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I'm trying to create a proof-of-concept for railroading applications using scale model trains (HO). HO because I've been fucking around with them for years and I have a ton of track and shit. The proof of concept is a battery powered locomotive that can overcome the problem of dead spots in the rail power, while charging off of the regular rail power when contact is made. This would make layout design much easier and could overcome some of the obvious limitations of a two-rail design involving track loops sort circuiting and current direction change.
This is a very early stage idea, but I am looking for a way to charge 2 -3 cell LiPO batteries or 6 - 7 cell NiMH batteries from a 10-16V power source. I could run the power source AC, but DC is the norm and I have a DC transformer laready. If I do go AC it wouldn't matter obviously, but if I go DC, i would like the charger to be able to charge regardless of which direction the current it picks up from the track is going, and change on the fly.
The goal here is to completely isolate the locomotive power control from the track power while still running it off of track power. I'll be using an RC electronic speed control, receiver, transmitter and battery to power an old school DC brushed motor locomotive. Other option I've considered is a single cell lipo with a 12V amplifier and a DCC controller. It would still need to charge while it works tho.
The main problem is that I am at a loss for what kind of hardware to use for this and where I can find/ how I can make a charger capable of dealing with such a variety of power supply switching direction and on/off, and handle the battery being drawn from constantly at the same time.
The point of this is to act as a proof of concept for my Battery-ballasted slug idea, basically an alternative to Gensets that can couple to unmodified or barely modified existing diesel locomotives and charge through regenerative dynamic braking or the prime mover.
