I have 12volt ac transformers a friend put on bridge rectifiers to convert them to 12volts dc.I have my lights on these.I hear it is better to have them on ac is this right and whats the advantage?also should atlas ho switche motors be hooked up to 12volts ac or dc? jimbob
putting lights on the AC side of a powerpack is better because (as far as I understand it) the AC lugs on the back of a transformer don’t detract from the available power for the track.
Switch motors, and just about everything else for HO should (again, as far as I know) be hooked up to DC power.
Many switch machine motors that I’ve seen require AC and can actually be badly damaged by DC. Also, on many power packs, the more accessories you connect to the AC lugs, it takes more power away form the DC side.
You really should keep track power separate from layout (lights, accessories, etc) power. Add enough lights and you will draw down what is available for your engines.
There are many cheap ways to power non-track devices. You can pick up a cheapo Tyco or Atlas transformer at train show and use the variable track power on it to adjust the intensity of your lights.
Most likely you have three or four “wall warts” (plug in power supplies) lying around the house from various electrical devices that have died. Check the voltage and you’ll probably have one in the right range.
As for AC vs DC, there’s plenty of reasons to have both available. LEDs only run on DC. I use the top hat shaped Surface Mount LEDs extensively for animation and lighting effects. Many accesory boards require DC, but some need AC. You have to be flexible.
Mike Tennent
See my post on your duplicate thread.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Your lights don’t matter if they are on AC or DC unless there are so many of them that they start using power that otherwise is needed for the locomotives. One thing though to make them last longer is to reduce the voltage to them. You can do this by installing a low resistance resistors.
I usually divide my power up using various power packs to distribute the power. My newer packs are specifically for the trains which I wire up to the “DC variable” on the pack. (don’t ever connect your locomotives to AC power.) I’ll use another older pack for DC lighting and some accessories like DC powered Tortoise Machine turnout motors, and finally, I’ll use another old pack for AC to drive things like Atlas coil turnout machines, lighting if i so desire, and AC hand held throttles that convert the AC to DC by the time it gets to the track. If all you have are AC power sources you can convert it to DC by adding two opposing parallel diodes or what your buddy did, a bridge diode.
All this is about to change a bit. I’m going to install my first DCC system in a couple of days. All I’m going to do, is pull the power packs that control the trains, and wire them to the DCC command station in their place, install decoders, program the locomotives, and i’ll be off and running before you know it. The other power packs that control the lighting and the turnouts will stay.