Hibberd Planet Ashover
introduction and instructions

3D printed parts

• Black: chassis, 2 side frames, air cylinder half, 2 bonnet supports, radiator, roof, chassis weight cover, 2 buffer bases, battery support, Mini B holder with 2mm screw, motor holder, 2 window frames, forward/reverse lever, 2 brake/gear change handles, 4 brakes, exhaust pipe, seat, seat support, engine starter, 2 buffer insides, 2 buffer ends
• Red: 2 buffer beams
• Green/white: bonnet, cab front, cab back, 4 cab sides, 4 cab inside supports, cab floor
• Orange/striped: 32/45mm wheel gauge, 2 cab jigs

Electrical and other parts

• Loco Remote Mini B with 2 motor outputs
• 2 combined motor/gearboxes
• White power connector and cable for Mini B
• PP3 battery connector
• 4 x AA battery holder
• 2 wire (yellow/orange) motor cable with Dupont connectors
• On/off toggle switch
• 2.1mm DC power socket
• 2 M2 bolts with nuts
• 2 pieces of heat shrink tubing
• 2 axles 63mm long
• 4 0.5M20T 3mm bore brass bevel gears - Spares available from AliExpress - select 3mm bore
• 4 M3 3mm grub screws (in bevel gears) - Spares available from Amazon
• M1.5 hex head key
• 4 3mm x 7mm x 3mm double shielded bearings - Spares available from Amazon
• 4 24mm disc wheels - Spares available from Peter Binnie
• 180g tyre weights
• 100mm of 1.5mm brass rod
• Round head pin
• 2 windows

Suggested tools and glues

• Ruler
• Needle files
• Hammer
• Screwdrivers
• Sharp knife
• Tweezers
• Side cutters
• Small snipe nose pliers
• Socket wrench screw driver with a 8mm hex head
• M1.5 hex head key (included with kit)
• Rubber bands
• Blu Tack
• Clamps
• UHU super glue
• Polystyrene cement (used for Airfix kits)
• Glue 'n' Glaze for fixing windows
• Soldering iron, solder and "helping hands" (not shown) if you do not have the prewired kit

Wiring and checking the electronics

• Locate the motors, yellow and orange wires and thinner clear heat shrink tubing
• Cut the wires to 60mm leaving the connectors on one end

• Cut 4 pieces of thinner heat shrink tubing to approx 8mm
• Slip a piece of heat shrink tubing on each wire
• Strip a small amount - 2mm - off the end of each wire
• Orient a motor as shown - locate the top which has a HALF width piece of brass support in the gearbox
• Solder the yellow wire to the tab on the same side as the half width piece of brass (bottom in the photo) - the tab is very small so do this carefully and make sure the solder or wire do not touch the metal case of the motor
• Solder the orange wire to the other tab - the tab is very small so do this carefully and make sure the solder or wire do not touch the metal case of the motor
• Push each heat shrink tubing so they fully cover the soldered tabs and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink these in place
• These connections can be fragile so don't bend them until you are ready to put the motor in the chassis later
• Repeat for the other motor
• If you accidentally attach the yellow and orange wires the wrong way round don't worry - it just means you will need to connect them to the motor output pins of the Mini B the other way round so that the loco runs forwards correctly
• IMPORTANT - make absolutely sure the soldered tabs are fully covered by the tubing and there is no possibility of any tabs or exposed wires touching and causing a short
• Make sure the completed wiring is the same as the photo

• You can either wire the switch and DC power socket in the chassis as shown or separately and fit them later
• Push the DC power socket through the floor from above
• Secure it with the M2 bolts and nuts - a tip is to put a small dot of Blu Tack on the end of the screwdriver to hold the bolt as you push it through
• Leave one nut on the switch, removing the other and the washer
• Push the switch through the floor from above
• Fit the washer
• Use the other nut to secure the switch - you will need to use a socket wrench screw driver with a 8mm hex head

• The switch should be aligned with the DC power socket

• Locate the PP3 connector, Mini B power connector and thicker black heat shrink tubing
• Cut the wires on the PP3 connector to 50mm
• Keep the offcut of red wire and cut this to 50mm
• Do NOT cut the Mini B power connector wires

• Solder the wires in the order shown (1-5) or you will have trouble fitting them!
• Cut 4 pieces of thicker heat shrink tubing to approx 8mm and 1 to 12mm
• Strip approx 4mm off the end of each wire

