Hey Dala,
Thanks for that info, I hadn't really thought about buying complete N gauge running chassis and then retro-fitting the mini body to that, for a start I didn't even know they made one that small to be honest. Having checked though it seems the TomyTec HM01 which they used in that video is no longer available, the few posts I could find about it were dated 2015 and entries on jp1999 and ebay are old or 'out of stock'. I should maybe have thought about this as I have used similar chassis made by Kato, except they were larger than that and therefore not really suitable for mini's. I'd used those previously on special 'N' gauge model kits from Bandai called "B Train Shorty's" which sort of resembled Tomy trains in terms of shortened length in comparison to the real things. I did post about those previously, although the graphics don't show on that original post as they were on photobucket or something instead. The other downside to going N gauge using these motors is that they cost something like £20/$20 each just like the Kato ones do.
My plan was a bit simpler and to use micromotors as used in these pocket size drones. These are small enough that they could be made to fit inside the body of a mini reasonably easy, you can also get pinions that fit those size motor shafts and then use a similarly sized worm gear on the axle of the mini. So basically I would fit all this onto the normal Mini chassis - albeit with a bit of modification of it. As these motors generally run between 1.5 and 6v depending on the model you get I figured a couple of small batteries would work and hence why I was thinking button cells. But if I were to use those 1/3rd length AAA types you can get they should fit in a wagon or coach, although I'd have to check the size, who knows maybe even some of the small lithium camera batteries would be ok - assuming they can still be bought in this world of digital cameras
Mind you maybe a pcb mounted small rechargeable would be another power source option? If I used some small wires with a socket/plug arrangement between the engine and the coach/wagon you could use the same plug or socket to connect it to a power source to charge it. My main concern though is how fast these motors run, if they are too quick there's probably not enough room to make a gearbox to change the ratio, although that is another good reason to use a pinion/worm gear arrangement. Mind you if I took a leaf out of the old Triang OO models you would put the worm gear on the motor and the pinion or equivalent on the axle, it used to work for them so maybe that would gear it down enough to work in the way I'm imagining it.
On the other hand maybe I'm just being too ambitious seeing as it seems nobody else has thought of or tried it lol!
Thanks for that info, I hadn't really thought about buying complete N gauge running chassis and then retro-fitting the mini body to that, for a start I didn't even know they made one that small to be honest. Having checked though it seems the TomyTec HM01 which they used in that video is no longer available, the few posts I could find about it were dated 2015 and entries on jp1999 and ebay are old or 'out of stock'. I should maybe have thought about this as I have used similar chassis made by Kato, except they were larger than that and therefore not really suitable for mini's. I'd used those previously on special 'N' gauge model kits from Bandai called "B Train Shorty's" which sort of resembled Tomy trains in terms of shortened length in comparison to the real things. I did post about those previously, although the graphics don't show on that original post as they were on photobucket or something instead. The other downside to going N gauge using these motors is that they cost something like £20/$20 each just like the Kato ones do.
My plan was a bit simpler and to use micromotors as used in these pocket size drones. These are small enough that they could be made to fit inside the body of a mini reasonably easy, you can also get pinions that fit those size motor shafts and then use a similarly sized worm gear on the axle of the mini. So basically I would fit all this onto the normal Mini chassis - albeit with a bit of modification of it. As these motors generally run between 1.5 and 6v depending on the model you get I figured a couple of small batteries would work and hence why I was thinking button cells. But if I were to use those 1/3rd length AAA types you can get they should fit in a wagon or coach, although I'd have to check the size, who knows maybe even some of the small lithium camera batteries would be ok - assuming they can still be bought in this world of digital cameras
Mind you maybe a pcb mounted small rechargeable would be another power source option? If I used some small wires with a socket/plug arrangement between the engine and the coach/wagon you could use the same plug or socket to connect it to a power source to charge it. My main concern though is how fast these motors run, if they are too quick there's probably not enough room to make a gearbox to change the ratio, although that is another good reason to use a pinion/worm gear arrangement. Mind you if I took a leaf out of the old Triang OO models you would put the worm gear on the motor and the pinion or equivalent on the axle, it used to work for them so maybe that would gear it down enough to work in the way I'm imagining it.
On the other hand maybe I'm just being too ambitious seeing as it seems nobody else has thought of or tried it lol!
Happily collecting things all my life...
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