# Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC



## kevinrcavanaugh (Apr 23, 2011)

I'm new to Garden Railways, looked in a few mags and bought a USA Trains SD70MAC because I love them. I'm slowly buying things, that being the first. Now I have a Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 set, a non plug and play decoder a Cordless Renovations Charger amnd 18.5 Volts battery pack. I want to put this together but I am not that good with electronics. It looks like I have to put the charger in the Locomotive. How will I charge additional engines or do I have to buy one for each engine. I also want this in the Locomotive and not in a trailing car. Please help.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

There is no reason you have to put the charger in the loco. Most people do not. I'm aware of CR's recommendations. 

You just need a charging jack on the loco. 

Greg


----------



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

Take a look at some of the installation threads in the "RC/Battery" forum (just above this one in the tree). While most of them involve other manufacturers' R/C systems, the systems themselves aren't what you want to pay attention to. Pay attention to how the installers worked with the batteries, charging jacks, power switches, and things of that nature. That's all going to be nominally the same regardless of whose control electronics are used. You'll just insert the Revolution where they have {brand} instead. Put a plug on the end of the Cordless Renovations charger that you can plug into the charging jack on each locomotive, and you'll be all set. 

Later, 

K


----------



## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

You might want to consider putting the battery in a trailing car also. I know when I first started with battery power, I wanted everything inside the engine. As I gained more experience, though, I soon realized that it is really nice to be able to take a battery out and swap it with a freshly charged one when it becomes discharged. This way you can continue running your locomotive without setting it aside for several hours while its battery is being charged.

Just a thought you might want to consider.

Ed


----------



## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

There is a very simple way of having the main battery inside the loco and a back up battery in a trail car. 
Plugging in the trail car automatically disconnects the internal battery saving it for running light engine.


----------



## kevinrcavanaugh (Apr 23, 2011)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

Thanks for the replies, I still don't understand the battery charger thing. It seems simply the way they explain it (Cordless). You have two pieces to the charger, one set of wires coming out the battery pack you hook up to one piece of the charger. That same piece has the settings for your battery and also a place to put wires to the engine or circuit boards I assume. You position this piece in such a way that you plug the other piece into the piece that you connect the battery and engine too. I don't understand how with one set of wires coming out of the battery you can connect it to both your locomotive and to a point on your locomotive to charge it.


----------



## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

You use a DPDT switch. 
Battery wires go to the middle pair of terminals. 
Loco wires go to one side pair. 
Charger wires go to the other side pair. 










There is absolutely no need to have the charger on board the loco. In fact very few folks do. One charger usually does all your models. Depending on how many locos you have.


----------



## kevinrcavanaugh (Apr 23, 2011)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

Thanks for your answers, it helped me alot. Can't wait for some free time to actually put it together. I just wish track in this scale wasn't so expensive. It might take about five years to get a what I want for track down.


----------



## izzy0855 (Sep 30, 2008)

*RE: Putting Aristocraft Revolution 2.4 and Cordless Battery Pack in USA Trains SD70MAC*

Hello Kevin,


We also have extension cables so you can have the CR-1 Smart Charger outside of your engine and use it as a bench top charger. The charger was not made to fit inside your engine but it could be installed within a trailing battery car design. Here are a couple of entension cables that will help you with your installation to the battery and then to the charger.



















Rick Isard
Cordless Renovations, LLC


----------