1. Solder one end of the 50mm offcut of red wire to the left switch tab, slip an 8mm piece of heat shrink tubing to fully cover the soldered tab and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink this in place
2. Slip an 8mm piece of heat shrink tubing over the red PP3 wire, solder this to the middle switch tab, then slip the heat shrink tubing to fully cover the soldered tab and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink this in place
3. Slip an 8mm piece of heat shrink tubing over the red Mini B power connector wire, solder this to the right switch tab, then slip the heat shrink tubing to fully cover the soldered tab and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink this in place
4. Slip a 12mm piece of heat shrink tubing over both the black wires, solder these together to the front left DC power socket tab, then slip the heat shrink tubing to fully cover the soldered tab and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink this in place
5. Move the PP3 wires to the front and Mini B wires to the back (see next photo), slip an 8mm piece of heat shrink tubing over the offcut of red wire, solder this the front right DC power socket tab, then slip the heat shrink tubing to fully cover the soldered tab and gently apply a soldering iron to shrink this in place - note the back DC power socket tab is not used

• The completed wiring viewed from above should look like this with the PP3 battery wires at the front (left in photo) and Mini B power connector wires at the back (right in photo)

• Make sure the switch is set to off - the handle should be pushed so that it points inwards towards the DC power socket
• Connect the yellow and orange wires from one motor to the 2 pins on the edge of the board with the orange wire plugged onto the outer pin
• Connect the yellow and orange wires from the other motor to the 2 pins towards the middle of the board with the orange wire plugged onto the pin next to the first motor's yellow wire
• The motor wires should go orange motor 1, yellow motor 1, orange motor 2, yellow motor 2 from the edge of the board
• Connect the white power plug into the white socket on the Mini B - it is keyed and should only go one way with the red wire on the outer side
• Put 4 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries in the battery holder
• IMPORTANT! Only use AA NiMH batteries - do NOT use AA alkaline batteries or any PP3 size battery as the voltage will be too high and will damage the Mini B
• Connect the PP3 clip to the battery holder

• Check everything works by turning the switch on
• The blue LED on the Mini B board should do a brief flash
• Connect your smartphone to the Mini B as described in the Mini B setup guide
• Run the controller from your screen
• When going Forward, the motor shafts should be rotating in opposite directions
• You can change the name on the screen (for example to Ashover) and password if you wish as described in the Wi-Fi connection and controller operation guide
• The Mini B has already had it's 'Shutdown on low battery' preset to off since you are not using a lipo
• Once you are happy everything is working correctly, turn the switch off and disconnect the components
• Always remember to switch the power off when you have finished running so the batteries do not fully drain

Assembling the loco

1. 40g (6 x 5g, 1 x 10g) under the chassis towards the back
2. 60g (6 x 10g) with 30g either side of the motors in the centre of the chassis
3. 40g (2 strips of 2 x 5g, 1 x 10g) with a strip behind the buffer beams at either end of the chassis
4. 40g (2 strips of 1 x 5g, 1 x 10g and a single 10g) under the cab floor

• Place the 6 x 5g and 1 x 10g weights as 2 layers in the cut out under the floor at the back of the chassis - do not remove the blue backing strips
• Locate the chassis weight cover and note this has a lip along 3 edges

• Glue the cover over the weights with the lip fitting inside the cut out - the edge without a lip goes at the back towards the buffer
• Use a clamp to ensure this is glued tightly in place

• Locate the 2 side frames, air cylinder half and 4 bearings

• Put a bearing on a flat surface and push the frame down onto this with your thumb so that it fits absolutely flush in the hole
• Repeat for the other bearings
• Do not glue the bearings or adjust the holes as they are a friction fit

• Glue the air cylinder half to the matching part on the left frame

• Position the motors as shown with the yellow wires on top

• Push a motor into space in the chassis so that it's shaft goes through the hole underneath
• Push the motor all the way in so that it is flat against the bottom - the flat end of a pencil works well to push it in
• You must do this carefully as you will feel a little resistance from the wires and must not break the soldered joints
• Once the motor is in, you should never remove it as this can weaken the soldered joints
• Repeat for the other motor

• Push the L shaped motor holder through the hole in the side of the chassis over one motor, through the middle and over the other motor - do not glue it
• This is a tight fit so wiggle it slightly from side to side and guide it with your finger from above

• The motor holder looks like this from above when fitted
• Add a drop of thin sewing machine oil to the gears

• Gently rotate the gear shafts so that the flat part is facing out
• Push a bevel gear onto each shaft with a very slight gap to the chassis (i.e. it should not touch the plastic)
• Use the hex head key provided to tighten the grub screws
• Be careful for to overtighten these and strip the hex hole - if you do they are readily available hardened M3 3mm long grub screws

• Remove the screw and fit the Mini B upside down in the holder
• Replace the screw - a tip is to put a small dot of Blu Tack on the end of the screwdriver to hold the screw as you push it through

