Talking T Gauge

michael · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:02 am Post subject: Rail Power

As I understand it, power is provided via 3 AAA bateries - 4.5volts. Do you think there is any reason that its necessary to use the provided controller for operation? I am seriously considering handlaying all the track, so purchasing the 'oval' - while plenty of fun for the first few days - is not a necessity. Could one simply use 4.5 volts via an adapter - perhaps adding a pulse component to vary speed?
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Michael
www.tgauge.ca
www.modelrailroader.ca

David K Smith · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:13 pm Post subject:

This is certainly an option. One thing is certain, an alternate throttle has a good chance of improving performance. There is literally no slow-speed operation possible with the supplied throttle. A PWM or other pulse-type throttle should provide considerable improvement.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xgY58PZAPY
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—David

http://www.t-gauge.net/
http://1-450.blogspot.com/

trainspotter-usa · Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 315 Location: Minnesota

Speaking as someone whose model railway electronics experience runs to wiring up some Atlas turnout motors and not much else. Just how easy is it to build one of these PWM throttles the improvement in performance to the T gauge unit is quite staggering

Ian

shashinka · Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Maryland

That's my big worry too I guess. I prefer a more "scale" or prototypical speed of my layouts, and I'm still on the fence as to the current throttle layout. But hey who knows, maybe we'll see a new throttle system too here in the new future. These guys after all seem really responsive to the customer feedback.
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Do not feed the densha.

ntpntpntp · Joined: 05 Sep 2008 Posts: 3 Location: South East England

I had a play last night with powering my T gauge using an N Gauge throttle with pwm and switchable feedback. I used a "Kent Panel Controls" unit (made in the UK) which regularly runs my N exhibition layout.

To begin with I used an external potentiometer to drop the throttle output down to about a 3rd of normal (ie. somewhere near 4.5 volts).

I found I can get a T gauge power car to run quite slowly, but it's very jerky at slow speed. Switching on feedback made very little improvement.

I believe the jerkiness is down to a couple of things:

1) the gearing is too high. Looks like there may be some potential to add further gears as there is space in the chassis if the motor were moved further away from the powered truck end.

2) the magnetised wheels in combination with the amount of play in the axles in the powered truck seem to cause "sticking". I found that the power car runs better along non-magnetic rails (I used two lengths of Z track positioned next to each other to create 3mm gauge). Unfortunately traction is all but lost with regard to pulling any further stock, which is clearly why Eishindo have gone for steel track and magnetised wheels.

Interesting that to achieve maximum speed equivalent to the output of the supplied battery throttle required the output of my pwm unit to be raised almost to the normal 12 volts. Makes me wonder if the battery throttle does actually output more than 4.5 volts?

One more thing I want to try is to use a small scale dcc decoder with high frequency pwm drive in the track circuit, just to see if the higher pwm frequency improves slow-running any further.

Nick

JohnDMJ · Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hampshire - UK

On no load (i.e. just plain track), the controller supplies 4.25 volts from brand new batteries!

If anyone's measured the power taken at the input to the controller when running a train, I'd be interested. It might be practical to use one mains adaptor to supply two or more tracks!

Kent Panel Control's unit sounds interesting; shame they are 'not currently available'.

J

shashinka · Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Maryland

ken J · Joined: 11 Jan 2009 Posts: 13 Location: Birmingham UK

Well since I said I would get my club electrician to solder wires to the track, he had a rethink today, because even using low temperature solder it is possible to melt the plastic below the track. So being an electrical genius he got out some instuments and measured the performance of my 2 trains - one on Duracell batteries and one on cheaper batteries. He fixed the connector - told me not to remove it again friom the track and get AC adaptors. Actually he said one adapter would run both trains with some wiring but I'm going to buy 2 from Gaugemaster as they have added 3 pin UK plugs as the adapter from Japan only comes with 2 pins plugs. Since the electrician has built all my other contollers and the clubs and we have no problems - I'm not taking the power connector out from the track again.
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visit www.kenjonestrains.co.uk and www.ngaugewmg.co.uk

Ken

B 67 · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:56 am Post subject:

I've left my power connectors in the track too. Difficult to remove them now that they are on a 'permanent' layout. It did mean I had to solder wires onto the wheel cleaner though. I have one wheel cleaner permanently wired to one of the controllers. Both controllers are Velcroed to the layout.
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Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

JohnDMJ · Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hampshire - UK