Hi all First a little introduction. I'm Mike a friend of David's. He's letting me use his computer and login this morning as I am, A Long Haul Trucker and am on the road 25 out of 30 days with no internet I sometimes have layovers or delays that keep me in hotels or in the truck for days at a time with nothing to do. So at Dave's suggestion I picked up a briefcase layout kit to work on while I'm on the road, and was looking at the Medvend AN-1-C panel mount speed controller to power the trains thinking I could power it from the 12v cig plug in the truck Dave said I should use a 9V Battery that 12v is too much for Z gauge trains. So I guess my real question is what is the best way to power this without using a 9v battery? Is there any way to have multiple power supply's? IE: power it from the 12V cig outlet when I'm in the truck and from a wall wart when I'm lucky enough to be in a hotel or motel? I don't know if the type of motor car matters but Dave gave me a Micro Trains F7 and a few cars to get started with, Along with a small box containing some track and scenery stuff. Thanks for any help Mike PS: Dave Thanks for the train stuff, the loan of your truck and the use of your computer this morning. I'll stop by in a couple days on my return trip through Baltimore. And You better call my sister she misses you.
Read the instructions. Most controllers can use 12 volts however most need a Range of 500-750 milliamps to low or high is a problem. Obviously 9 volts would be the best but you should be ok with 12 depending on the milliamps
http://www.ztrackcenter.com/electronics/snail-1 Something like this may be your best bet. Run on a 9v battery.