Hi all, Getting close to ordering a DCC system. I've narrowed it down to two, the PowerCab and the Lentz 90. I'm leaning toward the PowerCab based on initial price, knowing that I can upgrade the power as my layout grows. The question is how many HO loco's will the PowerCab run with it's 2 amps? By adding the 3amp booster, do you get a total of 5 amps (related ? what's the difference between the smart and dumb booster?)? How many loco's does 5 amps run? I'm just trying to decide whether to pay now up front, or save a little money and grow latter. From what I've read, both systems work really well, so I should be happy with either. Thanks, J
When adding the 3 amp smart booster you get a total of 3 amps. They do not add up untill you add the second booster. The smart booster will allow you to unplug your controler from the layout and move it to a new location with out the train stopping. The Dumb booster only adds power. If the controler is unplugged the layout will go dead. I am not an HO guy so I do not know the curent draw of these locos but I would think it would be less than .5 amps each. The PowerCab has a built in amp meter. Try one out before you buy to see what a HO loco draws. I love my PowerCab.
If you have some of the older Athearn units, the starting amperage is 2 amps then it lessens to .5 amps as the unit gets rolling.
You may want to check out Tony's Train Exchange www.tonystrains.com he has a lot of usefull information on DCC. The way to see how much power your locos draw is to hook up a amp metter to the motor apply full power while holding it down to where the wheels stop and only for a seconed or two. the reading on your meter will show the stall curent of that loco and that is the amp rateing you want for your decoder. About 1.8 amps to 2.5 amps in HO. I beleive that 3 amps will run about 6 to 8 locos and 5 amps about 10 to 15 locos. per booster. "Still Training Afer All These Years"
Keep in mind that each booster powers a different section of track. Two 5 Amp boosters doesn't give you 10 Amps, it gives you 5 Amps in each of two sections of the layout. As you add more trains, you may need to subdivide into smaller sections and add boosters to keep things running. Unless you are a power hog running multi-loco lashups with lighted passenger cars and sound however, this is should not reach the point of being ridiculous.
In another forum recently, a poster reported the results of extensive testing he did using a RAmp Meter and a variety of locomotives. He found that the range in draw, towing 20 cars each on curves, was between 0.14 and 0.20 amps. This is considerably less than the conventional notion that you can count on 0.5 amps per sound-equipped locomotive. Not to be so quick to throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water, those are his figures on his layout, using his assortment of locomotives. They may or may not be highly representative of your or my experience and circumstances. Since you are highly unlikely to be able to manage more than two operating locomotives at one time, the rest, assuming yours will have sound, are going to draw a minimal current load...even less if you are the typical guy who also mutes those not actually being used since the din can be annoying. Therefore, adding it all up, your two amps, if that is what you have after all is said and done, should be able to look after at least five sound-equipped locos, maybe as many as 8, believe it or not. All bets are off if you have friends over and get five or six locos pulling loads.
