Fx Bricks (Michael Gale) announces Fx Track system

[Pelzer117]

18 minutes ago, Jeffinslaw said:

I have been working on exactly this. It has taken a back seat to other things from my business such as instructions and getting injection molded accessories for custom minifigures done but the custom power pickup wheel sets will be next. 

I discussed this with Michael Gale last year at BrickWorld and he thought it was great as it provides another option and doesn't clash with his product. If you want to see more.

Wow. Thanks for the Information. But there I miss the plug n play way (attaching wires is in fact not as complicate, but I am still too lazy for it).

So now put yours and Michaels ideas together and everyone will be happy 😅

Edited June 9, 2024 by Pelzer117

[Pelzer117]

Found this on Youtube. 

 

So yes there is absolutely a market. But FX Bricks Solution will be better I assume.

But I still hope for an „advanced“ plug n play version with ball bearings

Edited June 23, 2024 by Pelzer117

[Narissis]

The FX Bricks version will be similar, but instead of being hardwired there will be classic 9V style contacts on the inner studs of the wheelset and they'll be selling what are essentially recreations of the original 9V wires. As the comment you quoted points out, this does mean that you'll need an adapter cable to convert the 9V connection into PF or PU for those motors, but those are already available from different suppliers.

The question I have, personally, pertains to Bevins' decision to move forward with double-axle bogies because of contact being interrupted from a single axle when the train goes through switches and things. I'm not sure what Michael's answer to this problem is with the FX solution.

[LM12V]

On 11/9/2023 at 12:01 AM, michaelgale said:

@michaelgale 

Dear Michele

I had already written to you on your site's email but perhaps you weren't able to read it. I've read everything about your project and I find it extraordinary and I don't care about the prices because I'm sure you'll do as well as you can.

I'm writing to you about the old 12V trains, because it seems to me that we often talk about converting the old 9V trains into your FX system but neglect owners like me of the old 12v trains (I have the 7740 and the 7727).

Now I absolutely agree with you when you say that we need to look ahead and the DCC fills me with joy, however I don't think that looking ahead means cutting out those who have the old 12v trains at all. It's true, those who have the old 12v trains have the best system anyone has seen before yours. But this does not mean that we are not interested in advancing into a truly professional system like that of fx. I guess I'm not the only one of the old 12v owners who can't wait to turn all our old 12v into your fx. To do this, however, the engine you are preparing must take us into account.

Your FX motor will be 12v black and identical externally to the old 9v motor. Inside, however, it will be a technical marvel. Now for most old 12v trains this new engine of yours will be fine. In December I will buy your wheels similar to the 9v ones (I already got the track and I will be among the first to get the new R120 and R136: what a spectacle!) and I will put them in place of the old ones. The covering of the wheels with brakes etc. is also aesthetically more beautiful. Furthermore, I am sure that your wheels will run even better than those with bearings and the fx motor will easily tow the 7740 even with the postal carriage (7819) and the sleeping carriage (7815), something that the old 12v barely did (in fact it took 2 motors and 2 transformers).

The problem for older 12v trains starts with the plungers. There are few old 12 volt trains with black motors and plungers (for example the 7735) but the old red 12 volt motors have almost all plungers.

Now I think that if the first FX engine was made with a hole in the middle for the third wheel and with holes for the pistons in the driving wheels like the old 12v it would be good for everyone, 12v and 9v. Whoever wants puts the third wheel and whoever wants covers. It seems to me that you want to tailor it only for the old 9v trains.

Now I ask you: as said, it's not a big problem for 90% of the old black engine 12v trains. However you do it the engine will be fine. But since you are also planning the red engine later, I ask you to make it compatible with the old 12v trains like the 7727. Or think about a limited edition with these specific characteristics for the pistons. Because it's a shame not to be able to see old 12v trains like the 7727 shine on your tracks in all their beauty.

Finally I have 4 curiosities:

1) I see someone is automating your trades. I don't think it's particularly difficult, but I would prefer to wait for your official automation. You just illustrated the control box upgrade. So I ask you: is there an official automation of the fx exchange with the relevant command?

2) How will the traffic light work in your system? From the update in 2025 we will finally be able to deploy the power of the FX system, but we will hardly be able to do it with two trains at the same time.

3) Converting old 12v trains to the fx system would also need a special plug with the old 12v socket joined to the new fx socket (i.e. the old 9v socket). There are videos that show how to do it, but I would prefer something professional done by you. Is something like this planned?

