Electromagnetic Uncoupler

I find the usage of electromagnetic uncoupler is very appealing, and I have already experimented with the standard KD electromagnetic uncoupler.
I also succeeded in strengthening the field by the method which was given in Model Railroader (which surely is a MUST to achieve reliable operation), but because of the power consumption on one hand side and the size of the device on the other hand side, I would prefer to use a more elegant solution.

Positioning a permanent magnet with a motor is surely another possibility, but also this consumes quite some space and mechanical precision.

Does anyone know of another/better solution to non-permanent uncoupling?

Peter

Which article in MRR do you refer to??
I intend to build some electromagnetic uncouplers in N-scale, and the only article I know is the one in the MRR January 2000 issue. Bought two KD H0n3 uncouplers, but so far did not use or test them.

Christoph

I have been playing with the coils off of a washing machine water fill valve. I remove the coils and put a bolt in them. They run on 110 volt AC and are quite powerful. I advise you officially not to do this as 110 volt AC can be harmful and or lethal and cause property damage.

A little off the subject but…who makes N Scale couplers and magnetic uncouplers. I went to the Kadee website and the lowest they go is HOn3.

I don´t know the exact issue, and at the moment, the search engine of model Railroader is down, but you will find this article under the keyword “electromagnetic uncoupler” strengthening of the field of the KD device with more metal.
By the way, I missed the January 2000 issue. Do you have an excerpt of this article, which you can make me available?

Peter

I recall an artical in MRR that detailed the making of an electromagnetic uncoupler. It started with details of making the metal side frames, proceeded to the coil winding, the assembling testing and the mounting. I expect that the searchable index will show the date as somewhere in the 80’s

“Add Muscle to Kadee’s Electromagnetic Uncoupler” is in the April of 2002 issue of MR, page 102.

Kaydee’s brother company, www.Micro-Trains.com

There was an article, written by Basil D. Varnam, a British modeler, published in the February, 1979 issue of Model Railroader about building an N scale electromagnetic coupler. (This is the article to which chidlow is referring.)

Micro-Trains (formerly Kadee’s N and Z scale lines) makes an electromagnetic uncoupler. It would probably be easier to buy one of these than to modify a Kadee HOn3 uncoupler for use with N scale.

I find the usage of electromagnetic uncoupler is very appealing, and I have already experimented with the standard KD electromagnetic uncoupler.
I also succeeded in strengthening the field by the method which was given in Model Railroader (which surely is a MUST to achieve reliable operation), but because of the power consumption on one hand side and the size of the device on the other hand side, I would prefer to use a more elegant solution.

Positioning a permanent magnet with a motor is surely another possibility, but also this consumes quite some space and mechanical precision.

Does anyone know of another/better solution to non-permanent uncoupling?

Peter

Which article in MRR do you refer to??
I intend to build some electromagnetic uncouplers in N-scale, and the only article I know is the one in the MRR January 2000 issue. Bought two KD H0n3 uncouplers, but so far did not use or test them.

Christoph

I have been playing with the coils off of a washing machine water fill valve. I remove the coils and put a bolt in them. They run on 110 volt AC and are quite powerful. I advise you officially not to do this as 110 volt AC can be harmful and or lethal and cause property damage.

A little off the subject but…who makes N Scale couplers and magnetic uncouplers. I went to the Kadee website and the lowest they go is HOn3.

I don´t know the exact issue, and at the moment, the search engine of model Railroader is down, but you will find this article under the keyword “electromagnetic uncoupler” strengthening of the field of the KD device with more metal.
By the way, I missed the January 2000 issue. Do you have an excerpt of this article, which you can make me available?

Peter

I recall an artical in MRR that detailed the making of an electromagnetic uncoupler. It started with details of making the metal side frames, proceeded to the coil winding, the assembling testing and the mounting. I expect that the searchable index will show the date as somewhere in the 80’s

“Add Muscle to Kadee’s Electromagnetic Uncoupler” is in the April of 2002 issue of MR, page 102.

Kaydee’s brother company, www.Micro-Trains.com

There was an article, written by Basil D. Varnam, a British modeler, published in the February, 1979 issue of Model Railroader about building an N scale electromagnetic coupler. (This is the article to which chidlow is referring.)

Micro-Trains (formerly Kadee’s N and Z scale lines) makes an electromagnetic uncoupler. It would probably be easier to buy one of these than to modify a Kadee HOn3 uncoupler for use with N scale.