I don't use advance, but I prefer to use recharable batteries. My gordon (regular size Tomy) made nasty sounds one train show and couldn't (and I mean couldn't) climb the incline we had on the layout. Edward had to push him up every time, but after a while Henry took the train over. As for repairs, No cogs were broke, but I had to make his wheels non freerolling in order for him to run normally on the inclines, and haven't had a problem since. So (if you want to) you should take a look inside to see what's going on. This line is easy to figure out after you've done it once or twice. Could be a really dirty cog, to an absolutely destroyed one. And it will get worse. As far as rubber tyres go, I don't know.
Hi guys,
Rechargeable batteries tend to have higher capacity than your standard 'Duracell's' so will last longer. They may well be a bit heavier which will aid adhesion.
The clicking sound you hear is the sprung loaded dog, yes I did say dog which mates with the rear of the powered wheel. It's made to slip when the wheel is prevented from turning while the motor is turned on.
(03-23-2015, 05:09 PM)Wartsilaone Wrote: Hi guys,
Rechargeable batteries tend to have higher capacity than your standard 'Duracell's' so will last longer. They may well be a bit heavier which will aid adhesion.
The clicking sound you hear is the sprung loaded dog, yes I did say dog which mates with the rear of the powered wheel. It's made to slip when the wheel is prevented from turning while the motor is turned on.
Alastair
Righto. The dog prevents the cog from breaking and thus makes the trains a bit more child proof.
Alkaline batteries are 1.5V and have a voltage-discharge capacity curve that drops off constantly. That is, your toys will get slower and slower as the battery gets discharged.
Rechargeable batteries are 1.2V and may seem slower compared to a fresh alkaline battery, but maintains that voltage until it is depleted. That is, it will perform consistently as long as it is not depleted and will stop completely when it is discharged.
Hi Super, Good point I should have mentioned it before.
The older models aren't compatible but it does look like the whole range will be re-issued with the new type of bodies.
This may sound bad if you've already spent good money on the older models but they will probably be discontinued and become more valuable for the collectors. Besides it's good to have some trains just running round while you concentrate on stopping and starting others.
ACS compatible trains will have this symbol on the box.
(This post was last modified: 03-24-2015, 06:54 PM by Wartsilaone.)
Thats pretty neat, so the white shell that the ACS comes with is just a dummy and you are supposed to use a train body? Is there a definition of what ACS stands for? A guess...Automatic Control System? Now here is a question...are the controllers specific to its receiver or if you have more than one train running with these will their signals get all screwed up?
There are only two channels - A and B. Therefore, if you have two trains, you can have one on A and one on B. If you have 100 trains, you can still only have two channels - A or B.
The ACS system uses InfraRed (IR) and therefore can sometimes not receive the signal. I've had the trains fail to receive my signal and crash into a buffer.
Unfortunately, it does not seem like the entire series is being reissued as ACS models. Many of the existing models are being replaced with other more recent train sets that are ACS compatible. Many current ACS compatible train sets are no longer from the original release line of train sets.
From my knowledge, only the following are being re-released as ACS compatible so far:
- 923形3000番代ドクターイエロー (923 Series 3000 Type Doctor Yellow)
- E231系500番台山手線 (E231 Series 500 Type Yamanote)
- N700系新幹線みずほ．さくら (N700 Series Mizuho.Sakura)
- E233系京浜東北線 (E233 Series Keihin Tohoku)
- E3系新幹線0番代 (E3 Komachi 0 Type)
- E233系湘南色 (E233 Shonan)
Mr Motorman uses RF (Radio) so it would be more reliable.
Also note that if anything says it is ACS compatible, it does not come with the ACS control unit. It only means that the train set is transferable to an ACS control unit.
Another piece of advice: Running Plarail Advance and standard Plarail together looks awkward and is a little bit difficult to manage. If you are the type that likes everything to look in order and you already have lots of standard Plarail, stay away from Plarail Advance as it will only cost you a lot of money in the future to re-purchase almost everything besides the simplest tracks. It is also quite a hassle to make sure that the tracks you are using are suitable for Plarail Advance train sets as discussed in this thread. Furthermore, standard Plarail seems to be getting much more support and is also cheaper in the long-run. Plarail Advance items are far more expensive than the standard Plarail items.
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