We got that a few years ago at one of the large department stores, possibly Kohls. I wanted something with blue tooth in a wood chasis radio for the richer tones. I was also hoping for good am reception but that was a disapointment. There are a couple weekend programs on the local am station that I like to listen to. I mostly use the Bluetooth for listening to audiobooks while at the workbench. The radio has a tone control that is really a nice feature.
Thanks okane. I'm always open to suggestions and feedback, positive or critical. I'm curious how that will hold up in the long run. I'm wondering if glue or paint will get in there during scenery work. I think I would put a very tiny drop of Conduct A Lube or No Ox in there just to keep out anything unwanted. On second thought, if paint and glue don't interfere with the other rail joiners I guess these joints should be fine. I followed the method on Mike Fifers video, (sorry I couldn't find it). It's basically the same except soldering the wire to the joiner. I don't mind soldering and wiring. I've been doing it since the 70's and have my own system worked out. On this layout with the wiring run "underground" I don't want to take any chances. Once I start scenery wiring will be inaccessible.
Me too, and not sure how long it would hold up. Yea I've been soldering since the 70's more into programming now. Still, the skill once learned is easily remembered. I'll give it a try in a couple of spots that are accessible and see what happens.
Check to see if those AM programs you listen to stream online (sometimes even stream LIVE online). Then you will get perfect reception. Often times they are recorded events so you can listen to them at your own time.
The used parallel port connectors came with the pigtails installed. The wire colors don't match across from one connector to another. Since I hadn't yet landed any leads on the layout side connector I decided it would be easier to remove the connector from the layout and work at the bench.. I plugged the two connectors together and checked connectivity then labeled each wire.
After verifying what wires went to which terminals and applying labels, I mounted one side of the parallel port to the control panel and started breaking the wires out of the bundle. The control panel was supposed to be temporary, made from and old benchwork mockup. I used it for practicing hand laying track. All the extra holes are from track construction. My original plan was to use Atlas Selectors but these little SPDT center off switches fit better.
I took the previous photo standing where the control panel mounts. This should illustrate why I need an easily removable control panel. If I sit up straight while at my workbench my right ear hits the lower right hand side of the panel.
I would like to have a tube radio some day. Some of the old floor models had very beautiful cabinets. I believe they were pre FM. I'm not taking on any more projects, but it would be fun to get an empty floor cabinet and put in modern electronics along with a sub woofer. We just have a couple reproduction "Crosby" radios. They weren't really worth the money. Luckily my wife used Tipper Points she was awarded when she was working. I try to get my wife to just sit and listen to audiobooks or OTR with the lights down low but she isn't interested.
After dinner I grabbed a cup of coffee, put on my lounging pants, read pj bottoms, and an old argyle sweater and headed to the workbench to start soldering the control panel. I found that most of the wire markers that I had applied were coming unwrapped and starting to fall off. I had only marked the 14 pair for track power. I grabbed a bottle of clear nail polish and rewrapped the 14 pairs securing the wire markers with nail polish. Since I had the materials out I rang out and labeled the other 11 pairs for future use. While I was working I finished listening to Alien Isolation and started listening to Alien: Out of the Shadows. In Space (and in my train room) No One Can Here You Scream!
Woke up very early again and did some work on the control panel. I finished landing the leads from the switches to the control panel parallel port. I did not trim the leads to length. I left the extra wire incase I build a rev.II control panel. This started out as a temporary control panel. I did not measure anything. I just laid the Atlas Selectors across it and thought I would make due for now. It may possibly turn out better than expected. The nail polish seems to have fixed the peeling wire markers. That's all for now!
Today I've got a little bit of time. I'm working on mounting transformers under the control panel. I needed to cut screws to length. The crimper with screw trimmer makes quick work of it. It belonged to my father. The file was my grandfathers.
Looks like a woo woo woo tool. I bet it's good ol' Made In USA. Hang on to it with your dear life as you hardly can find that anymore!
I won't have access to the nuts securing the transformers under the control panel. I'm going to try epoxying nuts in place using sandwich style toothpicks to hold the nuts until epoxy cures. I rubbed a little beeswax on the screw threads just in case. I think the epoxy is only on the exposed portion of the screw and not in the Ngauged portion of threads.
I tried to post the manufacturer and was censored also so I edited out! On the subject of tools, I was fortunate to have an antiques place near me that dealt with quite a few horological estates. I would go there a few times a year and rummage through boxes of unsorted stuff and look for small hand tools. Because of this many of my modeling tools are vintage to antique and of American or European manufacture. This includes my 19 drawer maple watchmakers bench from the 1940's. The bench was definitely a working bench, far from a show piece but is really nice for a modeling bench. I often put a scrap of homosote across the findings tray and working there.
I like this project but I see one issue that may be an issue later. The Tyco transformers are very weak. I had quite a few of them when I was a kid and I quickly found that running more than one loco on the same transformer would kill it. Are you using the Tyco for just power or variable power? If you are going with the straight power option then there are quite a few out there that are cheap and will put out 12V and 3 to 5 amps, which will far exceed the Tyco output, and with modern components they will last much longer. The silver one I use in my control box came in a 2 pack for $30, and they are 12V 5amp and are slightly taller but roughly the same dimensions of the Tyco. Just a thought... Oh and no buzzing... All my Tycos buzzed
Thanks for pointing out any concerns. I can always use advice.. For now I'm using two for power supplies. I used these same two with common rail on a slightly larger Carolina Central I built for my nephew in the 90's. They worked fine. I'm going to mount two MRC model 55 throttles to panel. I want to go with what I have on hand and possibly convert to DCC in the future. I also need to keep this very compact.
