Faller Car System - running Japanese buses

[inobu]

Thanks, I think I'm going to get one now. 

 

 

 

 

 

Inobu

Edited February 9, 2018 by inobu

[cteno4]

 

2 hours ago, kvp said:

Actually the only thing holding the steering and the propulsion mech together is the battery holder. The newer lipo bus chassis even has a set screw holding it together and if you move the battery out of the way, a really short axle distance is achievable. The trailer is also resizable and detachable. It's pretty hackable as all controls and sensors are in the motor part and the rest is just wired to it.

 

you mean on the tomytec? wow thats great then if thats the case. i need to pull mine out and tear at it, i didnt poke at it when i first played with it. it would be nice to have the battery slot just be open under the truck maybe if rearranged some, but it will be a question of space and length. the old faller was great as things could easily get jammed into a smaller truck if you wanted and they did with a few of their trucks they released.

 

i was wondering if the segmented bus had the part separate like the old faller busses.

 

jeff

[Swd]

Thanks guys for the very detailed answers!

[gavino200]

There's a nice little instruction video here. It looks like a cool system. I'm getting very tempted.

 

 

[cteno4]

Yep that the more painful way of laying the wire. 

 

Jeff

[inobu]

Yeah, I didn't need to see this.  :( 

 

I looked at the one I tore apart again and see so many possibilities now. This thing has a PIC 161704 CPU. There is so much that can be done with it.

I've got the finish that other layout first.

Here is the other way

 

 

 

 

 

Inobu

 

I did not need to see that 18 wheeler.

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by inobu

[inobu]

Yeah, these people are crazy. lol

 

 

 

[cteno4]

Pretty wild! HO is the sweet spot for the faller car system as you have the space to do rc like this as well as do cars!

 

jeff

[gavino200]

8 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Yep that the more painful way of laying the wire. 

 

Jeff

 

You mean retro fitting as opposed to laying the wire first and then building the road on top of it?

 

[cteno4]

Yep. When I first was playing with the faller system years ago I looked at a lot of stuff folks were doing via retrofitting into existing roads or making new roads built in and cutting slots. Lots of them were having issues and complaint about various things (mess, getting nice curves, depth, access, repairs etc) and why I think the make the road with the wire in then plop it in (and then either perminetly mount it in place or have it removable) is much better route. Also I head having loads of fun messing with the paths to give more interesting looking turns and such and also trying to optimize the path for tracking. Also can do your own points and reversing loops. Trying to do that in place can be a real pain. Now with additional pause and gear change sensors of the Tomytec version you can play even more with your roads and being able to get it right with the road itself (sort of like playing with the Tomytec road sections) before building it in is even more reason. Also just getting access to the area the road is in can be an issue on a layout to try to do something like cutting your wire slot.

 

im a fan of doing as much roadwork off layout just for the lines and such as again painting or decaling or pin taping them in place on a layout can be really tough depending on where it is. I love working on as many bits of scenery and engineering off layout and then plop in place in the layout and preferably engineer it so that it’s none totally permanent once their so if you need to fix or change something it’s not starting all over again. Also usually a lot less mess on the layout as the smuts always ends up in track, points and engines and trains can keep running thru everything as much as possible as down train time is a killer for many to keep momentum in the hobby as seeing trains run energizes many and a big draw to the hobby.

 

I’ve also found this really helps me from running into walls that can really dampen my enthusiasm and energy for project and I’ve seen it kill the hobby for many with a wall crash or two like this. Of course there are some who are totally gonzo and these walls don’t stop them at all, but they are not the average joe/jane hobbyist. I also like to be able to trash something going sideways and start over w.o ripping lots of stuff up, let’s you abort earlier and try new ideas.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[gavino200]

I agree with what Jeff says about working with what you've already built before changing anything. We got about two years of fun out of our previous 4x8 layout before changing it. Also, the things that bothered me about it only occurred to me gradually. If I didn't use this layout for a while, I would have just made the same "mistakes" on the next layout. 

 

The main point that I was making is that a 4x8 layout actually takes up a lot of space as you need to be free to walk around it. It's very hard to reach one side from the other. You can fit a 'wrap around' layout in the same sized room. 

 

I also don't like the idea of a single line layout. I think maybe the 'holy grail' is a loop that is complex and partially hidden, so that it's not so obviously a loop. I have not achieved that yet.

 

This is my previous layout. It was my second overall. I loved it while it lasted still remember it fondly.

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by gavino200