• Make sure the switch is set to off - the handle should be pushed so that it points inwards towards the DC power socket
• Connect up the motor wires to the Mini B - make sure that the wires from the left motor go to the left pins with orange on the edge and right motor to right pins with the orange next to the other motor's yellow wire
• The motor wires should go orange left motor, yellow left motor, orange right motor, yellow right motor from the edge of the board
• Connect the white power plug into the white socket on the Mini B - it is keyed and should only go one way with the red wire on the outer side
• Put 4 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries in the battery holder
• IMPORTANT! Only use AA NiMH batteries - do NOT use AA alkaline batteries or any PP3 size battery as the voltage will be too high and will damage the Mini B
• Connect the PP3 clip to the battery holder

• Check everything works by turning the switch on
• Connect your smartphone to the Mini B as described in the Mini B setup guide
• Run the controller from your screen
• When going Forward, both the motor shafts should be rotating counter clockwise when viewed from the front
• Once you are happy everything is working correctly, turn the switch off and disconnect the batteries and Mini B

• Locate the 4 wheels, 2 axles, 2 bevel gears and wheel gauge
• Use a knife to remove any sprue from the edge of the wheel rims

• Push a bevel gear onto an axle and lightly tighten the grub screw
• Push a wheel onto an axle
• Rest the wheel on the gauge and push the axle all the way through so that it touches the surface below - tap the end of the axle lightly with a hammer if necessary
• The higher part of the gauge is for 32mm gauge as in the photo - the lower for 45mm gauge
• Repeat for the other wheel on this axle
• Move the bevel gear on the axle so the flat side is near a wheel and lightly tighten the grub screw
• Repeat for the other axle, bevel gear and wheels
• The wheels are normally a snug fit, but you may wish to secure them in position with some Locktite threadlocker or similar

• Locate the 6 x 10g individual weights

• Push 3 of them into the hole on one side next to the motor - do not remove the blue backing strips

• Put the axles into the bearings on the left frame so that the bevel gears each face towards the matching gears on the motors
• Push the left frame onto the tabs on the chassis working from one end to the other a little at a time then back again
• The tabs should go all the way in and be a tight fit

• It should look like this from below
• The side frames are designed to be a tight pure friction fit and not glued so that they can be removed if you ever need to replace any bevel gears

• Push the remaining 3 10g weights into the hole on the other side next to the motor - do not remove the blue backing strips

• Position the right frame so that the axles go into the bearings and push this onto the tabs as before
• Check the axles rotate freely in the bearings - there should be a very tiny amount (well under 1mm) of side to side play
• Move the bevel gears on the axles so that they interlock against those on the motors - you may need to move the motor gears a very small amount
• Use the hex head key provided to tighten the grub screws
• Be careful for to overtighten these and strip the hex hole - if you do they are readily available hardened M3 3mm long grub screws
• There should be a very small amount of play
• Add a drop of thin sewing machine oil to the bevel gears

• Locate the 2 bonnet supports - the right one has a small part sticking out at the front for the engine starter

• Glue the tabs into the holes on the top of the chassis - the taller sides are at the front to support the bonnet with the side tabs pointing out

• Locate pairs of buffer beams, buffer insides and buffer ends

• Glue the buffer beams to the chassis ends with the cut out curved parts facing up
• Do not glue them to the side frames as these should be removable

• Glue the buffer insides into the holes on the buffer beams either way up making sure they are pushed all the way in
• Glue the buffer ends into the holes on the buffer insides with the notch facing up making sure they are pushed all the way in

• Locate the 2 strips of 2 x 5g, 1 x 10g weights

• Push a strip into the hole behind a buffer - do not remove the blue backing strips

• Locate the 2 buffer bases

• Glue a buffer base over the weights and against the buffer beam - note that one thin edge is slightly curved and should be facing into the chassis with the flat edge against the buffer beam
• Do not glue it to the side frames as these should be removable
• Repeat for the other buffer and weights

• Locate the 4 brakes, noting that there are 2 matching pairs
• There are 2 holes in the chassis near each wheel - the inner ones are for the brakes for 32mm gauge and the outer for 45mm gauge

• Glue the brakes in place for the appropriate gauge
• The curved blocks should face the wheels and the flat sides are on the inside of the chassis
• They are a tight fit but should wiggle into the holes - tip use the end of a screwdriver against the flat base to help push them all the way into the holes

• The fitted brakes should look like this

• Glue the engine started into the hole at the front of the right bonnet support and onto the chassis

• Plug the motor and battery wires into the Mini B as described above
• Using the battery support as a guide, glue the Mini B holder to the floor of the chassis with the back against the DC power socket
• Carefully push the motor wires into the space above the motors
• Connect the batteries and power up the Mini B - check that the loco runs forwards when Forwards is selected
• Turn off the power and disconnect the batteries

• Glue the battery support to the chassis just behind the screw attaching the Mini B

• Locate the cab front, cab back, 4 cab sides, 4 cab inside supports and 2 cab jigs
• Make sure you know which sides attach to the front and back - they all connect at the corners and the side with the protruding circle is the back left

