G-Scale Graphics RailBoss 4 Basic, Operation And Installation Manual

Page 1: ...pdated 6 9 2015 Operation and Installation Manual G Scale Graphics 4118 Clayton Ct Fort Collins CO 80525 970 581 3567 GScaleGraphics comcast net www GScaleGraphics net Revision E Updated 6 9 2015 The Next Generation of ...

Page 2: ...on 9 Throttle Programming 9 Low Battery Warning 10 Transmitter Command Summary 11 Trouble Shooting Manual Operation 12 Automated Operation 13 Trouble Shooting Automated Operation 14 Multi Train Operation 15 Trouble Shooting Multi Train 16 User Programming 17 User Programming Chart 19 Specifications 20 RailBoss Product Comparison 21 Wiring Diagram 22 ...

Page 3: ...mps and or LEDs without the need for added resistors User programmable options give you control over many of the operating parameters without a computer In addition to controlling speed via Faster Slower buttons the 6 button transmitter can also control loco direction sound triggers un couplers momentum on off track whistle on off station stops on off and more A 2 button Kids Transmitter is also a...

Page 4: ...ou want to run and the others off Each RailBoss 4 Rx learns a transmitter and will only respond to that transmitter and no others Press the Learn button on the RailBoss 4 Rx The LED and front headlight will start blinking Press the Stop key on the transmitter until the LED stops blinking They are now linked together If you routinely need to pass control of a locomotive from one transmitter to anot...

Page 5: ...is available to let your kids have some control without wreck ing the train RB4 40 and later software The left button will sound the horn whistle and the right button rings the bell Pressing either button while the train has made an automated station stop will make it leave the station You still have full control using your full 6 button transmitter Of course the kids may just keep pressing the bu...

Page 6: ...l other control boards and switches should be removed from the circuit Depending on the design of the locomotive this may be an extremely simple process or it may be difficult Some motor blocks make it very simple You will find two pairs of wires One set goes to the track pickups and the other goes to the motor You can verify which pair goes to the track pickups using a continuity checker or ohmme...

Page 7: ...probably take it off the track for charging For a full size locomotive and or tender you may want to locate the charging jack on the end of the car to enable charging in place on the track The switch in the charging jack isolates the battery from all other electronics when a jack is plugged in regardless of the position of the power on off switch Note A G Scale Graphics Battery Conversion module w...

Page 8: ...l tops as it will hit the rails in turnouts Setup and Testing The on board green LED can be used to check out your wiring and most of the board functions This should be all you need to get going but if you are still having problems and you have a volt ohm meter you can also take the measurements indicated below Power up RailBoss LED ON When power is first applied to the board the LED should be ON ...

Page 9: ... and Whistle triggers are accessible directly using the Whistle and Bell buttons Out 3 and Out 4 re quire use of the 2nd key and Whistle Out 3 or Bell Out 4 The Bell and Out 3 4 can be programmed for momen tary or latched operation The Whistle Horn will continue to trigger as long as the button is held down allowing you to Play the whistle on some sound systems Software revision 40 and later In or...

Page 10: ...tteries things are different They need protection from over discharge so many lithium ion battery packs have a built in protection circuit that shuts off the battery when it discharges to a predetermined voltage This happens with no warning and your train stops instantly in the tunnel or on the mountain etc Lithium polymer batteries don t usually have the built in protection but must have some pro...

Page 11: ...User Parameter 2 Disabled it is quiet Note Whistle can always be sound manually via a single key press of the Whistle button Whistle will sound when toggled to enabled 2nd Slower Toggle automated Station Stops Enabled station stops will occur per User Parameter 3 Dis able for continuous running Bell will sound when toggled to enabled 2nd Stop Toggle the momentum rate either fast for switching or s...

Page 12: ... volts nominal Replace the battery with a CR2032 coin cell battery Erratic throttle behavior Reset throttle to default full range values using throttle programming procedure See Throttle Programming The loco doesn t start moving until I hold the Faster button for a long time The voltage is ramping from 0 volts to that required to move the loco You can eliminate this dead time by programming the Mi...

Page 13: ...he second magnet is crossed prior to coming to a full stop it should work Caution Provide end of track bumpers or wheels chocks just in case Radio Shack 1 2 round ceramic magnets make good track magnets They can be glued to the top of a rail tie or placed between the ties Any magnet of suitable size and strength can be used But they must be located no more than 1 4 from the reed switch passing ove...

Page 14: ...B Piko track magnets also work very well Trouble Shooting Automated Operation Make sure you have enabled station stops from the transmitter Loco fails to stop after crossing a single decel magnet Verify proper installation of reed switch and magnet If the loco fails to reverse after crossing two magnets the magnets are too close together and or the loco speed is too fast Hence the need to protect ...

Page 15: ...lap When they skip the stop they will catch the train ahead much sooner When the lead train senses the train behind is too close it is forced to skip the station stop and the train behind is forced to make a station stop getting everything back in sync How often your trains stop at the station and how often they get close to each other depends on the setting in Parameter 3 position of the track ma...

Page 16: ...ransmitter it will NOT start again automatically You should stop all trains until the problem causing the stop has been cleared You need enough track length in the run section to handle the number of trains you are running without them catching each other no matter what the station stop is set to Increasing the station stop to 100 will allow more trains to run with reduced risk The first whistle m...

Page 17: ...crossing the whistle magnet 10 times the whistle will have only sounded about 5 times The triggers are random events and thus very unpredictable adding character and a bit of mys tery to your layout Parameter 3 Station Stops Bell Operation via Reed Switch The reed switch at terminals 12 13 initiates a station stop if enabled from the transmitter and also triggers the output at terminal 6 normally ...

Page 18: ...rminals 9 and 10 for either momentary Phoenix Un Coupler operation or latching lights Warning If you have a Phoenix Un Coupler connected to terminals 9 or 10 and you select Parameter 12 Latch ing you will instantly destroy the Un Coupler Use Momentary only for Phoenix Un Couplers the default option User Programming DIP Switch Programming Procedure User configurable parameters can be programmed usi...

Page 19: ... 10 Secs 4 15 Secs 5 20 Secs Option Parameter 9 Out 3 4 TX Key Configuration 1 Out 3 4 Left side 2 Out 3 4 Right side Factory settings Option Parameter 10 Bell Trigger Configuration 1 Momentary 2 Latched Option Parameter 11 Out 3 4 Terminal 7 8 Configuration 1 Momentary 7 Momentary 8 2 Momentary 7 Latched 8 3 Latched 7 Momentary 8 4 Latched 7 Latched 8 The DIP switch sets the Parameter Number Each...

Page 20: ...oltage minus driver loss Max voltage loss across driver 0 4V 1 0A 1 5V 5A or 10A Control Inputs normally open momentary close to common Bell Station stops Terminals 12 13 Whistle Terminals 11 13 Remote Learn Terminals 14 15 Control Outputs Terminals 3 4 5 6 7 8 Open collector switch to common Max load 250 ma Directional Lighting Terminals 3 4 LED Lamp Drivers from battery voltage Terminal 1 LED cu...

Page 21: ...cles Note 2 Two of the outputs are available for any combination of sound triggers un Couplers latched drivers User programmable 2 4GHZ RailBoss R C Product Comparison Control System RailBoss 4 Basic RailBoss 4 Plus RailBoss Hobby Plus 2 4 GHZ Note 1 Radio Transmitter 6 Button Handheld Tx 6 Button Handheld Tx 4 or 5 Channel Hobby Stick Radio Rx ESC Configuration Integrated ESC Rx Integrated ESC Rx...

Page 22: ...Page 22 RailBoss 4 Wiring Diagram ...