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Just bought a new Lionel 6-19820 Railsounds 2 die cast tender to use with my faithful 2037. It requires a 9v battery and I was wondering if a "BCR" type capacitor will work fine or is a 9v alkaline best. I am concerned about leakage so if the regular 9v is best isn't there a type of 9v that DOSN'T leak? I know there is one ( Lithium? ) but for the life of me I can't remember what type that was. Please advise.

     Also any comments about above tender, or advice, would be most appreciated...With many thanks.

          

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last edited by Sigwally
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As far as I know I would say that won't work because I believe Lionel engine's use alkaline batteries and the bcr needs to be charged and I believe Lionel Engines do not have  charging circuit to charge your bcr's. most good alkaline batteries  last quite a  long time. just replace your battery once a year and your good to go!

Alkaline batteries are not rechargeable. They essentially don't leak.

Does the tender "require" a battery, or is the battery needed only to keep the sounds going during direction changes and over switches in the conventional world? (I run constant-voltage TMCC, and none of my TMCC/ERR locos have a battery installed, so I am not real familiar.)

this is right out of the railsounds manual!

Use only a standard (non-rechargeable) 9 volt battery and do not allow the metal case to contact circuit boards or other electrical connections.  To provide for future use of a battery, install the cable assembly and then cover the battery clip with electrical tape, heat shrink tubing or other insulator so that the contacts do not accidentally touch other internal parts.

Alan

D500 posted:

Alkaline batteries are not rechargeable. They essentially don't leak.

Does the tender "require" a battery, or is the battery needed only to keep the sounds going during direction changes and over switches in the conventional world? (I run constant-voltage TMCC, and none of my TMCC/ERR locos have a battery installed, so I am not real familiar.)

My experience has been that alkaline batteries will leak electrolyte and corrode or make a mess.

I've seen it in trains, toys, tv remotes, you name it.  

Maybe just my alkaline batteries have leaked.

I will be running conventional power until I make up my mind on what command system to buy, probably AFTER the holidays to take advantage of ( hopefully ) sales. In my experience alkaline batteries definitely leak. I was scrubbing out my D-cell Maglight last week after the Duracell alkaline batteries leaked. The liquid acid, or whatever leaked out, actually ate into the internals of the flashlight.

          Good call on the ability of my older RS2 tenders ability to charge or not. I was not even thinking of that. I am almost positive it does not. As the original owners manual specified alkaline batteries. Which obviously are not. Whitout the ability to "charge" then the BCR capacitor is useless.

       So, isn't there a type of 9 volt ( non rechargeable ) battery that can't leak. I was met with dumb stares and shrugged shoulders when I asked at Walmart...

 

 

Here is an update. I figured I better know what the heck I am talking about so I VERY carefully removed the shell. It is packed with electronics and a speaker and at first I thought there is no way there is gonna be a place for a 9v but there is.  Also, if this helps, this is printed inside: (  U2 LIONTECH RS 2. REV 1.1 s )... note, the number 2 in " RS 2 " is the roman numeric 2. Thanks everybody very much for your time and advice.

Did you see my reference to this product?

YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement

I certify it will never leak, and it will outlast a lot of Alkaline batteries.

Forest posted:

My experience is to stay away from Duracell.

I second that, I've sworn off Duracell and also the Costco Kirkland batteries, I'm pretty sure they're made by Duracell.  I've had tons of them leak, and I'm tired of trying to clean up the mess!!!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Not true Rod.  The YLB is specifically designed to work in conventional or command.  It charges down to about 6VAC on the rails to allow you to eliminate that pesky battery for conventional operation.

 YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement

GRJ, thanks for the correction. I certainly don’t want to mislead anyone. 

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Sigwally posted:

Sorry everybody, was at church ( it's tough being one of the King's kids! ) 

     So Gunrunner John. The item you described and linked is a capacitor with it's own "charge/stop charging" internal switch?  Am I close? 

Correct, there is a one-wire connection to the center track roller line and you plug it into the battery connector.  Then you button it up and forget about leaking batteries or changing them.  The YLB will charge on any normal conventional or command track voltage.

There are two versions, one with the standard battery clip for older RailSounds products that have the battery cable and the other with the board connector for newer Legacy that no longer includes the battery cable.

YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement

YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement (RS-Lite)

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gunrunnerjohn posted:

Correct, there is a one-wire connection to the center track roller line and you plug it into the battery connector.  Then you button it up and forget about leaking batteries or changing them.  The YLB will charge on any normal conventional or command track voltage.

There are two versions, one with the standard battery clip for older RailSounds products that have the battery cable and the other with the board connector for newer Legacy that no longer includes the battery cable.

YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement

YLB - RailSounds Battery Replacement (RS-Lite)

Gunrunnerjohn, 

Can your RS-Lite YLB be installed in the Polar Express with Whistle Steam (6-18754) ? The tender came factory without a Battery, I would really like to add one if it's possible.

Thanks,

Scott

I have installed 30 of Gunrunner John's YLB 19500 and 19510 Batteries in the tenders of my Lionel steam engines and they work perfectly to end the sound drop-off that was occurring on my Steam engines when going over Atlas #5 switches and Double Cross-overs.  They are available from Henning's Trains website, under subheading: Electrical.

Connecting the red power wire to the center roller power wires is easy to do if you can strip a wire and solder a connection.  The 10500 has a battery clip for connecting to older engines with a battery cable.  The 10510 has a plug for the sound board that connects directly to the board.  The red  wire then goes to the center roller power wire.

The nice thing that occurs is that my steam engine tenders continue to make sound to shut down after I have shut down the transformer, like in conventional use.  I am running Legacy, so I usually shut down each engine individually, but the battery provides benefits in conventional use.

I just installed a 10510 YLB with plug into my new 1931810 Hudson J3a #5415 from Mr. Muffins Trains. It helps the PT Tender sound system continue uninterrupted over my Atlas O #5 switches or other center rail gaps.  The PT Tender has both pick-up rollers close together to accommodate the Water Spray Fill Effect three smoke output units on each side, making the YLB battery a necessity on my train layout. 

Note: PT Tender Center Pick-up roller wires are Red or Gray.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

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  • IMG_0936: Close pick-up rollers on PT tender greates small electrical footprint.
  • IMG_0923: Interior of the PT Tender #5415.
  • IMG_0931: The red and gray wires are center roller wirers.
  • IMG_0935: YLB Battery tucked on top of Zip Tied wires.

The YLB is a no brainer. Definitely the correct choice. Sorry for the "simplistic" questions. I really try to wrap my tiny mind around something and fully understand it. Like how a non-charging tender can charge a rechargeable battery or capacitor...an internal circuit, which not even the manufacturer pointed out, was the key to comprehending this head scratcher.

   GunrunnerJohn I hope you realize what an incredible asset you are to this forum.

Thanks, I just create things that I first have a need for.  Turns out at times a lot of people have the same need.

There's more than meets the eye to get the battery voltage out of a lower track voltage, here's the board that is in the YLB.

 

Some additional components get added after these are made to complete the assembly.

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