Can anyone confirm that the 4804 - Converter from Miller will run the signs off of the Digitrax track buss? Will it cause any hidden problems? I am just looking or a bertter power sourse than 110 or batteries. If it won't work, then I don't want to spend the money and mess up the DCC.
Do you have a link to the converter you are talking about? Normally you don't want to run anything but locomotives off the Digitrax track bus. This is the most expensive power source on the layout. I would suggest running it off a secondary buss that runs 12 volts for accersories such as this. That 12 volt buss can power building lighting, switch machines, and other accersories.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
The Miller converter says 5-17 volts AC or DC, so it should run off DCC track power, as long as you are in the HO or N setting. I would not make a habot of driving things off the DCC track power though, this takes away train runnign power, and adding another booster is a lot more expensive than a simple 12V wall wart and some 2 conductor speaker wire for a power bus. Or even the correct 4.5V wall wart so you can eliminate the converter circuit.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I would run the question by Miller just to be sure, they have good customer service. The high frequency AC from DCC may be an issue with that converter.
milleren@microstru.com
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Thanks guys. I did talk to Miller and he said he did not know. It sounds like it is a bad idea which is why no one has tried it. I will start with the battery pack until we decide where the scene will end up.
I have one of those Miller Engineering voltage adapters, and I would never try running it from DCC power --
The only possible issue is that the bridge rectifier used wouldn't be fast enough for DCC frequency. If you really had to, 1N5401 diodes are fast enough for DCC, you could make a bridge from 4 of them and use the DC output of that to feed the Miller converter.
It's still not best practice to run non-DCC accessories off the DCC bus, but blowing up the circuit isn't why.