Forums

[Anonymous]

I'm in the process of acquiring some rather large 18VAC transformers for use in TMCC. These transformers are NOT variable (i.e. 120 VAC in - 18 VAC out). But I had them spec'd at 1440W, yep that's 80Amps at 18V.
But with TMCC, track power is always at 100% and you don't need to adjust it from there. These are toroidal transformers so the output is a pure 60 Hz sine wave, not a chopped up PWM sine wave (like the powerhouse).

The pricing is very good considering the cost of the Lionel powerhouse. The more people who buy, the better the price per transformer gets
(e.x. 1 xfmr = $500 ea, 5 xfmr = $275 ea), and it probably goes down even further after 5.

When you consider a 190W power house is $90, for $270 you get 570W. Or for about the same you get 1,440W.

Anyone interested? I've made no firm commitments with the vendor. But I just want to test the waters here.
Email me: [e-mail]

[Leon Silverman]

You will probably need automotive battery cables to handle the heating effect of 80 amps flowing through your wires.  Any conductor smaller than that will immediate burn up from the heating effect of the current.  You will want to immediately it up into at least three or four circuits.  Othewrwise, a short circuit will create an immediate fire hazard. 

[Anonymous]

Absolutely.  I will split it into 15A blocks which meets UL safety requirements. #4 AWG should do the trick.