Simple DAISY II Wireless charger

At Buitenlust I am using two Daisy wireless throttles from Uhlenbrock. They are easy to operate and great to handle. The batteries are exhausted after about an hour. Uhlenbrock wants you to recharge your Daisy by plugging it into the LocoNet, but that will almost surely overload the network. A Daisy consumes around 400 mA during charging, while the LocoNet is rated at a maximum of 500 mA (although you can squeeze more power through it). The solution: a simple standalone charger for Daisy.

The charger is little more than a LocoHubSupplyM in disguise. I cut the side of the board to make the connectors stick out and mounted it in a cheap universal box. Yellow seemed to be a nice, expressive colour. The RJ12-connecor for the incoming LocoNet signal can be omitted. Same goes for the screw terminals on the board. I extended the power supply connector with two wires and stuck it through the side of the box. A bit of hotglue fixed everything into position. That is about it.

The gauge indicates the volatge (red) and the charging current (green). As mentioned above, each charging Daisy takes up around 400 mA. You can easily spot how many Daisys are being charged. Charging is finished when the gauge reads 0 mA.

The other side of the box features four LocoNet connectors. You could charge up to four throttles at the same time. Make sure the power supply can deliver the required 4 x 400 mA = about 1.6 Amps at 12 Volts.

2019