trying to decide which power pack to use. I use an tech 2 locomotion 1500 with n scale now. it wont work with z, correct? just wondering what you guys like. just have a simple loop now with MT track. thanks....
http://www.trainboard.com/highball/...e-power-source-for-z-scale.85249/#post-938022 http://azlforum.com/thread/543/scale-power-supplies-locomotive-speed http://azlforum.com/thread/297/power-controllers
Yeah a 20VDC throttle is too much for Z, despite the suggestion on line that you can use it for Z if you run the throttle half way. You could use it if you have a voltage dropping circuit. Normally I'd suggest the Digitrax UP6Z unit, but it will do only a 6 volt drop. I think the 8-10V drop you need would be a custom circuit. I use both the Snail (battery only through Ztrack) and the C002 from Rokuhan. The Snail will run for about 4 hours on a 9V battery. The C002 runs on either 8AAA or wall wart. I like both of them. The snail is pulse power. The Rokuhan is DC with a high frequency pulse for LED lighting. N scalers have reported good operation of N scale using the C002. Hope this helps, Mark
The Snail also has a DC power port. Use a 9 volt wart (Switching type: the light-weight, small body types. Old heavy/larger 'transformer' types are rectifier based and have peak voltages 1.4x higher than the label. These older types may say 9 V at 500 milliamp which means 9V at 500 ma, aprox 10V at 250 ma and 12 V at 10 ma). MRC 1300 and märklin's are fine. The MRC version MTL sold just had a screw in it to limit to 9-10 volts. Per the tread links above, many N packs are at least 12 volts (under load) and as much as 15 volts (no load). Also, many power packs use pulse power. This makes the motors run better at low speeds as the pure DC voltage does not have enough energy to nudge the poles of the motor magnetic fields. Pulses were added (typically the 60 or 120 Hertz from the unfiltered rectified power that were close to the maximum power supply. Packs like the Snail or DCC uses pulse-width-modulation (PWM) to do the same but much more efficiently. Best not to use the 15+ packs, as Mark says, as it is just too easy to turn it up 'just a little more' when one of your locos is 'running a bit slow', easily overheating the loco. Or, having the cat (or kids) accidently move that throttle to the wrong side Also, these larger packs have more current capabilities. This means when you stall the loco (like not watching it while it is running), the voltage doesn't drop from excess current flow. Volts times Current = Watts. 12 Volts @ 1 Amp = 12 watts. That is your soldering iron's wattage rating
I guess I need to buy another power pack then i just got a MT starter set with a C & O F7. I hooked up my mrc 1500 tech 2 ( says locomotion on it) and it ran very good, just didn't give it too much. so im at risk using it, correct? after all I have read about loud MT F7's, this one runs quiet and smooth. thanks for your help.....
In the link I gave you above to a previous trainboard discussion, the link led directly to Rob Albritton's post. He mentioned that if you are using a non z rated pulse power unit, to be careful as it will send pulses that are way too strong for Z at low speeds. If you fry a locomotive with a non-z-rated power pack, AZL will not warrant it. MTL, if they receive a melted shell, will likely say the same thing. SUMMARY: Don't do this (use an N rated power pack on Z) unless you have a good grasp of the pulses/current being sent to your locomotive at all times... and even then, I would not recommend it. With a Rokuhan RC-02 in the $40 price range, it isn't too much of an investment to use the proper equipment rated for Z scale locomotives. Snip (post link re-copied here for posterity: http://www.trainboard.com/highball/...e-power-source-for-z-scale.85249/#post-938022): Lets talk frequency Again, most modern power packs use a combination of pulse power at low speeds to get things going smoothly, and then the pulses fade out as speed builds and it eventually goes to full smooth analog power. But remember that little MRC power pack that was a modified N scale unit? well, this is where the problem comes in. Lets say we use a N scale unit designed for a max of 12 volts, but we want to run our MTL F7 up to a max of 9 volts. No problem, just max out at 3/4 throttle and we will never go over 9 volts. Ah, but those pesky pulse power designs, that is an issue. Those pulses dont completely fade away until 1/2 thottle or more - sometimes max power. That means we are pulsing that MTL at a much higher voltage than we would like. The pulse power hammer is still banging away on it well after it is moving smoothly out of the yard. That is not good, and will shorten the life of the motor. The solution? Some people (including me) use diodes to lower the track voltage. This is a little component that will pretty much just lower the entire voltage range by a few volts. Now you can use a common, inexpensive, quality, 12 volt N scale pack, and have it deliver the pulses in the way it was designed, but over a voltage range that maxes out at about 9 volts. Perfect for MTL and Marklin locomotives.
done and done already parked the z until I get a power pack rated for z like you said, 40 bucks and change is much better than an $80-$100 plus for an engine... thanks.....
I find the RC-02 works well, and it's worth a lot to me knowing it was designed for Z scale... Mark in Oregon
the snail controller with a wall plug and the 1300 are close to the same price.. cant decide mrc 1300 or rokuhans
