Anyone keep track of passenger car lighting current?

[RR_Mel]

 

Because I power all of my passenger cars from one source I measure the current of each car and put it on the bottom of each car for quick reference.

 

I just finished the lighting on my latest addition, an Athearn HW Observation car.  After dinking around to get the correct light level for a couple of hours I came up with a total of 14 LEDs including the SMT rear light.  I operate my passenger cars from a single 4 volt source and this car with all 14 LEDs measures 2.88ma at 4.02 volts.

 

I was amazed with the amount of light I get with less than 3ma.  The highest current of all my cars to date is 5.8ma.  It’s a streamline Athearn Observation car followed by my Athearn kitbashed SP ¾ Dome/Lounge car at 3.4ma.  The max current of all 11 cars doesn't exceed 60ma at 4 volts.

 

I used a red SMT TO-603 for the rear light and it’s brighter at .5ma than the 2mm LEDs at 3ma on my streamline observation car.

 

 

I built up a power supply in the baggage car to power the LEDs in my passenger cars.  I installed a single function Digitrax decoder (function 4) in the baggage car to turn on and off the lighting for all of the passenger cars.  I installed a second function decoder in the observation car to operate the backup light (function 5), couldn’t get it to work as the rear light off the locomotive by using function 0.  ???

 

EDIT:

 

The rear backup light isn't on the car above, its on a streamline observation car.  I'm just starting out with Heavy Weights for my SP Lark passenger train to be pulled by a Cab Forward through the Tehachapi Mountains.

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

 

[Bayfield Transfer Railway]

Modern high-brightness SMT LEDs are amazing.  I'm getting adequate lighting for class lights and number boards with 10K resistors from my DCC outputs.

That's about a milliamp each. (1.2, fussy fussy)

[RR_Mel]

Bayfield Transfer Railway

Modern high-brightness SMT LEDs are amazing.  I'm getting adequate lighting for class lights and number boards with 10K resistors from my DCC outputs.

That's about a milliamp each. (1.2, fussy fussy)

 

This SMT is still too bright at 60 micro amps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[SeeYou190]

My train of 9 Rivarossi lighted heavyweight cars pulls just over .5 amps. With the Athearn PA/PB (both powered) in the lead, the train pulls 1.2 amps.

.

-Kevin

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[MisterBeasley]

I started this edition of my layout by pulling my 40-year-old trains from boxes, so I was working with a lot of vintage equipment.  I did buy a DCC system, but I drove it with an old Truman-era Lionel transformer.  It was far below the 5-amp capacity of my Lenz DCC system, so I was probably running with no more than 1 amp total.

My passenger consist was mostly lit with incandescent bulbs, with one flourescent lamp thrown in.  I was happy just having these old friends running on tracks again, but I soon noticed that my locomotives were having trouble when the passenger train was on the rails. 

Yes, I'd reached the limit of that old transformer.  I replaced it with a new 5-amp supply and all was fine again.  I've got way too much on my plate now to even think about replacing those old bulbs with LEDs, but, well, it's what I should have done in the first place.

[BroadwayLion]

LION runs on DC.

LION uses LED lamps with negligible power consumption

LION has a 12 AMP regulated power supply

ISSUE is MOOT.

 

ROAR

[mlehman]

I don't sweat it. It's all LEDs and there's plenty of extra power available with two 5 amp boosters.