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michael
Joined: 05 Sep 2008 Posts: 47 Location: Cambridge, Ontario Canada
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:02 am Post subject: Rail Power |
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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? _________________ Michael
www.tgauge.ca
www.modelrailroader.ca |
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David K Smith Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
Joined: 03 Sep 2008 Posts: 435 Location: New Jersey, USA
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trainspotter-usa
Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 315 Location: Minnesota
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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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 |
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shashinka
Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Maryland
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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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. _________________ Do not feed the densha. |
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ntpntpntp
Joined: 05 Sep 2008 Posts: 3 Location: South East England
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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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 |
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JohnDMJ
Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hampshire - UK
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:31 am Post subject: |
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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 |
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shashinka
Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 24 Location: Maryland
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:31 am Post subject: |
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ntpntpntp wrote: |
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?
Nick |
I was real big in to the 4WD minis a few years back that were made by Tamaya. It's sorta like slot car racing. Everything was performance based; almsot as bad as when I sue to run my Mustang on the quarter mile. Anycase, early on I was using the Energizer Titanium because the weight of the battery was much lighter than the Lithiums and clearly lighter than the NiCads and Alkaline.
One of the bonuses that were soon discovered was that the Titaniums were not delivering true 1.5VDC but closer to that of 1.7. Most batteries when new would perform over its 1.5 rating, but would then settle down to about 1.5 for the vast majority of itself, with the rating dipping as it gets closer to the end of its service life. However the Titaniums would not drop. As a result the league came to ban these batteries from competition.
So, that would not be too far out of the realm of probability that three batteries in the power pack were producing closer to 5vdc, episodically if the batteries were new. _________________ Do not feed the densha. |
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ken J
Joined: 11 Jan 2009 Posts: 13 Location: Birmingham UK
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Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:41 pm Post subject: connector to track |
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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. _________________ visit www.kenjonestrains.co.uk and www.ngaugewmg.co.uk
Ken |
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B 67
Joined: 23 Sep 2008 Posts: 277 Location: Stratford, Australia
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Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:56 am Post subject: |
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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. _________________ Darren,
Stratford,
Australia. |
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JohnDMJ
Joined: 21 Sep 2008 Posts: 34 Location: Hampshire - UK
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Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:55 am Post subject: Re: connector to track |
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ken J wrote: | 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. |
B 67 wrote: | 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 tried fitting a power connector into the wheel cleaner and managed to break the connector! I agree with the above advice - once fitted do not remove and solder wires to the cleaner.
Before going to Gaugemaster, check out Maplin, CPC or RS for similar mains adaptors! |
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