Microsoft Word - K-LineMilkCar

1 K-Line Milk Car Mini Commander Installation Guide Revised: October, 2008 OVERVIEW: The Milk car is normally operated by the UCS track, or from the K-Line wireless remote
control. When over the UCS track, about a 1 second application of power closes a reed
switch in the car. This reed switch applies a trigger signal to cycle the car operation. The
Mini Commander can apply this trigger via an adapter cable when AUX1 or AUX2 is
pressed on the remote. If DCS operation is desired, the Mini Commander HC-1 output,
controlled by AUX1, should be used.
INSTALLATION PROCESS SUMMARY: The Mini Commander will need power from the track, which is available on the original
Milk car circuit board. Additionally, two (2) trigger wires will need to be attached close
to the power connections. The most complex portion of this install is mechanical in
nature. Since the Mini Commander is mounted strategically on top of the original circuit
board, care must be exercised to prevent shorts, which could damage either or both circuit
boards.

Prior to mounting the Mini Commander, the power wires must be attached firmly. Once
the Mini Commander is installed, the screws on the power connector are difficult to
access. After this step, there are 4 wires to solder onto the original circuit board. The
locations of the connections are close together, and easy to access for soldering.

A wire tie additionally helps to secure the Mini Commander. The installation is easy,
fast, and does not require configuration of the Mini Commander beyond the default
settings. When properly installed, the Milk car may be activated from the CAB-1, K-
Line remote control transmitter, or the UCS track. 2



INSTALLATION SEQUENCE: To remove the shell requires 4 screws under the chassis to be removed. These screws
are located as shown. Use care not to damage the hatches on the top of the car when
removing the shell. Important: note the shell orientation, as the loading and unloading
doors are important in relation to the car chassis.


Remove these 4 screws to release the shell



PREPARING THE MINI COMMANDER: First locate the white and black wires provided. Strip the end about 1/4“ and attach them
to the Mini Commander Power terminals. The white should be connected to the “HOT”
terminal. Verify they are solidly connected, as the screw terminals will be hard to access
once the Mini Commander is mounted.
3 PREPARE THE DOUBLE STICK TAPE AS SHOWN: (Cut the tape strip to dimensions of 1 ½” long x 3/8” wide)
4

MOUNT THE MINI COMMANDER AS SHOWN:

5 ATTACH THE POWER AND TRIGGER WIRES:
The lower left shows the connections that need to be made. From left to right, the white
wire is the HOT, the black is the Common, the next two are trigger wires – the polarity is
not important on the trigger wires.

Important: The point where the white wire is attached should be confirmed as the
location where the center pick-up roller is attached. Although the Mini Commander will
work if the HOT and COM wires are reversed, the signal reception is the best when the
polarity is correct.


HOT, COMMON, TRIGGER WIRES Wire Tie Take your time to attach the wires. The trigger wires are located above the connector on
the milk car circuit board and will attach easily. It is possible for the car power feed wires
to pop loose when the soldering iron touches the connection point, so use caution here.

Use reflow soldering techniques: Tin the wires to be attached, add some fresh solder to
the point of attachment. Guiding the wire into position, heat the junction to fuse the wire
to the connection point.

Plug the adapter cable into the second connector from the top on the Mini Commander
HC-1, and secure with a wire tie as shown. Do not over tighten the wire tie.
6




CHECKOUT: Assuming you have the wiring reviewed, you can do the checkout while the car is apart.
The Mini Commander is set to ACC 1 when shipped. And although the configuration is
not done yet, you can get the car to operate by selecting ACC + 1, then press AUX1. If
this checks out, proceed to the simplified configuration. If not, you will need to verify
the connections again, and use a meter to be sure the Mini Commander is getting power.
Due to the location of the power connector, it is suggested to use an ohmmeter to probe
the roller and wheel-set connections to the Mini Commander. The screws that secure the
wires are a good place to touch the probe. If any problems arise, contact us for tech
support.



PROPER OPERATIONAL SEQUENCE: The Milk car milk conveyor belt will run for about 10 seconds, and then the milk
deliveryman will eject the can. If the CAB-1 key is pressed in a relatively short period of
time again, the deliveryman will operate immediately. If a period of time elapses, then
the belt will run again before the deliveryman operates. (This sequence is the same as
when operated from the K-Line remote or the UCS track.)



NOTE: In almost all cases, the built in antenna will work fine. If you find the car is not
as responsive as you would like, you can enhance the signal reception by using the
supplied antenna extension. The extension is a single wire with a connector that plugs
over the “ANT” pin. Place the antenna wire in a place that will not be in the way of the
operation of the car, it is fine to shorten the wire. However, if you shorten it too much, it
will not help the reception.

7 CONFIGURATION:
Since there is not a Configure / Run switch, it is best to use Soft Set to finalize the
installation. With the car on the track and power applied, configure the Mini Commander
as follows- waiting 1 second between each SET press. Actually a few extra SETs are a
good idea. I usually press it 6 to 7 times!

As ACC:
ACC + 1 + SET + SET + SET + SET + SET (Soft Set entry sequence)
ACC + ## + SET (where ## is the ACC number you want) WAIT 10 seconds; do not press any CAB-1 key while waiting.

As ENG:
ACC + 1 + SET + SET + SET + SET + SET (Soft Set entry sequence)
ENG + ## + SET (where ## is the ENG number you want) WAIT 10 seconds; do not press any CAB-1 key while waiting.

Now select the car by ACC (or ENG) + ## (the number you entered above) and then
press AUX1 (or AUX2 if HC-2 is used) for about 1 second.

If the car is not operating, you will need to redo the configuration sequence. If you are
un-sure you are able to get into Soft Set to configure the car, you may use the jumper on
the connector P1 pins 1 & 2. Then enter the configuration sequence without the Soft Set
entry sequence line above.

NOTE: All configuration sequences require the CAB-1.

OPERATION:
CAB-1
Operation with the CAB-1 is as simple as selecting the ACC or ENG and the ID that you
assigned. Pressing AUX1 (or AUX2) will start the Op-reefer cycle. It is recommended
to hold the AUX1 (or AUX2) key down about 1 second to activate the car.

DCS
Operation under DCS can be initiated by adding the Milk Car as a TMCC engine. When
selected, using any of the soft keys under the LCD will operate the Milk Car.

If you opted for AUX2 operation, the HDLT key will trigger the operation.

TMCC, R2LC, CAB-1, and RailSounds are registered trademarks of Lionel LLC DCS is a registered trademark of MTH, Inc. The Mini Commander and Soft Set Technology are trademarked and patent-pending – reverse engineering or duplication prohibited. All manual contents are Copyright ©2004, The Electric Railroad Company, 2326 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051

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