Z-Freunde International e.V.

Greetings to all,

Despite of extreme heat that is melting everything around us, I managed to prepare some new articles that I would like to introduce here in this thread. This time, it took a very long time to develop and produce some of them, but I hope very much the results are worth of all the efforts.

This is the second part of the new announces for this year. The first part is here:
viewtopic.php?t=25634


ZM-PL-150 – Driver’s cabin interior reproduction for BR 150 electric locomotives"

I decided to add the last remaining variant of attachable driver’s cabin interiors to the range of “classic” Marklin models – for BR 150 electric locomotive. I hesitated to do it before due to the complex internal structure of the locomotive housing in the driver’s cabin area. Later, I managed to achieve satisfying results with advanced shape of the stickers cut out on precise plotter.

I reproduced the driver’s cabin interior in all even the smallest details using vector graphics – strictly according to the real prototype:

http://www.db-loks.de/bilder/150-fst.jpg
http://www.lokomotive-online.de/Eingang ... stand1.JPG
(Unfortunately, the websites cannot provide HTTPS connection - that's why I cannot embed the pictures here and added only the links)

The interior details are printed on a special thin plastic adhesive film and come already precisely precut – no need to cut them out with scissors. Just carefully pick up the sticker with thin tweezers and attach it to the metal part as shown on the following picture:


Of course, it is necessary to make sure that the metal part is absolutely clean from dust, oil and grease. Be prepared to disassemble the locomotive quite seriously. The metal parts with attached stickers look like this:


The locomotive looks much better when no metal is shining through the windows, but the driver’s controls, doors and switches are visible instead:


The kit can be used with the following models: Märklin 88575, 88576, 88577, 88578, 88579.

The new product is available here:
https://www.1zu220-shop.de/Zmodell/Zube ... 57007.html


ZM-MRK-RES-021 – Steel bars load insert for type RES 4-axle flatcar

I decided to widen the range of load inserts for type RES 4-axle flatcar with another addition – round rolled steel bars. Here are a few prototype photos (however, depicting a different type of flatcar):


https://www.stahlbahn.de/img/A1-XXX-0103.jpg


https://www.stahlbahn.de/img/EOS_000_7172.jpg


https://www.stahlbahn.de/img/A1-XXX-0111.jpg

The load inserts for the type RES flatcar are made of a real steel that was naturally tempered and weathered to achieve natural look of freshly rolled metal. The metal bars are arranged in two rows containing of 8 and 6 pieces tied with thin metallic strips and divided by natural wooden spacers:


The load insert is fitted with double-sided adhesive foam mounts to prevent sliding the load insert on the flatcar during motion:


Here are some more pictures of the new load insert:

The new load type is available here:
https://www.1zu220-shop.de/Zmodell/Lade ... 57006.html


The pinnacle of micro-technology – a family of Z scale prototypical station clocks

Finally, I would like to introduce one of the most intricate and prototypical items I ever made so far – a range of station clocks in different variants. Upon exploring the market, it turned out that practically nothing is available in this area at all. Once available in the past but not produced anymore, old Z scale station clocks from Brawa, to be honest, look ugly, have wrong proportions and are out of scale at all. I decided to fill this gap and developed the most beautiful version of the station clock ever available in Z scale. I also tried my best to make the clock as close to the prototypical dimensions as possible.

Upon thinking about which technical approach to use, I decided to make the clock face truly three-dimensional – consisting of three separate parts: white background that also serves as a diffuser for the backlight, photo-etched clock face with clock hands and clear cover. Of course, all this would make the product much more complex in production, but I decided to give it a try anyway.

