Loco Remote Mini B Setup

Loco Remote Mini B setup - www.locoremote.co.uk
The Mini B is suitable for 3V to 6V motors only. Any type of battery can power it with a suitable voltage including NiMH, NiCd,
Alkaline, Li-ion and Lipo. The absolute maximum battery voltage for the Mini B is 6V.
The diagram below shows all the models in the series. To identify how to connect to your loco, hold the Mini B with all of the
connectors pointing towards you with the metal USB connector on the top. The word USB is written on the board just to its right.
The USB connector is used to program the module during manufacture. Please do not connect anything to it or try to power your
module this way. It won't work!
power on/off switch can be inserted between them. If you choose to use Lipos, any 3.7V (1s) Lipo will work with the Mini B. If you
choose one with a different connector style from the one I supply then you will need to source a mating cable that can be connected
to the cable provided that plugs into the module. DO NOT USE other types of Lipo such as 7.4V (2s) or 11.1V (3s), as they will
destroy it!
manufacturing defects. It is strongly advised that you remove the Lipo battery from your loco when not in use and store it in a Lipo
safe bag - search eBay for these. If you are using either 3 or 4 x 1.2V NiMH (AA or AAA size) or 3.7V 18650 Li-ion batteries instead
then you will need to get a suitable cable to connect these. You should also change the Shutdown on low battery setting from On to
Off in www.locoremote.co.uk/v1/settings with these battery types when you first connect to the Wi-Fi interface of the Loco
Remote (see below).
Connecting the battery
Two battery connection cables are included. One will plug into the white
rectangular battery connector on the module. Make sure the
(red) lead is on the left and the negative (black) lead on the right.
Connecting the other way round will destroy both the battery and Loco
Remote module. If you are using a 3.7V (1s) Lipo of the type I
recommend (a 600mAh or 1200mAh Lipo with a mini charger – search
for "Syma X5C battery" on eBay), the other supplied cable will connect
to your battery. The cables can either be joined directly together, in
which case the Lipo battery must be disconnected when not in use, or a
The standard way to charge the Lipo battery is to remove it from the loco and use the mini charger
supplied with the batteries. The LED is on while the battery is charging and goes off when completed.
Having a spare charged battery also means the loco can quickly be up and running again after the
initial battery runs down. Lipo batteries must be treated with care. If the battery terminals are
shorted or connectors damaged then the battery will be destroyed and could catch fire! If the battery
shows any sign of getting hot or physically swelling in size then it must be immediately disconnected,
put in an open safe place, preferably in a Lipo safe bag and then disposed of appropriately. When
trying a brand new Lipo battery for the first time connect it to the Loco Remote outside your loco and
allow it to discharge until the Loco Remote turns off the power to ensure the battery has no
Connecting the motor
A DuPont header connection cable is included. This plugs into the motor connector. Remove the
header from the other end if necessary and solder the cable to your motor lugs. If the loco goes the
"wrong" way in forwards/reverse you can swap the polarity of the cable.
Connecting the LED lights
Two similar cables are included for versions with the LED lights control to connect to the LEDs. The Loco
Remote is not able to supply enough current for other types of lights such as filament bulbs. The board
can supply up to 150mA at 3.3V, which is enough for up to 8 LEDs on at once. Pulling out and then
plugging in the jumper at the back of the board can change the current limiting resistor. Set it at 100
ohms for just red LEDs or 50 ohms for just clear white. For a combination or to vary the brightness set
it at 0 ohms and use external resistors in series with your LEDs. See the separate downloadable lights
guide for more examples.
positive