but I had to recalibrate the fine tuning control to use as speed control(simple to do). I've used non-playmobil crystals in one of mine and it was fine. You will need the gray 7829 battery holder for this train: PlaymoDB Set Inventory - 7829 I think it is still available from playmobil UK for under $10, but it's not available from playmobil USA. The black playmobil battery packs with blue chargers use nicad batteries and often don't hold much of a charge anymore. Alternatively you can make your own battery pack with 4 AA batteries in series, but you would have to wire it in somehow. I have been wanting to try to swap out the batteries in my old black battery pack, if I could only get it open. Walt said there is a capacitor to desolder and resolder in the black one. There is a place near me which sells simple AA battery packs for 4 AA's in series for about 50 cents each. One thing to be aware of on these old PM RC trains is that if you do get a battery holder, the copper contacts which the battery pack touches are often in need of cleaning (with sand paper). You might think it's broken or has a burnt out motor when really it might just need it's contacts cleaned (aggressively).

Hello, if you have a 3-D printer there is a file on Thingiverse for making a holder similar to the 7829. I've printed one and works fine. Of course you need to add the contacts once printed. I'm using NIMH batteries works great! I also converted one of the old blue chargers to charge this pack.
Enjoy!

 

[-bbbb]

Hello, if you have a 3-D printer there is a file on Thingiverse for making a holder similar to the 7829. I've printed one and works fine. Of course you need to add the contacts once printed. I'm using NIMH batteries works great! I also converted one of the old blue chargers to charge this pack.
Enjoy!

How did you convert the blue charger? can you show pictures?

 

[Emartin]

In my case, the power supply for the charger was "pooched" so I nipped it off and added connectors to the battery cradle( careful on the polarity) so as it would connect to my R/C battery charger. I have R/C electric planes and my battery charger will charge various types of batteries including NIMH. You should only use a NIMH charger. Sorry, I can't post a pic as my internet is somewhat limited when sending photos. Hazards of country living with no fiber optics available.

 

[Madman]

So it arrived today. There is no battery or holder, but I can see the copper contacts at the back of the battery compartment. On the bottom of the motor block is a brown rectangular, removable piece. When pulled out, there is some sort of electronic thing-a ma-jig attached to it.

I saw a transmitter on Ebay that has a brown button. Would this be the correct transmitter for the motor ?

I can rig a set of four AA batteries to supply power.

 

[-bbbb]

So it arrived today. There is no battery or holder, but I can see the copper contacts at the back of the battery compartment. On the bottom of the motor block is a brown rectangular, removable piece. When pulled out, there is some sort of electronic thing-a ma-jig attached to it.

I saw a transmitter on Ebay that has a brown button. Would this be the correct transmitter for the motor ?

I can rig a set of four AA batteries to supply power.

The brown thing holds the crystal receiver. You need a brown crystal transmitter to communicate with that one. But you can use just about any 27mhz AM crystals as long as you have a matching set. So if you get a transmitter without a crystal you can get a set like this: HBX part E122 Crystal AM 27MHz TX & RX for Haiboxing RC Buggy Car Truck Truggy 6322291736654 | eBay and replace the one inside the brown thing on the bottom of the train with the RX one, and put the TX one in the remote control. You don't need a playmobil remote control, you can use generic 27 mhz controllers as long as you use a matching set of crystals, but RC car controllers are not ideal for trains because of the spring action in the joysticks. If there is a fine tuning feature you can probably use that to control the train instead of using the joysticks.

Scroll down to the crystal section here for more info: Hints & Tips

 

[Madman]

The brown thing holds the crystal receiver. You need a brown crystal transmitter to communicate with that one. But you can use just about any 27mhz AM crystals as long as you have a matching set. So if you get a transmitter without a crystal you can get a set like this: HBX part E122 Crystal AM 27MHz TX & RX for Haiboxing RC Buggy Car Truck Truggy 6322291736654 | eBay and replace the one inside the brown thing on the bottom of the train with the RX one, and put the TX one in the remote control. You don't need a playmobil remote control, you can use generic 27 mhz controllers as long as you use a matching set of crystals, but RC car controllers are not ideal for trains because of the spring action in the joysticks. If there is a fine tuning feature you can probably use that to control the train instead of using the joysticks.

Scroll down to the crystal section here for more info: Hints & Tips

Thank you. Very useful information.....