In terms of clock face’s own design, the main source of inspiration for me became the classic Deutsche Bahn clock used in III-VI Eras in different color variations. I decided not to add any logo in order to make the clock universal and usable in layouts of different countries. Here are a few samples of what became the prototype for the clock:


https://www.transportfever.net/wsc/atta ... c-1055-jpg


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 28_ies.jpg


https://www.bahnbilder.de/1024/bahnhofs ... 406542.jpg

Here is the infographic that demonstrates the design of my station clock:


Wall-mounted version:


During considering the clock head size, I had to take into account what is technically possible: I decided that the outer diameter of the clock will be 4.5 mm and the thickness of the “drum” 2 mm. My idea was to integrate all the electronic components inside the clock head to make it possible to connect the clock directly to 12 V source without any external components.

I wanted to stay within 2 mm thickness of the clock drum because thicker clock would be too bulky and would not look beautiful enough. To achieve it, I had to carefully select suitable electronic components – special SMD 0603 LED with thickness of only 0.25 mm and SMD 0402 current-limiting resistors. These LED are very special, not very commonly used. The neutral white color tone of the LEDs with a slight pink-yellowish tint resembles the glowing of energy-saving lamps, which, by the way, were used in prototype DB station clocks. Here is one of these LEDs picked up with precise tweezers:


I also had to use very thin material for the circuit board – only 0.13 mm. The diameter of the round circuit board is only 3.6 mm. Despite so tiny size, it accommodates as many as 6 different electronic components populated on both sizes and has 6 soldering pads:


I must admit that the panel with circuit boards with such uncommon parameters likely scared my PCB provider, and turned out to be noticeably more expensive than average circuit boards I usually order. It is not surprising at all – the efforts at the manufacturer’s side are much higher than normally, and the risk of defect during processing the panel with as many as 160 supersmall PCBs is much higher.

This is how the circuit boards are soldered on the automatic infrared heater:


It is worth noting that all components are populated manually, without any automation. After soldering is done, a careful inspection under the microscope is obligatory in order to make sure there are no any soldering defects that are, of course, possible due to an extreme density of components:


After soldering the panel, all these tiny round circuit boards must be extracted from the frame. The burr at the edges must be removed with manual diamond grinder; otherwise, the boards will not fit into the clock frame:

A small, only 3.6 mm diameter round circuit board is ready for the next production step:


The next step is soldering the cables to the circuit boards. Like in many other cases, I used thin 0.28 mm stranded cables with PTFE coating here. The soldering requires extreme accuracy and patience and actually can be done only under the microscope:


Ready circuit board with cables looks like this:


The same circuit board, side view. You can clearly see here how thin it is:


The batch of ready circuit boards is ready:


The next task was to prepare the plastic backgrounds and top covers of the clock face. I used special PET sheets for this purpose – testing different materials revealed that only PET material delivers the smoothest edges after cutting out. I improvised and built a stamping machine out of a Proxxon tabletop drilling machine, with a 4 mm leather punch fitted into the chuck:

I made the clock housings using SLA 3D printing process. Despite very small size and thin walls, the quality turned out to be exceptional. On the next picture, these 3D-printed parts are prepared for painting:


Another type of housing needs to be prepared for painting in a different way due to the lack of the holes for the pole stands:


I decided to prepare 4 different color variants – black, gold, dark blue and light blue. The parts received two layers of paint coating. Both blue variants were additionally painted with silver layer at first for proper light insulation:


The clock housing and the circuit board with LEDs fit perfectly with each other:


The next step was the clock faces. I made them from 0.1 mm photo-etched nickel silver:


The frames with metal etched parts are prepared for painting, too:


After airbrushing the clock faces with black lacquer, the next incredible step followed – manual painting the clock’s second hand with red lacquer using ultra-thin brush:


I used Tamiya LP-21 “Italian Red” lacquer paint for this purpose. I used the absolute precision and enormous patience during painting. Obviously, the process was possible only under the microscope:

After complete drying, the clock faces had to be cut out of the frame. Once again, this step required extreme precision – if even the smallest part of the supporting pin will be left after the cutting, the clock face won’t fit into the housing. And again, I did this step under the microscope using knife with a fresh blade:


An organizer box is now full of different clock parts:


I attempted to partially assemble the first clock head – the results are really stunning:


