# BATTERY POWER IN A BACHMANN 10 WHEELER



## copycats (Jan 4, 2008)

I just changed my bachmann 10 wheeler annie to battery and lost the sound. What did I do wrong or is this just the way it is.


----------



## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

The Bachmann Annie uses a 9 volt battery to pwer the sound. 
Powering the loco with battery R/C will have no effect.


----------



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmm. You bump something loose? Perhaps the contacts on the front drive axel are dirty or bent? 

A little hard to troubleshoot at a distance.


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

There's an on/off switch on the volume control sticking out under the tender. Maybe you turned it off?


----------



## copycats (Jan 4, 2008)

Just found out this weekend that you loose the stock sound when you go to battery power. Has anyone built a circuit or something to overcome this ?


----------



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Shouldn't stop working. It's just powered by a 9v battery and works from the contacts in the loco. 
I took it out to make space in the tender for battery and receiver. Later, I put in the Small Scale Railways card. Works slick. http://www.smallscalerailway.com/ I just sticky-taped it to the back wall of the tender and it's nicely out of the way.


----------



## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

Converted mine over a while back to onboard receiver and battery power in tender, sound still works fine. You might have broken a wire off the sound board or speaker or something when you were doing the changeover 

Here is how I did it.: . 

( http://www.grblogs.com/index.php/2007/12/10/10-wheeler-control-car?blog=5 ) 

.......KC


----------



## copycats (Jan 4, 2008)

The sound board is still OK in the tender. You can check it by hooking the wire into where the light is supposed to go and you get a sound out of it, so it something in the locomotive. The person I got the information from about loosing the sound when converting them has done 2 or 3 and lost the sound in all of them.


----------



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I'd question his conversion technique


----------



## copycats (Jan 4, 2008)

Pretty simple conversion. All you do is disconnect the wires on the wipers that pickup track power and connect to a receiver. Hook the receiver to battery and yo have it.


----------



## mjltuk (Jan 3, 2008)

KC 

Thanks for the link to your article that looks really helpful. 

As you say it doesn't deal with changes inside the loco and you refer to a document by Jon Miller. 

I can't access that at LSOL and wonder whether it is available anywhere else or if you can help me contact him. 

Many Thanks in advance 


Mike


----------



## Guest (Apr 23, 2008)

did you happen to look here...there may be an answer in there somewhere? 

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html


----------



## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

OK. You have reinstalled the battery, turned it on at the volume control knob underneath, and tested it by shorting the two pins of the chuff cable (the one that plugs into the loco and reaches the contacts under the loco.) 

There's a switch on the back of the loco adjacent to the pins on the loco which is difficult to see - you may have knocked it when plugging in the cable. Make sure it is on. 

You can gain access to the chuff trigger by removing the bottom plate - see the info at George's site iinked by Cale.


----------



## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Since you have invested money in a RC unit, why not invest in a after market sound system and use reeds to trigger the chuff...alot less hassle then trying to figure out a stock sound system that is less then satisfying then some of the cheeper sound units that are offered today, which will give you much more pleasure when you are playing with your trains! 

I converted a 10 wheeler but I gutted it completely and rewired the lights and everything saves a lot of hasle to do so....have to start somewhere. 

Did I mention my 2 cents. 

Bubba


----------



## copycats (Jan 4, 2008)

I wasn't sure how an aftermarket sound system worked, if it worked the same as the stock sound or not. Will have to save some more money to buy an aftermarket sound system. Thanks


----------



## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By copycats on 04/23/2008 8:34 AM
I wasn't sure how an aftermarket sound system worked, if it worked the same as the stock sound or not. Will have to save some more money to buy an aftermarket sound system. Thanks





There are some pretty cost effective systems out there. 

And not as expensive as you might think, as to ease of use I am only familure with the Phoenix and they are not cost effective...but VERY easy to install and program. 

Dallee seems reasonable, and maybe others can post more of what's out there. 

As for some people wanting the chuffs to be timed with the engines drivers', and not mount them on the tenders' wheels because of this, you can use the chuff wire that is already on the 10 wheeler and dissconnect the stock chuffing switch and wire the reed into it attach it with either a small zip, or hot glue it, or super glue it on. 

On my K-36 I spliced into the inherant track pickups....and spliced my reed to it and attached it to the frame with a small zip and glued 4 magnets to the driver and it works great...I used the wires that were already in the connector instead of making another mu plug hook up. 

If the stock sound system really does run on the 9 volt battery and not from the track power....then converting to R/C doesn't matter..if so then all bets are off.....anyway dissassemble the tender first and check the connections to check for obvious breaks in the wiring...if that doesn't work turn the engine over remove the base plate to also check the connections leading away from the chuff trigger..follow it to the plug....looking for obvious fractures and or what ever that may make it not work...ALWAYS being carefull that nothing falls out of place when it is turned over and the base plate being removed. 

Other then that I have no experience with the stock sound as they are the 1st thing I gut! 

You have to problem sole to know what is actually going on...from the beginning. 

Using a meter may also help but I have very little experience with a meter I problem solev from beginnings, but it gives you a working knolledge as to where to start and what to do. 

Hope this helps. 

Bubba


----------



## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I have both a dallee and a small scale railways card. I think I like the sound from the small scale card better. They're about the same price.


----------



## kcndrr (Jan 7, 2008)

Mike 
did you get link? 
re-sent today 

KC


----------



## mjltuk (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes thanks and have sent you a (belated!) PM. 

 

Mike


----------



## Paul Norton (Jan 8, 2008)

I converted my Bachmann Annie to battery power and didn’t lose the sound. 

I built a styrene platform around the speaker and sound board. 










Then I added battery packs, a receiver and Black Kat antenna. 











Here is a video of it running with sound. 



If you want to set the article on how it was down, click on the following link. 

Battery Powered Annie


----------

