Can I use an N-scale sound decoder rated at 1 Amp in an HO loco? I want to power a remotored Tyco Civil War General. Thanks in advance.
RicZ
as long as the re[motor] uses 1A or less under stall conditions
What he said. If the amp draw of the motor is less than the amp capacity of the decoder, go for it. If you could somehow get a G scale engine to draw low enough amps you could use a Z scale decoder in it.It's all about the amps.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
I did that maybe ten years ago with a Bachmann tender drive. a Mantua General and a IHC tender drive. I used a Lenz N scale decoder. No problen. Today there are some better ones.that are good for one amp.
A simple test with a couple multimeters at 12 vdc will detemine the amps the motor will draw.
I believe Bachmann has a new tooling General with sound. Motor in the boiler now.
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.
RicZ:
To test the amp draw, before you install the decoder, put the locomotive on a DC track with a power supply (a typical train set power pack works great) and then hook up your meter to measure amps (note that with many meters you have to plug one of the leads into a different socket to measure amps) Put the meter in series with the power to the track, not in parallel. Then hold the locomotive so it can't move and apply full power. Press down on the locomotive until the wheels stop turning and immediately take a reading on the meter. Don't hold the locomotive down for more than a second or two or you might let the smoke out of the motor!
If you have re-motored the locomotive with a newer motor the odds are that the draw will not exceed the decoder's maximum limit but it is best to make sure before installing a decoder.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Ric,
You can even use a Z-scale decoder. I have a Digitrax Z motor-only decoder in my Proto 2000 S1 and it works just fine - albeit slightly buzzy. (I think it's the only Digitrax decoder I own. Much prefer TCS.) The important stat is the amp draw and/or stall current.
If you're planning on using any decoder in a Tyco locomotive, I would definitely perform a stall current test first to see if it will exceed the rating of the decoder.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.