I'm running DIgitrax DCC. Here's my conundrum.
Is it o.k. to leave power on to the DCC unit. When I finish an operating session I always power off the track....then switch the unit to standby or idle... but is it o.k. to leave power to the unit. I run the layout just about everyday. I think I'm right when I say there is a battery that backs up in the memory in the Digitrax units... and at some point it has to be replaced.... would leaving power to the unit all the time a: increase the time between battery changes.... b. harm the unit? (yes it's in a very climate controlled room, unit is in an air conditioned crawl space under the layout. no heat problems)
Just wondering if it matters...???
Thoughts...
The Skipper
CEO Gulf Breeze & Holley Railroad
You should turn your digitrax unit off when it is not in use. Plug it into a power strip and flip the switch on the power strip off when you leave the layout. The Digitrax command station generates heat from the electronics and gets hot. Please note the heat sink fins on the back of the unit.
When we had our new home built I had the electrician install an independent 20AMP outlet with a cut of switch at the base of the basement stairs. When I leave the basement, I flip the switch and know that all layout power is off. I have a computer grade surge protector in the outlet.
Jim, Modeling the Kansas City Southern Lines in HO scale.
I like that idea... just my copy you on that if you don't mind
Skipper I'm running DIgitrax DCC. Here's my conundrum. Is it o.k. to leave power on to the DCC unit. When I finish an operating session I always power off the track....then switch the unit to standby or idle... but is it o.k. to leave power to the unit. I run the layout just about everyday. I think I'm right when I say there is a battery that backs up in the memory in the Digitrax units... and at some point it has to be replaced.... would leaving power to the unit all the time a: increase the time between battery changes.... b. harm the unit? (yes it's in a very climate controlled room, unit is in an air conditioned crawl space under the layout. no heat problems) Just wondering if it matters...??? Thoughts...
At my club, the Super Chief system was installed in 1999 and has remained on since. Like you, at the end of a session we put the command station and booster to sleep mode and leave the power on. Only when we transfer the system to our modular layout do we power down the Super Chief.
No harm was done to the units, no overheating and the original battery has not been replaced yet.
Jack W.
Bottom line: I don't want ANYTHING powered up in the train room when I'm not there.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hi!
I'f you've ever been through a house fire, you would definitely be paranoid about leaving anything plugged in when you "turn off the lights". Of course its probably just fine to leave some things plugged in, but why take a chance? If you get in the habit of leaving stuff left "on", or plugged in, there may come a time when you leave a soldering iron or similar item left on as well.
Fix up your room/layout for an easy turnoff of all outlets - even if its a strip or two that you use. You will NEVER be sorry you do this, but you might be sorry if you don't.
Trust me,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
You should always protect your electronics when possible. Powering down will protect you from any possible surges. Saves a few pennies off the electric bill as well.
Springfield PA
Thanks everybody. I did want to let you guys know that I do power down the train room. The work bench lights and the power strip that runs lights on the layout... I just had the Digitrax unit under the layout and was plugged into it's own power supply... I guess I should have got a strip for the unit.. but we just plugged it into the wall.. in it's own little space... so that's why the question..
Given that I can't rewire my room to power everything via the wall switch, what I REALLY need is another power strip like the one I used to have. I believe it was designed to work with a specific brand of office furniture. There was a large block with the outlets on it (well spaced so a wall-wart wouldn't eat up two plugs, either) with a short (about 4') cord to plug into the wall. It ALSO had a long, about 10 foot, cord to an illuminated switch mounted in a small plate with a couple of mounting screws (probbaly meant to attach to some sort of desk) that controlled the power to the outlets. I ran a wood screw through one of the mounting holes and attached it to a leg on my benchwork, thuse I could shut everything off without crawling under the layout to pull a plug or switch off a standard power strip. I looked up buying one, found they were EXTREMELY expensive for some reason (well, it was not only surge protected it was also filtered, and all the components were heavy metal, not plastic).
My standard practice is to power everthing through a power strip with a surge protector. As an added precaution, I unplug the power strip from the wall outlet whenever I leave the layout for the day.
Alton Junction