Electrical connections between coaches

ace · Post by **ace** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:40 pm

Hi people,

I was getting myself prepped for the winter and being ready for some mothballing and also some scenic running in the dark. I do have one or two coaches that are already fitted out with lights inside (small 3v ish leds) and I was thinking that I could hook them all together to use one battery pack.

My question is, does anyone have any suggestions for ways of joining this low voltage setup together so it doesnt have a massive plug hanging between coaches. I also want to hook up a loco headlamp to the same feed too.

Here is one of my coaches with lights. I love the effect it gives.

I was thinking maybe some dolls house type fittings would be ok, but I am not sure what is available and from where.

Dannypenguin · Post by **Dannypenguin** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:54 pm

This is what I plan to do when I build coaches!

I was thinking using a miniature spade clip disguised as a brake pipe?

WVLR · Post by **WVLR** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:56 pm

The cheapest method is to use the receiver pack battery connectors,
these are 2 pin non reversible so should be fine for the job appart for the fact that they're bright red in colour.

I've been thinking of using sub miniature RF co-ax connectors, more expensive and fiddly to install but they can easily be disguised as
brake pipes.

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:59 pm

To be quite honest, electrical connections between coaches are fiddly and unreliable and likely to get damaged. Far simpler to put a 2 X AA or AAA battery box under the floor and a miniature toggle switch in the floor with the switch sticking down. You can get switched battery boxes (I've used them) but they can come undone and fall off and that can wreck the wiring when the coach carries on and the box doesn't.

Another possibility is to buy a pack of electric tee lights from your local pound shop. Cut the top off, unsolder the LED (save it for a building) make the cut nice and neat and glue under the floor, having connected up the coach wiring. The switch is built in and the tee light takes a "button" 3v battery. Don't know how long they last, but I have a coach on Flagg Fluorspar which is kitted out this way (couldn't get a bigger battery box in) and I change the battery once a year!

Vapouriser · Post by **Vapouriser** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:09 pm

Radio control connectors. Very small and unclip easy.

Chris Cairns · Post by **Chris Cairns** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:10 pm

How about mount/glue a female BEC connector under your coach, and have a long enough lead with the male connector on the next vehicle so only the wire will be visible between the two.

Or possibly use bullet connectors, although these will not be as robust with the constant plugging in/unplugging and the thin wires used.

Chris Cairns.

ace · Post by **ace** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:17 pm

Thanks for the advice Brian, That may be the eventual route. I could use a rechargable battery pack on each and have a charge jack too.

I was thinking that also the initial outlay for the parts would be cheaper if I shared batter pack and just daisy chained them together. I did think and do have some bec leads and plugs from r/c gear lying around. What I wanted to do was have a socket on each end of the coach and a male to male joining lead between wagons. The only thing with using the bec sockets is that they aren't surface mountable. That said I could glue them to the back of the buffer beam pointing downwards and have the link lead between the two. I could even wind the link lead around a pen to make it look like a brake hose as said.

(edit)

Chris Cairns:92840 wrote:How about mount/glue a female BEC connector under your coach, and have a long enough lead with the male connector on the next vehicle so only the wire will be visible between the two.

Or possibly use bullet connectors, although these will not be as robust with the constant plugging in/unplugging and the thin wires used.

Chris Cairns.

I was just thinking that and said!

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:23 pm

A battery box and a switch will only cost a couple of quid..............

ace · Post by **ace** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:26 pm

MDLR:92844 wrote:A battery box and a switch will only cost a couple of quid..............

I suppose it would, you are right, DOH!

Chris Cairns · Post by **Chris Cairns** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:37 pm

Not sure if they are still available (seems to vary between different branches in the same town) but I picked up another of those Parasol Lights at Poundland for £1 - http://www.poundland.co.uk/parasol-led-lights-20-pack

20 LEDs, wired up and a switched 2 x AA battery box.

Chris Cairns.

Big Jim · Post by **Big Jim** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:16 pm

I would have to agree that a battery box on each coach is IMHO the way to go as coupling connectors up can be a pain. If you leave enough wire to make it simple then it may catch on things. If you have it nice and neat it can be swine to connect.
I have seen it done with a single wire and the return coming through the couplings. This does give quite a nice flickering as the train moves around the layout a bit like oil lamps I suppose.

bazzer42 · Post by **bazzer42** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:47 pm

I've gone for boy racer 12volt strip lights in a roll from ebay. Soft white run on 9 volt pack look cute. I have connected via roof leads (should have gone lower) using some small dcc connectors that are very fine. Done 3 lgb corridor coaches the same way so I can run 1,2 or 3 from the same battery. A pp3 holder fits nicely underslung as it is square.

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Electrical connections between coaches

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