With 585 ft of code 83 track HOW MUCH POWER do I need. I have 16 engines very few are DCC ready and most are the old Rivarossi Steam. I have heard that EACH MAIN NEEEDS IT’S OWN POWER BOOSTER. I have 6 full routes raging in lenght from 125 to 275 ft.
I have purcahsed as many books as I can find and being from the VERY OLD SCHOOL I have not got the hang of this design yet. Last time I built a model railroad was 1963. Thank You!
The real measure is power consumed. Depending on the type of system, each power supply or booster can handle about 5 amps. If you operate more high amperage (older motors) engines you will need more boosters.
How many engines will you be running at once?
Dave H.
Power ratings are as follows: each loco running on the layout = 600mA, static locos = 2.5mA each, lights in locos (or buildings) = 50mA per bulb (or LED).
There are 1000mA per Amp.
For the total power of your layout add up the number of locos you want on it and that gives your total power needed.
e.g.: running locos @ 4 = 2400mA (4 x 600mA)
standing locos @ 10 = 25mA (10 x 2.5mA)
lights @ 20 = 1000mA (20 x 50mA)
Total power needed = 3425mA = 3.4A
Splitting up a layout into power districts is a good idea, as shorts can be isolated or the layout can be used as a DC only layout, with the districts employed as switchable sections. On a large layout the number of transformers would increase, in proportion to how many boosters each was powering. A booster should be connected to each power district.
Thank you this will work great. Very good information.
Splitting the layout into separate districts is highly recommended but it is not necessary to have a booster for each one. They can be wired to an electronic circuit breaker like the PS1-4 series from Tony’s. I felt the 5A capability of my NCE system was enough so wired the reverse loops thru Tony’s PS-revs and separated the rest into 4 districts wired thru 2 PS2s (actually a PS4 cut in half)
OK, when I get to this point who is in the AIken S,C, area? Looks like Tony’s will get my money.
Thanks, guys, for sharing these details with us. I am about to install my new/first DCC system, and understand power usage and distribution in a new endeavor for me. Can anyone give us a formula similar to the one above applicable to N scale locomotives? Thanks.
Ron
Exactly the same, just substitute the actual average current draw for your locomotives for the 600ma per loco in the calculation. Probably somewhere around half for most quality N scale locos.
–Randy
When calculating total current needed for circuit, don’t forget the stall current for each loco. (Especially important when in MU consists) Stall current = push of current to get loco moving.
If you’ve got an ammeter, connect it between rails and power supply, hold loco until the wheels start to move - the figure on the ammeter is the stall current!
Ian
Use a voltmeter too - make sure it’s at 12 volts, too. If your power supply droops under load, the amp figure will also be off.
And of course that assumes every loco on the layout will start in motion at exactly the same time. Seldom would a loco draw the actual stall current when starting. If you planned DCC capacity by the stall current of all the locos on it, even a medium size club would need dozens of boosters.
–Randy