I'd like to add lighting to my passenger cars (I have already come up with a decent way to do this using LEDs and a capacitor for dirty track). The dilemma for me is the one grade on my layout (I'm not sure the %). I'm running Marklin equipment and steam locos are notoriously bad pullers and any grade can seriously hinder their pulling power. The problem with lights I find are the wheel wipers required for pickup. Even when you can get them to touch the wheels or axels just enough to provide power this increases drag on the cars and that means you need more pulling power. I realize folks may use double headed options like in the prototype but I have an idea which I'd like some feedback on before I experiment with rolling stock. It goes like this: Let's say I want to pull four to five cars with lighting. Depending on the style of passenger car that is at least two axels/wheels needed/car to provide power. In a five car train that's at least 10 wheels/axels with wipers and that's a lot of drag. Now if I can reduce the number of wipers while still getting sufficient power my idea is this: with my five car scenario I would only tax two cars with wipers and connect each car together in line with two wires. Each set would run from one car to the next and be soldered onto the next car's LED board and each car would have a capacitor on it's board for dirty track. Obviously this would mean the cars would be permanently attached to each other but I am fine with that as most passenger sets come together as a set and I can still detach them from the locos. I am running my locos in DCC so there is no shortage of track power. My real question is am I missing an obvious (or not so obvious) hiccup with this possible solution? Is there a better idea?
feliixaz, Although I don't have enough experience and am not good with electrical, I wanted to welcome you and let you know you've come to a helpful site. There are many Zheads here who are knowledgeable in the electrical element of Z. Scott
Hi Felixaz, and welcome to Trainboard. I have been thinking of lighting my passenger cars too, and I think that wiring up 2 cars would give enough wheel electrical pickup if you had wheel wipers, and used a supercap for each car's lighting. I just tested a very small supercap circuit that is very economical to put in each car. I purchased some AMS1117-3.3 DC-DC Step-Down Power Modules and some DMS3R3224 Super Capacitors 3.3V 0.22F to make small LED Power Sources for Z Scale cars to buffer intermittent track power. I de-soldered C3 and C4 from the voltage regulator board and soldered on the supercap to the C3 solder pads, then test the supercap discharging while lighting the onboard LED and a red flashing LED to demonstrate the effect you could get powering a caboose or end of train flasher from track power. You will need to use a small bridge rectifier between the wheel pickups and the voltage regulator board, then this will work with DCC or DC track power. Total cost could be under $2 per car.
But Felixaz mentioned the effect of wheel wipers creating friction from higher than ‘normal’ grades. For that, I suggested on the AZL fourum to use o.10 Phosfor-bronze wire up through the bolster. Just have to make sure one truck has wheel set opposite (1 or 2 axles). This only works if the axle with metal wheel ‘bonded’ on one side and insulated on the other. and don’t forget Rokuhan’s controller has pulses at ‘0’ to assist (but week current, so I don’t know if it will work)
