# The Aristo Doodle Bug gets RCS battery R/C & Phoenix sound.



## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

A very good customer has decided to add an AristoCraft Doodle Bug to his roster.
Naturally it will have battery R/C and Phoenix sound.
Here is how I did it.










First up I drilled holes in the floor for a Phoenix oval speaker.
Then I mounted two 7.2 volt 2,500 mah Sub C NiCd packs on the side wall. I used spacers to hold them proud enough so that the two cargo doors could still be opened and closed to gain access to the charge jack and ON-OFF switch etc.

Next up was to install a sheet of styrene glued to the speaker magnet and a vertical upright to stabilise it.










The two part RCS BTL-3rA ESC and Spektrum AR500 RX plugged in upside down were stuck to the styrene sheet with silicone roof and gutter sealant.
The ON-OFF switch/fuse assembly was glued to the floor at the R/H door.

The Phoenix sound was also glued to the floor towards the front of the compartment.









I had to fabricate a small styrene frame to hold the Phoenix programming jack and volume control.
This was mounted just inside the L/H door.

Screw terminals made wiring up a simple job.

The ON-OFF switch is readily accessible.










As are the Phoenix components on the other side.










The most difficult wiring was adding a reversing light at the back of the pass compartment.










All that was then needed was to put the ends back and the roof on. 
Easier said than done, but practice made perfect after the two or three times I had to do it because I had forgotten to plug in the headlight and then forgot to place the sliding doors in the grooves.

Like all AC 2 axle locos this runs superbly. They do get somethings right y'know.

Range is not a problem thanks to the 2.4 GHz R/C.


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## work4fil (Jan 4, 2008)

That looks awesome Tony! 

Thank you for sharing and giveing me yet another image to ponder. 

Fil


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Hi Tony,
Very nice work.
When I do these, the only thing I do different is that I mount the speaker in the radiator front, and I use a bright white LED in the HL. They are a fabulous conversion for this unit.
I know I'm doing one more (at least) this winter, and I should take pictures this time. 

Noel


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Noel. 
I thought about front mounting the speaker as it made good sense. However I didn't have one suitable that would be adequately loud and still be invisible. 
I would like to see a pic of how you did it because I will be getting another one of these to do early in the new year.


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## noela (May 22, 2008)

Hi Tony,
Will do. You're correct, it is not invisible, but it does make for a good sound, particularly when you're in front of the unit. I have the Doodlebug conversion scheduled for late January, early February. While I havn't had any complaints, the only thing I could think of that may be a negative with this set up is running in the rain, but that hasn't happened yet, as I don't think any of these units have been run in the rain.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Regards,
Noel


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