Lionel MTH Helicopter Car Mini Commander User manual

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MTH Helicopter Car Mini Commander
Installation Guide
Revised: October, 2008
OVERVIEW:
The Helicopter car is normally operated by a UCS trac . When over the UCS trac ,
application of power on the 4
th
and 5
th
rails applies power to the motor to launch the
helicopter. The Mini Commander can apply this power to the launch motor from one of
its outputs. In the operating helicopter car, it is recommended to use HC-1 output,
controlled by AUX1, for DCS compatibility as well.
INSTALLATION PROCESS S MMARY:
To free yourself from the UCS, you will need to replace one of the truc s on the car to
“collect” power from the 3
rd
(center) rail. The Mini Commander will need power from
the trac , which is obtained from replacing one of the truc s.
The Mini Commander fits in the car, and should be carefully positioned as shown in the
pictures in this guide. The small AC-to-DC power board to drive the motor is removed
for soldering the wires that go to the Mini Commander HC-1 output. Use caution not to
damage or lose the mica insulators under the part securing the small power board to
the chassis of the car.
The truc mounting plate needs to be removed to replace the truc . One of the mounting
screws will be left off in the re-assembly of the truc mounting plate as it interferes with
the roller mount on the new truc .
Optionally, you can remove the truc that is not being replaced to remove the slider shoe.
You can also leave the wire in the car & heat shrin the wire end as it is left unconnected.
There is a mechanism in the car to tilt the helicopter launch direction. It will be removed
to ma e room for the Mini Commander board. Once removed, you will need to loc the
launch pad in place to level it. I recommend removal of the spring and replacing it with
some double stic tape (included). When the Mini Commander is mounted per the
instructions, the Mini Commander card will stabilize the launch pad because the tab that
the spring was attached to will rest on the Mini Commander.

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INSTALLATION SEQ ENCE:
1) Prepare the car for the installation by identifying the truc for replacement as shown.
This is the truc closest to where the Mini Commander will be mounted, and
therefore easiest to wire.
Replace this truc
2) Remove these three (3) screws to release the truc mounting frame. When the screws
are removed, the frame and truc will still have a wire attached to the car. Cut this
wire to release the assembly.

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3) Once removed, continue by removing the truc from the mounting plate. The bare
plate will need an insulator on the bottom to help prevent wear on the plate, which
will eventually short out the pic up. This insulator is made of acetate, and measures
1.75” x .75”. Place the insulator as shown:
IMPORTANT: The mounting hole covered by the insulator will not have the
mounting screw replaced when attaching the mounting plate back on the car!
4) Attach the replacement truc with the pic up roller to this plate and set the assembly
aside for later installation.
5) Release the helicopter launch platform by removing these four (4) screws. When the
platform is free, use caution not to damage the wiring connecting the motor and the
power board. Once the platform is released, remove the single mounting screw
holding the power board on the chassis. Cut the wire from the power board leading to
the other slide shoe on the truc still attached to the car.

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6) Next prepare a wire to connect the Mini Commander to the power board. This wire
should be cut to about 3.75” long and will attach to the center two (2) pins on the
bridge rectifier. You will need to clean off the wires that went to the sliding shoes
first that were cut in the disassembly process. Solder the new wire assembly as
shown - polarity is not important.
Attach Mini Commander wire assembly to these 2 pins

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7) Stabilize the launch platform by removing the spring and replacing the spring with a
small piece of .5” x .5” double stic tape as shown. The spring pops out easily; just
grab it with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
8) Re-attach the truc frame to the car and route the wires up through the car base, using
only the 2 screws on the end! Leave slac on the wires for the truc to rotate freely.
9) Remove the leveling device from the car base by removing the two (2) mounting
screws.

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10) Mount the Mini Commander as shown with the remaining double stic tape. The
location of the Mini Commander is important, as it will provide support for the Tab
that we just placed the double stic tape on in the previous step. Be sure to note the
correct end of the car to attach the Mini Commander card to!
End of Car with new truc Wires from new truc with roller
Align parallel with edge of hole This space is about 1/6” inch
11) Attach the wires from the truc to the Mini Commander. Ma e sure the wire from
the roller goes to the “HOT” connection on the Mini Commander.
12) Reattach the Power board. Remember to place the mica insulators under the
mounting tab of the board. There is also a bushing on the screw that must engage the
tab to insulate the screw properly.
13) Connect the wire from the power board into HC-1 on the Mini Commander.
14) Review all the connections carefully. Then reattach the launch platform to the car
base and proceed to chec out. You need only to put 2 screws in with a few turns
until the car is fully chec ed out.
Note: An extension antenna is included, however it is rarely needed for this type of
installation. If operation is erratic, 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.

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CHECKO T and CONFIG RATION:
Assuming you have the wiring reviewed, power up the car on the trac . The Mini
Commander is set to ACC one (1) when shipped. And although the configuration is not
done yet, you can get the car to operate by selecting ACC + 1 + AUX1 and listening for
the launching motor operation.
If this chec s out, proceed to configuration. If not, you will need to verify the
connections again, and use a meter to be sure the Mini Commander is getting power.
CONFIGURATION:
Since there is not a Configure / Run switch, you should enter Soft Set to finalize the
installation.
With the car on the trac 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)
AUX1 + 7 + BRAKE + 3
AUX2 + 7 + BRAKE + 3
WAIT 10 seconds; do not press any CAB-1 ey while waiting.
As ENG:
ACC + 1 + SET + SET + SET + SET + SET (Soft Set entry sequence)
ENG + ## + SET (where ## is the ENG number you want)
AUX1 + 7 + BRAKE + 3
AUX2 + 7 + BRAKE + 3
WAIT 10 seconds; do not press any CAB-1 ey while waiting.
Now select the car by ACC (or ENG) + ## (the number you entered above) and then
press AUX1 to Launch the Helicopter.
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.
The configuration sequence above shows AUX1 and AUX2 getting configuration
settings. This is not an absolute requirement, but until you get more familiar with Soft
Set, please follow the sequence above.
NOTE: All configuration sequences require the CAB-1.
Note: if the helicopter is launching too high, lover the voltage by using “6” instead of “7”
in the above sequences. The settings above are based on 18v trac voltage.

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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 spool up the launch motor. Releasing will
launch the helicopter.
DCS
Operation under DCS can be initiated by adding the Helicopter car as a TMCC engine.
When selected, using the AX9 soft ey under the LCD will operate the Helicopter car.
TMCC, R2LC, CAB-1, and RailSounds are registered trademar s of Lionel LLC
DCS is a registered trademar of MTH, Inc. The Mini Commander and Soft Set Technology
are trademar ed and patent-pending – reverse engineering or duplication prohibited.
All manual contents are Copyright ©2004, The Electric Railroad Company,
2326 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, California 95051