Can I upgrade Atlas SW9 with ERR Cruise

Atlas also made a tmcc version of those diesels. Never took shell off my tmcc SW8 as was told room is so tight, it's extremely difficult to get shell back on without pinching wiring. Perhaps, another forumite has opened their tmcc version and can give you a size comparison of included tmcc unit to ERR version. 

I have one that had been upgraded to TAS TMCC. That board along with the associated Railsounds 4 boards take up considerably more space than the ERR Cruise Lite and new Railsounds Commander boards. You should have little problem fitting those in.

 

Pete

 

I upgraded my SW using the Cruise Lite and sound. Still a little tight but not as tight as the TAS boards. Spend a couple of days making adjustments to mount the boards, was able to get it up and running. 

 

I say take your time, fit, adjust, fit adjust, fit, adjust as needed. 

 

My SW runs great no and I control it with my Legacy remote.

 

RAY

The ERR Cruise Commander will probably fit.  At the worst, you may have to do a custom heatsink to slim the height down a bit.  The RailSounds Commander will easily fit under the speaker.

 

A while back, Atlas made a kit to convert the SW8/9 to TMCC.  Part of the kit was a different frame casting which allowed the motor to sit lower and provide a bit more room above the motor, under the hood.  Unfortunately, I never took advantage of this deal when it was available and before long they ran out of these conversion frames.  About four or five years ago I got the urge to convert this engine but was told that there were no more kits available.  My engine was a C&NW version with a solid, dark green frame.  I said that I didn't care what color the frame was but that I would paint it the right color. 

 

Jim Weaver was still around then and he said that he would get it converted for me so I sent it to him.  Unfortunately, Jim passed away before the conversion could be made and Atlas returned it to me as it was built originally.  No more kits; no possible way to convert the engine; they didn't care about it too much, either.

 

Since I only run Command Control on my layout, either TMCC or DCS, I had no use for the engine.  Put it up for sale and a gentleman who only runs conventional bought it for something like $100 bucks.  Good deal for him:  Not so good for me.

 

Paul Fischer

Paul, I picked up an SW8 a few months ago from a forum member. It came with TAS TMCC (no cruise) and also another frame that was slightly different. The extra frame had places for switches in the fuel tank. The frame with the body and TMCC had a speaker grill in the fuel tank. It also had holes and cutouts for the program/run switch. That was the only difference I could see between the two. I had to replace the speaker and because it was so tiny I used the other frame and modified its tank to accept the new slightly larger speaker. I think the motor mounts are the same height in both frames. The TAS electronics fit the same in the frame originally used for conventional operation just like they did in the frame modified for TMCC.

 

Pete

David, I'd measure the space available and see if the upgrade is going to fit. Don't give up yet...

 

You could try the Cruise Commander Lite, but if you do, I think I'd equip it with a PTC to limit current in the case of a stalled motor, the drivers go quickly if you exceed their rating.  Those big caps certainly suggest that there's clearance if you work a bit at it.  I think the only wild card is the height above the motor, looks like plenty of length.

 

 

Guys, thanks for all of the replies.  Special tip of the hat to GunrunnerJohn  who always gives freely of his advice and experience.  Since I got mixed replies, I emailed ERR and they said not enough room in the model I have.  The later models with two motors will work.  My model with a single motor in the middle connected to both chassis takes up too much room. 

 

Dang because is one fine engine.

Humor me David, measure how much room you actually have.   With a little creative work on the heatsink, the Cruise Commander can be sliced down to 1" tall.  That's the only sticking point.

 

I do have one dual-motor switcher with a Cruise Commander Lite in it, it's a test to see how it holds up.  I put a PTC in series with each motor to limit the stall current in case it gets stuck.  I've pulled 20 cars around with it for at least 20 minutes, no problem at all.

 

It just depends on how bad you want to do the upgrade.

 

David, check out the picture of the TAS TMCC board that Mike posted. The Cruise light is not any taller than that board nor is it any wider. In fact they are slightly thinner. The ERR site gives the dimensions of both those boards. Compare those numbers with the space in your engine.

 

Pete

I don't know if it has been changed in the last day or so but the width specified in the products area of ERR is in error, they state there 1 5/8" width it is actually 1 1/4" wide. We have put some of these in S gauge American Flyer engines. As John states do some measuring, it might well fit.

Ray

I'm certain that the CC-Lite would fit, and I still believe by hacking the heatsink on the Cruise Commander, it could be made to fit as well.  I have that same board that Mike has sitting right here, exclusive of the aluminum wrap-around mounting bracket, it's 1" tall.

Well this is certainly good news. I will measure and give it a try.

gunrunnerjohn - it appears there may be just enough room to try something.  How much monkeying to the heat sink can I do?  Are there things I should not do to it?

 

 

What I've done to minimize the space taken by a number of boards is the following.

 

On the back side, trim all the leads that extend out more than perhaps .05", usually that's stuff like discrete components, connectors, pots, etc.

 

You can modify the existing heatsink to work in a different manner.  Just flip it over to the top, drill new holes, and lop off the excess on the ends.  That even preserves the mounting screw position and saves a significant amount of vertical space.  This may be all you need to get it to fit.

 

You should make sure it has some thermal compound on it, and I wouldn't reduce it by more than around 25-30%, but what I'm describing probably won't make a huge difference in it's effectiveness.