Too high voltage?

John W Zerbe Feb 5, 2018

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  1. John W Zerbe

    John W Zerbe TrainBoard Member

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    Question, if I hook up a 19.5v laptop power supply to my dcc++ (mega/motor shield) to drive the track, will that "let the smoke out" of my N scale loco's decoders? I'm currently using 12v, but that's just too weak to drive some of the locos to an acceptable speed. I'm looking for a cheap (free) 15v one but haven't located one yet.
     
  2. paulie77

    paulie77 New Member

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    I read this on the documentation page for the Motor Controller on Arduino's website:

    To avoid possible damage to the Arduino board on which the shield is mounted, we reccomend using an external power supply that provides a voltage between 7 and 12V. If your motor require more than 9V we recommend that you separate the power lines of the shield and the Arduino board on which the shield is mounted. This is possible by cutting the "Vin Connect" jumper placed on the back side of the shield. The absolute limit for the Vin at the screw terminals is 18V.

    Here is a useful article I found researching power supply specs:
    https://askleo.com/can_i_use_a_charger_that_provides_the_same_voltage_but_a_different_amperage/
     
  3. John W Zerbe

    John W Zerbe TrainBoard Member

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    thank you, Paulie77, I had already cut the motor shield jumper referenced here. I was more concerned about the decoders in the locos than the arduino itself. I had forgotten about the max vin voltage on the shield.
     
  4. Rob H

    Rob H TrainBoard Member

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    Not sure if it helps but I’m looking to use a Toshiba laptop power supply as they are 15v


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  5. Jimbo20

    Jimbo20 TrainBoard Member

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  6. John W Zerbe

    John W Zerbe TrainBoard Member

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    I've seen these voltage converters on line and they look a possibility, thank you. From my latest research, 19v is definitely too high. I still am keeping my eyes open for a 15v supply. I may end up actually just biting the bullet and purchasing one. :)
     

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