4) Someone criticized your exchanges because for a cross over or the return curve R64 still needs a half straight S8. I believe this criticism has its reasons. Notwithstanding the fact that I got two boxes of S8, however I believe that instead of thinking about the S16 (completely useless in my opinion) it would be better to think about the S40, sending the S32 into retirement. The S40 seems like the perfect straight to me for your system and with the S8 plus it doesn't need any other straight.

Thank you, best regards and good work. And don't rush, even if I would have liked the engine this year, you're right to do things the way they should be done.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2024 by JopieK
We used Google Translate, here we post in English. Please next time take that into account :)

[Toastie]

8 minutes ago, M_slug357 said:

***Brought to you by google translate***

Maxibig, da Guugel!

Best,
Thorsten

[Pelzer117]

On 6/24/2024 at 3:47 AM, Narissis said:

The question I have, personally, pertains to Bevins' decision to move forward with double-axle bogies because of contact being interrupted from a single axle when the train goes through switches and things. I'm not sure what Michael's answer to this problem is with the FX solution.

I think this won't be a Problem. If you view this video, you will se he didn't have any connection problems with a single axle.

On 6/23/2024 at 8:53 PM, Pelzer117 said:

Found this on Youtube. 

 

So there shouldn't be a problem with the FX axles as well.

[and_ampersand_and]

1 hour ago, Pelzer117 said:

I think this won't be a Problem. If you view this video, you will se he didn't have any connection problems with a single axle.

So there shouldn't be a problem with the FX axles as well.

 

[Stereo]

On 6/23/2024 at 9:47 PM, Narissis said:

The question I have, personally, pertains to Bevins' decision to move forward with double-axle bogies because of contact being interrupted from a single axle when the train goes through switches and things. I'm not sure what Michael's answer to this problem is with the FX solution.

I suppose the simple answer is plug one of these across 2 bogies https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4758#T=C and then run the wire from that.  Or if they're directly adjacent, you can just put the 2x2 plug across the electric studs on both bogies.  Or use the 2x4 electric plate to bridge from one bogie to 2 studs on the next, then have the wire connect to the other 2 studs.  Not sure the exact parts that most easily replace the standard "2xN plate with buffer at one end, bogie plate on top of that", but 9V plugs are easy to integrate into regular structures.

Or if they're really spread out (like opposite ends of a car with only 4 wheels) just have a separate wire to each.

Edited June 25, 2024 by Stereo

[Pelzer117]

10 hours ago, and_ampersand_and said:

 

Ooooops. Ok sorry you're right!

@Stereo: from my point of view, I was only planning to use it as a "power source" for charging the battery box(es) anyway.
A connection from the power pickup to a PF or PU motor makes no sense from my point of view. There you might wait for the FX motor.

But I was wrong before too. So is there a use case, of Power Pickup single axle with a PF/PU motor connected?

Edited June 26, 2024 by Pelzer117

[Stereo]

8 hours ago, Pelzer117 said:

But I was wrong before too. So is there a use case, of Power Pickup single axle with a PF/PU motor connected?

Maybe outside of trains as trains.  Single axle is fine for a layout with no switches, so things like GBC constructions can use them for sure.  And pretty often use multiple motors on the 'train', not just a train bogie motor.

Edited June 26, 2024 by Stereo

[Narissis]

Can probably also get away with single-axle when running trains fast, since their momentum will carry them over the deadzone.

[C-Brick]

Or you should also be able to just add a capacitor. 

[SD100]

4 hours ago, Narissis said:

Can probably also get away with single-axle when running trains fast, since their momentum will carry them over the deadzone.

Members of my LUG got a bunch of Bevin's Bricks axles and experimented with them at our last show. Using a single axle for power supply does not work well even at speed, BUT using two single axles spaced out longer than a track section resulted in the smoothest running train we've seen so far. We're using all old 9v track that I meticulously cleaned but there are still small continuity problems between pieces here and there. This wouldn't be solved by the double axle truck, but the spaced single axles do a great job, all the stuttering and jolting issues we had with even lego 9v motors disappeared.

SD

[C-Brick]

28 minutes ago, SD100 said:

Members of my LUG got a bunch of Bevin's Bricks axles and experimented with them at our last show. Using a single axle for power supply does not work well even at speed, BUT using two single axles spaced out longer than a track section resulted in the smoothest running train we've seen so far. We're using all old 9v track that I meticulously cleaned but there are still small continuity problems between pieces here and there. This wouldn't be solved by the double axle truck, but the spaced single axles do a great job, all the stuttering and jolting issues we had with even lego 9v motors disappeared.

