I am a long time HO'er, recently restarting after a 10 year absense. Phase 1 of my shelf layout is well underway, with some track down. I have 2 sound locos, Atlas Gold Dash8 with QSI, and Broadway SD40, also QSI sound equiped. Powered with NCE power cab.
I was interested to know how much of my 1.7 Amps available power my locos were using, I borrowed a professional "clamp around" meter from my son, an electronic eng. working on the control systems at a Nuclear power plant, to make some measurements. Following are the results.
Note that locos draw about the same if asleep, or just sitting with sound muted, but there is some draw when parked, as compared to sitting on track with power off. Also note that the motor in Atlas Dash8 draws less current than the B'way limited SD40. Wish I had an Athearn Genesis to measure draw? I do love my Atlas gold.
9390
3130
25
33
Awake Sound muted
26
35
Awake Sound on
59
50
Neutral Sound and horn
118
Full throttle
220
260
Full throttle & horn
280
320
1/2 throttle
140
159
1/2 throttle & horn
200
Stall
1000
500
Both locos running 1/2
317
Both locos running 1/2, blowing 1 horn
360
UP Challenger 3985 photos
Don,
Did you know that your Power Cab actually comes with a built-in amp usage display feature? It would be interesting to run the exact same test above, this time using the built-in amp usage feature of the Power Cab and compare the two.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Hi Don
I use my Power cabs built in amp for diagnostics of sick locos. I just found out on one loco that was lurching and sputtering that one of the motor wires was pinched when the shell was put on. The amp meter is a handy tool. I have run 5 sound and 7 non sound HO locos at the same time with my power cab. I dont have a layout but I do have 5 portable modules to run at home so the locos didnt run for long. Its surprising that the little Power cab can do so much. Probably the best investment of hobby dollars I have made.
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!
Well, don't tell anybody,but I actually agree with our friend from the frozen north. I have a rampmeter installed inline and get a constant amperage draw readout. Just sitting, with a couple dozen locos on the tracks, the draw is .79 amps. I tested this once by removing one loco at a time, watching the drop after each and ended up a .01 amp draw with no locos on the tracks. It will also show you the additional draw when locos are running up a grade.
Really quite interesting, and useful when running several multi-unit consists. It also allows you to avoid taxing your power supply too much.
Tilden
Tilden wrote:Well, don't tell anybody,but I actually agree with our friend from the frozen north. I have a rampmeter installed inline and get a constant amperage draw readout. Just sitting, with a couple dozen locos on the tracks, the draw is .79 amps. I tested this once by removing one loco at a time, watching the drop after each and ended up a .01 amp draw with no locos on the tracks. It will also show you the additional draw when locos are running up a grade. Really quite interesting, and useful when running several multi-unit consists. It also allows you to avoid taxing your power supply too much.Tilden
I have done the same at our club and my home layout. I use a DIY DCC amp meter that compares very well with a borrowed commercial ramp meter.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/DCCAmmeter.html
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
tstage wrote: Don,Did you know that your Power Cab actually comes with a built-in amp usage display feature? It would be interesting to run the exact same test above, this time using the built-in amp usage feature of the Power Cab and compare the two.Tom
Got Time to explain where it is here?
This link might explain a little.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn1/power_cab.htm
Look at page 59 in the below document.
http://www.ncedcc.com/power_cab_manual_v1.28.pdf
This feature is hardly mentioned.
wheeler wrote: tstage wrote: Don,Did you know that your Power Cab actually comes with a built-in amp usage display feature? It would be interesting to run the exact same test above, this time using the built-in amp usage feature of the Power Cab and compare the two.TomGot Time to explain where it is here?
wheeler,
Sure. I had to go downstairs and turn on my Power Cab first to find the sequence. Here it is:
The ammeter replaces the fast clock display in the upper right corner of the LCD screen. Once you turn off your Power Cab though, the ammeter resorts back to the fast clock display the next time you turn your Power Cab on again. This feature also doesn't work when the Power Cab is used in conjunction with a Smart Booster.
Hope that helps...
djb39 wrote: I was interested to know how much of my 1.7 Ma available power my locos were using, I borrowed a professional "clamp around" meter from my son, an electronic eng. working on the control systems at a Nuclear power plant, to make some measurements. Following are the results.
I was interested to know how much of my 1.7 Ma available power my locos were using, I borrowed a professional "clamp around" meter from my son, an electronic eng. working on the control systems at a Nuclear power plant, to make some measurements. Following are the results.
You've got a bit of a problem with terminology and abbreviations here. According to this sentence, your power supply puts out 1.7 million amps. Thats WAY beyond arc welding! An upper case "M" indicates "Mega" or times one million. A lower case "m" indicates "milli" or divided by 1000. These standards go all through electronics and the metric system.
Properly stated, your power supply puts out a maximum of 1.7 Amps or 1,700 mA. Or .0000017 MA.