Now, I had to make the pole stands for the clocks. I used 0.8 mm and 1.1 mm stainless steel tubes with very thin 0.1 mm walls for this. The tubes were cut on miniature cutting machine with diamond cutting disc. After this, the ends of the tubes were carefully processed with miniature diamond grinder bit and also treated with special bits for making inner and outer facets – it is necessary to allow the thin tube fit into the thick one flawlessly:


After this, the tubes were fitted on a special template for precise joining:


I used ultra-thin CA glue for this – a very small portion of glue was applied using precise needle picker under the microscope. On the following picture, you can see why the treatment of tube’s ends with special bits is necessary:

After gluing, I inserted the pole stands into a piece of styrofoam and prepared them for airbrushing. I inserted pieces of 0.5 mm fishing line into the tubes to prevent them from clogging during painting:


To achieve zinc-plated-like surface, I painted the poles 2 times with glossy silver paint and added a layer of satin lacquer at the end.

Now, we approached the assembly steps. I carefully threaded the cables through the holes in the housings:


To proceed with further assembly steps, I used precise mini-vice that was already discussed here – very useful and convenient:
viewtopic.php?t=25401


To adjust the height, a special 1 mm plastic washer was added:


All the following images depicting different assembly steps have been taken under the microscope – as you have already mentioned, using this device is the only way to produce these clocks – virtually all steps are done solely under the microscope:

After complete assembly of 3-component clock face, the outer transparent cover was fixed in place with two tiny drops of ultrathin CA glue picked and applied by precise needle picker. After this, the clock head was installed on the pole stand and again fixed with a very small drop of thin CA glue:


Then, the time has come to assemble another variant of the station clock – on a decorative forged iron frame. The idea of making this variant is my own. I did not find any clocks like this in Germany, but some similar variants were found on the pictures of old railway station buildings in the UK. Here is a couple of my own AI visualizations of alleged “prototype”:


Of course, the scope of use of these vintage-style clocks is not limited only to railway stations – this small, but very eye-catching accessory can be mounted, for example, on the old hotel building or anywhere else in the Old Town scenery.

The following infographic demonstrates the design of the vintage wall clock in details:


I decided to use a unique approach here that allowed a cable-less design of the clock: the decorative frame consists of two parts – each of them conducts the power to the circuit board without any visible cables. To prevent the short circuit, the parts are airbrushed with three layers of paint – primer for metal and two layers of Tamiya LP-54 “Dark Iron”. This paint brings a very realistic look to the parts:


After painting, the ends of the mounting pins must be cleaned from paint by careful scratching using sharp knife – the cables will be soldered here:


The assembly of this variant of the clock is the most complicated, extremely laborious and, I would say, exhausting. First, you have to insert the one half of the decorative frame into the clock housing, then carefully place the circuit board inside it; after this, the second half of the frame must be inserted. Only after this, you have to solder the ends of both halves of the frames to the circuit board that is already inside the clock housing! And you have to do it all extremely carefully and precisely, and again, only under the microscope:

After this, both halves of the decorative frame need to receive a final precise alignment and glued to each other permanently with CA glue:


Then, the “standard” procedure of inserting the parts of the clock face and fixing everything with CA glue follows. After this, thin PTFE stranded cables are soldered to the rear pins, and we eventually get a finished product:


All five variants of station clocks come in special protective plastic boxes and feature detailed installation instructions:


Here you can see the pictures of the finished products:

ZM-UHR-01A - Station platform clock, Germany, Era IV-V:


Illumination is ON:

ZM-UHR-01B - Station platform clock, Germany, Era V-VI:


Illumination is ON:


ZM-UHR-02A Railway Station Clock, Germany, Era V-VI:

Illumination is ON:


ZM-UHR-03A Railway Station Wall Clock, Era I-III, black:


Illumination is ON:


ZM-UHR-03B Railway Station Wall Clock, Era I-III, gold:


Illumination is ON: