hi all;just took delivery of new digitrax empire builder from a good rep suplier, ordered w/ ps515 digitrax power supply but recieved a smg brand in a NCE p515 box ! now Im not to nit pick, but is smg who maufacters nce p515 ? and its marked output is 15vac 5000ma, is 5000ma equil to 5amp ? I dont want to make a huge deal out of this if this unit is par with the ps515 digitrax product I ordered ,but they should of contacted me and ask me before shipping a nother product insted..and of corse concerned with warranty issues .
can someone give me one of those its OK dont worry about it type of responces.please.. Jerry
You should be all fixed, Jerr. A ma is a thousandth of an amp. They sent you 5000, so 1000th of that is 5....amps. I have power supplies from all sorts of manufacturers. I think you should just use it and be done with it. If it fails, you have recourse from the supplier, and that would be from whomever sold you the EB.
Have fun with those 5 amps. It is a good solid block of usable juice.
Crandell
The only difference between the Digitrax PS515 and the NCE p515 is the label. They are most likely from the same manufacturer with Digitrax and NCE just adding their label to the product ( they don't make them, they market them). i wouldn't worry about it too much. and 5 amps = 5000 Milliamps (ma)
I'd say the reason they didn't contact you about sending a different power supply is because they are identical (with the exception of the name that is marketing it)
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Jerry.
The club I am in has power supplies from so many manufactures its hard to know whos is whos. Of the seven years of my membership there has been one failure and it was an Digitrax 8 amp. There are 10 power supplies total between the modules and permanent layout. They very in power from 15v to 18v 5amp to 8amp. The lone failure I believe was a defective rocker switch. I think it was damaged in transit to a module show.
One of the guys in the club has converted a used 12v battery charger to power his layout. It is capable of 30 amps at 14volts. So far it works great. It surpasses the minimum requirements.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
whew; thanks guys ,I didnt want to make to make an issue. Im going with it .thanks again..Jerry
How'd he do that, if you don't mind my asking?
I am indoor g-scale and could use that kind of power...
The St. Francis Consolidated Railroad of the Colorado Rockies
Denver, Colorado
I wouldn't in a million years connect directly to a car battery. That stuff went out in the 50's.
FIrst, if the circuit DRAWS 5 amps but the battery SUPPLIES 100 amps, the circuit will only DRAW 5 amps - the power supply does NOT 'push' amps into a circuit. So youc an always use a power supply capable of supplying more current than you need. But to b safe you should always fuse the input to the specified draw of the circuit, because if there is an internal short in the device, it then WILL draw the 100 amps from the supply. 100 amps at 12 volts WILL set stuff on fire.
As for Jerry's issue, the NCE and Digitrax power supplies are pretty much the exact same thing - look at picture of them. Probably come from the same OEM source. Exact same rating, so either will work with either brand of system.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
St Francis Consolidated
He has it hooked to a couple copper buss bars that he wires the 2 boosters and the command station. He also has some lighting circuits tapped into it also.
Randy.
There is no battery hooked inline. Its just the charger.
locoi1sa St Francis Consolidated He has it hooked to a couple copper buss bars that he wires the 2 boosters and the command station. He also has some lighting circuits tapped into it also. Randy. There is no battery hooked inline. Its just the charger. Pete
Even so, why would you just not plug the system into an electrical outlet unless your layout is in a cabin in a remote location?
Rich
Alton Junction
Even so, there should be a fuse to the booster input, 30 amps is overkill as well, to a device the outputs a maximum of 5 (or 8 or 10 if one of the more powerful models). Rest applies, 30A and 12V is 360 watts, quite a lot of heat if something happens.