• Super glue the side with the circle along the corner to the back left of the cab - use a jig to make sure it is square
• Super glue the other side to the back - use both jigs with rubber bands to make sure the corners are correctly aligned and everything is square

• Super glue the support with the long cylinder into the back left corner - the bottom should align with the bottom of the sides - see next photo
• Super glue a support to the other corner - note that the cut out at the bottom goes against the back - see next photo
• Use both jigs with rubber bands to make sure the corners are correctly aligned and everything is square

• Repeat for the front, sides and supports, again noting the orientation of each piece as shown in the photo
• If everything is square and aligned correctly the tab holes in the cab front should be clear of the supports

• If you wish to paint the cab body, bonnet and cab floor now is the time to do it
• If you do this it is very important that you cover the tabs at the cab end of the bonnet with masking tape to keep paint off them. It is also a good idea to keep paint out of the mating holes on the cab front and the 2 slots in the cab floor using small blobs of Blu Tack.

• Locate the 2 window frames and perspex windows
• Use Glue 'n' Glaze or similar to fix the perspex - do not use super glue or polystyrene cement as they will permanently fog the perspex

• Use a fingernail to gently pull 2 corners of the protective film a little away as shown

• Run a very thin line of Glue 'n' Glaze around the inside of a window frame

• Peel the protective film off one side only and push this into the frame as shown
• Repeat for the other window frame and perspex window
• Leave these aside for the Glue 'n' Glaze to fully set - it goes clear

• Use a thin line of polystyrene cement to glue the window frames into the cabs from the outside - do not use super glue as this may fog the perspex even though it is not touching it

• Once the glue has set, peel the protective film from the back of the perspex windows

• Glue the cab front onto the chassis using the bonnet supports as a guide - you may need to wiggle it in place

• Make sure the cab front is square and the bottom is flat against the chassis

• Push the bonnet tabs into the cab front - they should be a loose but firm fit and you may need to wiggle it to fit
• Do NOT glue the bonnet - it must be easily removable to access the batteries

• The bonnet should go flat against the cab front and lie on the bonnet supports

• Push the radiator tabs into the holes in the chassis and check it is flat on the bonnet
• Remove the radiator and smear glue on the back, then push it back in place against the bonnet being careful to avoid getting any glue in contact with the chassis

• Use a rubber band to hold it in place while the glue sets - make sure everything is square
• Once the glue has set remove the bonnet by lifting the radiator/bonnet up and pulling it towards the front - it may need a wiggle as it is designed to be a snug fit

• Push the exhaust pipe up through the hole in the bonnet and glue it in place pointing outwards - the base is shaped to match the under side of the bonnet

• Locate the seat, seat support, forward/reverse lever, 2 brake/gear change handles and 1.5mm brass rod
• Cut the rod into the following lengths - 1 x 30mm, 1 x 10mm, 2 x 8mm - there should be approximately 40mm remaining
• File both ends of all the rod lengths to make them smooth

• Push the 8mm lengths of rod into the edges of the 2 handles
• Push the 10mm and 30mm lengths of rod into the bottom of the handles
• Cut the round head pin to 20mm

• Glue the seat support to the bottom of the seat as shown and then push it into the cab floor
• Push the brake handle with 10mm rod into the brake support hole at the back of the cab floor
• Glue the round head pin (sanding lever) into the small hole on the side of the cab floor
• Push the gear handle with 30mm rod into the hole in front of the seat - it's height should be similar to the brake handle - do not glue it so that you can remove it to fit a driver
• Glue the forward/reverse leaver into the slot at the front of the cab floor angles as shown
• See photos below for a top down view

• Push the remaining 3 weights into the holes under the cab floor - do not remove the blue backing strips

• Glue the cab floor to the chassis with the weights underneath and the driver's seat towards the front

• Glue the cab back onto the chassis using the bonnet supports and cab floor as a guide

• Use the remaining brass rod to make 2 coupling pins with the ends bent at 90 degrees and cut these to the length required
• Push these carefully into the holes in the buffer ends

• Fit the roof in place - you may want to leave it removable to access the cab and driver

• Place the battery holder and batteries on the supports
• Attach the PP3 clip

• Clip the bonnet in place by pushing the tabs into the cab front and into the chassis under the radiator

• Bonnet fitted and ready to run

• There is a 2.1mm DC centre positive charge socket under the floor connected to the batteries when the switch is pushed towards this
• IMPORTANT! Make sure the bonnet is removed and batteries lifted off the support for charging as shown. The batteries can get very hot when charging and this might warp the plastic bonnet if it is not removed.

• Ashover is capable of pulling a moderate load of 3-4 wooden coaches or a rake of wagons
• Driver (name tbc) has been specially designed to fit and is available in 16mm scale from the Clavey Models eBay store
• Power it up and enjoy
• Always remember to switch the power off when you have finished running so the batteries do not fully drain