The Army sent me to Japan and we live off-post. Electrical current here is 100V/50 cycles rather than the 110 or 120V/60cycle current typical in the US. I use an MRC Tech 4 280 dual control that (in the US) is rated at 8.5VA output per cab. Obviously I am using DC and not DCC.
Most engines continue to work fine but several sound-equipped engines don't anymore. E.g., BLI Blueline RSD15 and F7 work and sound great, as does an Athearn Genesis F7A. But while my Bachmann RS1 sounds fine, it crawls at max throttle; a Walthers F7A moves okay at max throttle and sounds fine but the bell never turns off; and a Genesis GP7 never gets out of its startup cycle even at max throttle.
The directions for the Walthers engine say the bell will turn off once a sufficient amount of voltage kicks in. So I'm guessing the decreased Japanese electrical current is not letting the 8.5VA output reach full potential. Would any electrical experts concur?
Some MR product reviews for dual-control sound-equipped engines say things like "startup in DC mode occurred at 9VA" - so I may need to get more juice than the Tech 4 anyway.
I'm prepared to purchase a new power pack (probably another MRC product). The Tech 6 says it produces 2 amps, while the 9900-series say they produce 80-125 watts. Will these products still give enough juice to the track even on the weaker Japanese electrical current?
The 50Hz won't bother it too much. Not enough to be an issue anyway.
As to voltages, since there is a transformer in there, it is all about the ratios. If the line voltage decreases by 15%, the output voltage will too. So you will probably get 10V maximum.
It's not the amps, it's the volts. 10-20 volts less on the input, plus some fiddly bits involving 50hz vs 60hz, are probably resulting in 2 vots or so less at the track at full throttle.
Sound locos on DC are ALWAYS a problem, because to work even somewhat realistically, they need some voltage level to power the sounds so you get idle sounds without the loco zipping along the track. So you've already used up half or more of the throttle range and the loco hasn't so much as crept forward half a tie. A 2 volt drop from the former full throttle peak is going to be a very noticeable speed difference. Less noticeable on non-sound locos because you probably don't run them at full throttle anyway.
Since the Tech 6 can operate one DCC loco at a time in actual DCC mode, it should work fine. A DCC/Sound loco on DCC doesn;t use a varying track voltage, it relies on DCC commands to tell it how fast to move. The power is always on., at full. It will be lower, and top speed will still be lower than if running on a US 120VAC power system, but like the DC locos with the Tech 4, unless you have a habit of running your trains at full throttle like slot cars, you won't really notice this. The track voltage is always there, so the sounds can run even when the loco isn't moving, and as you advance the throttle, DCC commands tell the decoder to allow a greater portion of the track power to the motor, increasing speed.
The 9900 would suffer the same problem as the Tech 4 - it has nothing to do with amps, and everything to do with volts.
Of course, since you have so many locos with DCC sound decoders already, you could just go DCC... In addition to always having the power to the rails, most DCC systems these days come with or use switching power supplies that produce the same low voltage output, say 15V, over their entire range of input voltages, 100-140 is common. So plug it in in the US and check the output - 15V. Plug it in in Japan and check the output - 15V.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hello All,
The short answer is yes...There is a difference between 60hz and 50hz.
The voltage, depending on the difference can or cannot be a concern; 100v versus 120v not so much. The voltage difference between 120v, 220/240v or 480v- -big difference.
Consider this: The DC output of the cab (power pack) will be the same no matter what the input is.
I suggest you pack your 120v/60hz cab away for when you return to the states.
Once you get settled, get a DC cab for the Japanese electrical system. There should be plenty of hobby shops in Japan.
Not only are there differences in the flow and frequency of electrons between the two systems the color-coding of AC polarity is different.
Another plus of purchasing overseas is you get to know merchants in your area.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Hey!
Here is a wild idea. Why not just buy an HO power pack in Japan if it doesn't set you back too much.
It would be made to still give the proper output you engines need by not stepping down the voltage as much!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761Here is a wild idea. Why not just buy an HO power pack in Japan if it doesn't set you back too much. Idea It would be made to still give the proper output you engines need by not stepping down the voltage as much!
Uhhh...
jjdamnitI suggest you pack your 120v/60hz cab away for when you return to the states. Once you get settled, get a DC cab for the Japanese electrical system. There should be plenty of hobby shops in Japan.
That's what I posted...
Let me add my vote...
Yes, as RG and JJ suggested, you should just buy a Kato power pack designed to operate in Japan.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
There are also 'power converters' that synthesize line voltage and frequency together -- in fact I found one in a thrift store earlier this week. I suspect it would be relatively easy to find one with appropriate peak RMS voltage along with frequency conversion, and this could likely also drive any AC equipment that depends on 60Hz reference to operate correctly along with the railroad power pack. To me it would make better sense to buy a universal power supply, with potential resale value or alternative 'dane' uses when you leave Japan, than buy new equipment that only does restricted things for a special community.
Kato (or, for that matter, Tomix) powerpacks require a wallwart to operate. While the "powerpack" is always the same, the wallwart will differ from country to country, according to which volatge and which types of plugs are used.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
With all those sound locos, I still say a Tech 6 will serve better - it will actually allow access to all the sounds. The Tech 6 uses an external power supply which appears to be similar to a laptop supply so even the voltage shouldn't be a problem. Just need the proper power cord, which should be a dime a dizen in Japan, it's a common standard item.
Another possibility (which might help with other devices, as well) is to get a transformer to take the 100V to 120V. When I lived in Europe some Americans has transformers (240-120) so that they could use their US stuff over there. I have not searched for such, but with a fair number of Americans in Japan, probably with their stuff, they must exist. Of course, model railroading is a thing in Japan, so a Japanese power pack is certainly a reasonable (and simple) solution, as well.
I want to thank everyone for the great advice. I have learned a lot and will look into what the Japanese merchants have. It seems they have a lot of N scale but not so much HO scale, so I hope there will be some choices. With the COVID19 precautions, the Army is still restricting travel into Tokyo, otherwise I'd go visit the Tenshodo store in central Tokyo (besides the brass, they also sell regular N and HO scale products, including some Walthers and WS merchandise) and the Kato store in western Tokyo to look for their power packs. Thanks again!
Thank you for the reply and advice. When you refer to the color coding of the AC polarity, are you referring to the AC current as it comes out of the wall socket, or the AC as it comes out of the two AC terminals on the back of the Tech 4 power pack? The Japanese wall sockets are not three-prong capable, and I've noticed the alignment of the socket [one slot is wider than its mate] always makes us flip the American appliance cords [vacuum, fan, computer] upside down as we plug them into the wall. If this is what you are referring to, what effect does this have? It seems this combination of small-and-large openings would keep us from unknowingly plugging a cord the wrong way into a socket with reversed polarity. But yes, as soon as the general lifts our travel restrictions, I'll be heading to a Japanese hobby shop to see what I can find in the way of a power pack.
The external AC (line input) on most model train products are only 2 wire, as the cases are plastic and isolated. Ground is not required on most of those.
As I and other mentioned, many of the newer train power packs use external universal power supplies, that will run on anything from Japan's 100V to the UK and others 250V. The power supply end of the cord is a standard, so all you need is the correct cord with the local wall plug on one end and the standard on the other. The Tech 6 I mentioned uses a plug pack style, which accepts 100-240VAC, so you would just need a plug adapter to adapt the US style polarized plug to the Japanese non-polarized sockets. The whole thing will work fine when you return to the US. In addition to acting like a DC power pack, the Tech 6 also allows full operation of your sound locos. There's really no reason to buy a Japanese-market power pack.