Hi guys
You read about these being in DCC loco's.
Has any one added a stay alive capaciter to a standard DC locomotive
and if so how was it done.
Is there more to it than hook capaciter size ?? across here and here
The answer fit DCC will be concidered to be the wrong answer unless your paying for the chip fitting and controlers also neyodine magnets for the older locomotives I have.
regards John
You pretty much can't do stay alive in DC. It works in DCC because there is a constant energy level to charge the cap. In DC, when you're going slow, the voltage is low and there isn't enough energy to charge the cap. Plus there is the issue of then releasing that energy. With DCC, the speed control comes after the capacitor. There is also the issue of polarity. With DCC, it's always the same, at the locomotive in DC, the polarity is always changing. High energy "supercaps" used for DCC stay alive are polarity sensitive and can only be connected one way or they will literally explode.
Unfortunately, some of the same reasons you would want to fit stay alive to those older locos are exactly why they do not make great candidates to add DCC to - mainly the lack of all wheel pickup. Adding some track sliders for additional pickup on the loco and tender should get them to the point where they don't need stay alive to keep going.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
It is more than a capacitor. You need a diode and a resistor for DCC and they keep a decoder operating for a few seconds.Big difference between DC and DCC.
Cannot be done for DC. Electrolytic caps are polarized. You don't reverse the voltage to a cap.
In DCC, motors get a 12 to 14 volt pulse from the decoder. The stay alive keeps the decoder sending the pulses to the motor with track interruptions.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm
A good running loco on DC with flywheel and clean track and powered frogs runs very well. Our club did it for some years.
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.
Many thanks for your replies that puts that idea to rest.