Super-Chuffer Rev. 2

99% of the installations just use a "Y" connection as you describe. That's the way I do all the upgrades here.

The only reason you'd need the totally isolated connection is if you were going directly to the RailSounds audio board, that requires a separate floating ground.

GRJ,

Do you have a preferred wire color code scheme for your Super Chuffer and Chuff Generator installs?  I thought it would be best to use what you use since you're the inventor.

Also, is there a way to wire the super chuffer so that the fan motor on the smoke unit doesn't run when the locomotive is sitting on a powered track, but not being run?

Thanks!

NBGT posted:

Do you have a preferred wire color code scheme for your Super Chuffer and Chuff Generator installs?  I thought it would be best to use what you use since you're the inventor.

Well, I have an "unofficial" scheme that I generally use, but it's just something that I do so when I go later and look that it's easy to trace.

 NBGT posted:

Also, is there a way to wire the super chuffer so that the fan motor on the smoke unit doesn't run when the locomotive is sitting on a powered track, but not being run?

There is nothing in the current version that will do that. I ran out of control pins on the uP and didn't have an extra pin to implement such a function.

My planned next design update and build will change that.  I'll eliminate H2 as it's very seldom used, and even less seldom needed.  With the extra processor pin, I'll take in the smoke unit voltage and use that as a trigger to decide when to run the fan.  I'm also planning on shrinking the size of the board by about 40%.   I'm targeting changing the existing 1.2" x 1.1" size to 1.0" x .8" in the next build.  I hasten to add, that will only happen when the current stock of the existing design has been delivered.  So, buy a lot of them and it'll happen sooner.

Thanks, John!

I'll look forward to Rev. 3.  I've got three upgrades in the queue, so you can count on me to take 3 more Rev. 2 boards.

Reducing the size would be helpful.  I've done two upgrades so far - they fit, but it took a little trial and error to fit them in.

While you're thinking about Rev. 3, any way to have it control the smoke element power so that you could somehow get more wattage into the smoke unit without having to worry about burning out the TMCC board triacs?

Controlling the power is a bigger job, or rather a bigger board.  Suddenly we get into higher power devices, and since there's various schemes for powering the smoke unit, I'd have to accommodate them all.  I have considered it, but the board would have to be larger than it is now, and I've run across the same issues you have, trying to fit the existing design into some tight locomotives is a challenge.  That's the reason I started looking at what I could do to reduce the size and came up with what I'm going to change. 

Truthfully, you don't really want that much more power going into the smoke unit, you'd run into a host of issues with smoke unit maintenance if you put more than 6-7 watts into a smoke unit.

Other than the taking the smoke power in to gate the smoke motor, I'm also changing the TMCC headlight sensing circuit to be bi-polar so the Super-Chuffer will work with the older LCRU boards and R2LC boards earlier than C08.  Right now, the headlight circuit only senses negative voltage to know when the headlight is on.

Any idea when Revision II will be available for purchase? I need the smaller version for a tight fit.

ctr posted:

Any idea when Revision II will be available for purchase? I need the smaller version for a tight fit.

No firm schedule, I still have lots of the current board in stock, I'm not going to offer the next generation until these are sold.  I did build a prototype and test it, so when the current stock is exhausted, that will be the standard product.