Have they per chance measured the resistance of the whole assembly? I feel like the inherently larger resistance of a single axle (and ball bearing) compared to double might also have something to do with it.

Edited June 26, 2024 by C-Brick

[SD100]

No we haven't taken measurements yet, I've got to wire an inline amp meter up one of these days. However we had the exact same performance issues with a standard 9v motor with 2 axle pickup and the single axle. The spacing completely removed it. I will do some tests this weekend and come back with my results.

SD

[Narissis]

R120 curves are live on the North American site and all other SKUs except switches appear to be replenished.

R136 not yet added.

No sign of either on JB Spielwaren but I imagine it won't be long.

[M_slug357]

Oooooh

thanks for the update @Narissis

[LM12V]

They inserted instructions to motorize the exchanges. Apart from the fact that I haven't yet understood whether they will subsequently provide their own personal control, but in any case this motorization is not good for parallel crossovers because it surpasses the 8 studs with which the system is built

Edited August 1, 2024 by LM12V

[Pelzer117]

However, @michaelgale I would appreciate a performance similar to wheels with ball bearings. Perhaps you could adapt the mold of the wheel holders so that ball bearings could be "clipped in"? Just a thought.

[Toastie]

Dear All,

I really love these "power" pickups, be it the recently discussed one here, or @michaelgale's solution.

Now, with regard to feeding the voltage/power picked up from the powered track into a motor: I believe you need to have this spring-loaded solution of TLG's 9V motors, which forces the >flanges< of the metal wheels of the motor towards the track metal, for more or less "flawless" operation, in addition to the spatially quite separated pickup wheels in that 9V motor (negotiating "power gaps" in switches etc.). Just using the weight of the train to force the wheels onto the track may not be good enough. 

When you want to go the "power to controller route" (controller = PF, BLE, custom), you definitely need a means of buffering the voltage/power that comes via the pickup to the controller. Some suggested capacitors, that may very well work. But to get away from changing polarity and such issues on wyes etc. I suggest to a) use a bridge rectifier fed from the pickup that goes into a rechargeable battery and then into the controller. Back in the days, which is now 14 years ago, I experimented with the LEGO LiPo (#8878), not available anymore (well not from TLG, but certainly from ALI):

The LiPo is securing permanent power to the controller and is recharged every time it is connected to the track via the pickup, reagrdless how crappy that connection is. This also means, that you need to have permanent DC "power" on some stretches of the track, like 15V DC from a laptop power supply; the LiPo easily takes that as charging voltage. It also means, that you need a controller on every train, and no original LEGO 9V motors present, as they would freak out. 

This also means that you can mix 9V and all-plastic track; the latter are really handy to handle polarity changes caused by wyes etc.

Just my 2 cents, I have no clue how that would work on shows.

Best,
Thorsten

Edited August 1, 2024 by Toastie

[JHS_NL]

On 3/26/2024 at 6:58 AM, Luxibricks said:

Thanks @Ludo for the instructions.

Here is the final result, 2 72 studs long MILS modules, each with a PU Hub, a L motor and a color/distance sensor. Everything will be controlled with BAP.

@michaelgale Are there any news concerning the release of R120 / R136 / R152 ?

 

I love this! Maybe a n00b question but is P40 the standard Lego switch or a custom size?

[Jeffinslaw]

On 8/1/2024 at 5:09 AM, Pelzer117 said:

However, @michaelgale I would appreciate a performance similar to wheels with ball bearings. Perhaps you could adapt the mold of the wheel holders so that ball bearings could be "clipped in"? Just a thought.

Michael Gale has stated he won't be doing that.

However, there is something in the works from me. Money is tied up in other projects but I am working on them. See here.

[Luxibricks]

On 8/2/2024 at 9:04 AM, JHS_NL said:

I love this! Maybe a n00b question but is P40 the standard Lego switch or a custom size?

These are the P40 switches from FX Tracks. https://shop.fxbricks.com/products/p40-switch-track

[Brickblock1]

On 8/2/2024 at 9:04 AM, JHS_NL said:

I love this! Maybe a n00b question but is P40 the standard Lego switch or a custom size?

They are 40 studs long and use a similar geometry to the trixbrix and bricktracks r104 switches, but they can not be sloted in to the same space as a lego switch

[Ropefish]

Does anyone know if a PFxBrick can be controlled by a wireless train throttle ? I guess it more boils down to if the PFxBrick can be used as a DCC Decoder ( it sort of works like that already ) and having a physical controller tied to the locomotive that’s not reliant on IR would be nice