So I am about ready to start laying track on my home layout and something occured to me...I hadn't conidered how to power the accessories. In the old days of DC and Tyco we just powered them off the power pack. But my Prodigy DCC system doesn't have that. I have an old Tech II that I could use for that but it seems kind of tacky and probably not terribly efficient. What do you guys do these days for all the lights, buildings, signals, etc?
Buy Separate 12v transform, add rectifier and fuse. Run bus thereof around table connect stuff to it ad lib. No point runing everything off of one supply. Is idea that is dumb. Use old powerpack for that. Is good idea, not tacky. Does not even need to be seen. Mount it out of the way someplace.
Layout of LION has five transformers.
1) Main track power, variable voltage Regulated DC.
2) 16v dc for signals, detectors, relays and automation system.
3) 12v dc for Hotel Power (station lighting, street lighting, house lighting. etc.)
4) GRS Model-5 Interlocking Machine -12v dc for Tortoise in NORAML position.
5) GRS Model-5 Interlocking Machine +12v dc for Tortoise in REVERSE position.
6) COMMON HARD GROUND
LIONS like to keep thing simple!
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Use that Tech II. Do not use DCC power for structure lighting. When you need more power for DCC, you need to buy a (relatively) expensive booster. When you need more power for lighting, you add a $5 wall wart.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks all. I think until I wisen up on the topic I will just use the Tech II and keep it out of site. Appreciate the feedback!
Wall worts. Bought a dozen used at a flea market couple years ago for $5 for the bag. AC and DC, filtered and unfiltered in the bag. Now I have five or six of them scattered about the layout powering DS64s, tortoises, lighting, etc. You can't build a PS for that. Most of the worts are 1A output - plenty of watts for our milli-watt environment.
I use a old computer power supply converted to modelling use. It supplies +12 volts and +5 volts and will handle all accessories on the layout. I must warn you that if you have never converted a computer power supply it has some very dangerous components inside. It does also require a constant load to function correctly. I use a 10 watt 10 ohm resistor for this with a cooling fan.
I have a buss wire for 12 vdc, 5 vdc and ground that runs around the whole layout and all accessories are run off of it
Don't use your DCC power as it is the most costly power you have. Also if your turnout motors are on the DCC buss and you get a short on a switch you can't correct it because the bus is shutdown
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Renegade1c I use a old computer power supply converted to modelling use. It supplies +12 volts and +5 volts and will handle all accessories on the layout. I must warn you that if you have never converted a computer power supply it has some very dangerous components inside. It does also require a constant load to function correctly. I use a 10 watt 10 ohm resistor for this with a cooling fan. I have a buss wire for 12 vdc, 5 vdc and ground that runs around the whole layout and all accessories are run off of it Don't use your DCC power as it is the most costly power you have. Also if your turnout motors are on the DCC buss and you get a short on a switch you can't correct it because the bus is shutdown
That's a cool way of doing it. The HO scale layout at the club I'm un just uses straight 120V AC with wall adapters to power accessories.
On a fairly large (double garage filler) layout, I use a variety of small power supplies to light things, power electric switch machines and run signals. Track power is reserved for powering locomotives and on-train lights.
The small supplies are:
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with distributed electrical power.)
What i WANT to do is run 15VAC around my layout, and if I need DC, tap off to a rectifier and filter, or if I need lower voltage, that plus a DC-DC converter (if you don't want to build your own, there are cheap ones ($5 and less) on ebay. That way I wouldn't need a bunch of different voltage supplies and lots of extra wires. Until the day I get one "got to have it" accessory that needs 18V AC.... Or maybe just use a DC supply, I can't think of anything I'd be putting in place that uses AC (all structures will be lit with LEDs, no bulbs).
Power bus for this would be distributed, if one power supply of sufficient capacity is sourced. Each run will be fused to some lesser current (not running say 15VAC at 40 amps in one bus).