About this Website
The purpose of this website is to promote use of on-board battery power and radio control of locomotives (and similar traction equipment) modeled in HO, On3, On30, Sn3 and S scales. The motivation for combining battery power and radio control is to eliminate all, or at least the most inconvenient aspects of, wiring and operating a layout based on track power and communication. What's new about the site is currently available technology has reduced the size of batteries and electronics to a point where these components can fit in smaller-scale models.
The style and content of the website aims to create a modeler-to-modeler resource that explains S-CAB as a system to implement radio controlled, battery powered, HO-sized model trains. I hope to address both the why and the how-to of radio control and battery power from my perspective. I've developed a number of products along the way and am happy to sell them at low margin to fellow modelers. However, selling merchandise is not the primary objective of this website.
The technology I'll describe does not reinvent model train control. It expands use of existing model railroading products and standards, including NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) standards for Digital Command Control (DCC).
S-CAB
As a self-contained, hand-held device for controlling model trains, the Stanton Radio Cab has been available for several years and during that time has acquired S-CAB as its abbreviated name. In choosing S-CAB.com as the name of this website, I wanted continuity with S-CAB as a wireless controller while including more discussion of battery power in small-scale models.
"Cab" also has a broader connotation in railroad terminology. In real locomotives, cab is the compartment which accommodates crew and is the location from which they operate a locomotive. Planes have cockpits; locomotives have cabs. Hand-held controllers used to operate model trains are generally called Cabs or throttles. I'll use "S-CAB Throttle" when specifically referencing the Stanton Radio CAB.
The style and content of the website aims to create a modeler-to-modeler resource that explains S-CAB as a system to implement radio controlled, battery powered, HO-sized model trains. I hope to address both the why and the how-to of radio control and battery power from my perspective. I've developed a number of products along the way and am happy to sell them at low margin to fellow modelers. However, selling merchandise is not the primary objective of this website.
The technology I'll describe does not reinvent model train control. It expands use of existing model railroading products and standards, including NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) standards for Digital Command Control (DCC).
S-CAB
As a self-contained, hand-held device for controlling model trains, the Stanton Radio Cab has been available for several years and during that time has acquired S-CAB as its abbreviated name. In choosing S-CAB.com as the name of this website, I wanted continuity with S-CAB as a wireless controller while including more discussion of battery power in small-scale models.
"Cab" also has a broader connotation in railroad terminology. In real locomotives, cab is the compartment which accommodates crew and is the location from which they operate a locomotive. Planes have cockpits; locomotives have cabs. Hand-held controllers used to operate model trains are generally called Cabs or throttles. I'll use "S-CAB Throttle" when specifically referencing the Stanton Radio CAB.
S-CAB as a System
Two technologies are required to free model railroading from its dependence on track power and communication:
- radio to communicate with locomotives
- batteries to provide on-board power supply.
S-CAB Loco Receiver
There's really nothing proprietary about the S-CAB receiver. It's simply a Linx Technologies radio module connected to a commercial DCC decoder such as the sound decoder illustrated to the right. The only thing unique to S-CAB is direct connection of radio receiver data output to the decoder's microprocessor. This keeps the overall package smaller and avoids the inefficiency of alternative methods that waste battery energy by converting radio data to DCC power input in order to use the decoder's left/right track inputs.
There's really nothing proprietary about the S-CAB receiver. It's simply a Linx Technologies radio module connected to a commercial DCC decoder such as the sound decoder illustrated to the right. The only thing unique to S-CAB is direct connection of radio receiver data output to the decoder's microprocessor. This keeps the overall package smaller and avoids the inefficiency of alternative methods that waste battery energy by converting radio data to DCC power input in order to use the decoder's left/right track inputs.
S-CAB Battery Power Supply
S-CAB BPS combines a battery charger, a battery switch and a step-up voltage converter in one package. This allows a single lithium-polymer cell (LiPo), nominally 3.7 volts, to produce higher voltage required for loco power. Where space is available, cells can be connected in parallel to increase storage capacity. A choice of four cell sizes is available and all BPS batteries include built-in overload and short-circuit protection. In addition, BPS battery management includes over- and under-voltage protection for the battery. The battery switch can be operated both manually and automatically.
S-CAB BPS combines a battery charger, a battery switch and a step-up voltage converter in one package. This allows a single lithium-polymer cell (LiPo), nominally 3.7 volts, to produce higher voltage required for loco power. Where space is available, cells can be connected in parallel to increase storage capacity. A choice of four cell sizes is available and all BPS batteries include built-in overload and short-circuit protection. In addition, BPS battery management includes over- and under-voltage protection for the battery. The battery switch can be operated both manually and automatically.
S-CAB Throttle
A wireless, battery-powered, hand-held controller completes the S-CAB system. Communication is direct from throttle radio transmitter to a compatible receiver in the loco to which a command is addressed. Each throttle can manage up to 15 locos during an operating session. The radio transmits at 916.48 MHz, but is only active (approximately 0.04 seconds) while transmitting a command. Consequently, operating sessions with a number of participants and multiple throttles is possible. To date, the maximum is 6 throttles in regular use on a large layout.
A wireless, battery-powered, hand-held controller completes the S-CAB system. Communication is direct from throttle radio transmitter to a compatible receiver in the loco to which a command is addressed. Each throttle can manage up to 15 locos during an operating session. The radio transmits at 916.48 MHz, but is only active (approximately 0.04 seconds) while transmitting a command. Consequently, operating sessions with a number of participants and multiple throttles is possible. To date, the maximum is 6 throttles in regular use on a large layout.
