So my younger son, only 2.5, has a lion chief little steam switcher from the entry level starter set. He takes almost everywhere, similar to how some other kids take a stuffed animal around. Now the engine itself has a number of limitations but he loves it, so let's leave that alone.
What I would like to do is to be able to add a timer in the remote so that the bell switches itself back off after about 10 or 15 secs. If anyone here has let the public run a LC engine at a show then you know how the bell tends to get left on by little ones and is enough to drive the must serious train nut out of their mind after listening to it for 20 minute stretches over and over again for several hours.
I thought his little engine was dead in the water after all the abuse it takes but sure enough with some aggressive cleaning I was able to get it running again yesterday morning. Much of the remainder of the day was spent with echo's of "Turn off the bell" coming from other parts of the house.
Has anyone manufactured such a circuit and would you be willing to share? this is outside my area of expertise.
Additionally, how the heck do you open a LC remote without destroying it? I got his about 3/4's of the way open but the upper portion just wouldn't move. Do I need a special tool to get the post-in-cylinder type connection apart, or is it glued together?
All help appreciated,
John Z.
