I’ve been looking to acquire a handheld DC controller for my layout. MRC’s Tech 4 250 with the tethered controller would be perfect, but they’re out of production and hard to find. The Controlmaster 20 is out of range of my available budget. But I’ve come across these:
I had the MRC handheld controller that you mentioned and it was awkward and would not handle the power that came off the powerpack. I bit the bullet and got two Controlmaster 20s, and they are terrific! I know you said they are out of your budget, but if you possibly can, get one.
Regarding the other handheld you mentioned, I am afraid I can’t help you on it.
Interesting, but since you connect the wires to the track and power supply, aren’t you locked into no more than the 8 foot length of the cable, i.e, not much walk-around capability ?
POWER PAKS are rated by Volt Amperes, or 'VA’s ie: how much ‘work’ they can do.
1.5 amps is enough for ‘Top of the line’ and Can motors. Will it put out that much power @ 12 volts (18 VA) is the question? PRICE does not include the AC transformer. I’m guessing you’ll want a 16-18 volt transformer since the bridge rectifier will use 1.4 volts alone.
BUT IF You are going to be running old Athearn BB. engines, it probably won’t handle more than an AB combination or 2 engines without getting hot (in your hand). Some of these require 1.5 amps just to start.
Don’t get over-'mesmerized by PCM.It’s DC with square waves. MDC uses ‘bumpy’ rectification. for their ‘proportional tracking’ or nudging engines.
On most supplies, increasing the load (more engines) (going uphill) drops the voltage output, so turning the voltage knob is customary. A 'regulated ‘Lab’ supply is too expensive for model railroading.
That handheld unit will give you 1.5 amps of power. The MRC Controlmaster 20 will give you over 4 amps to the track. Other features are:
It is a true walk-around(you can unplug it and plug in at another location).
The heavy duty current does NOT go through the hand held unit.
It has momentum feature.
I had a pair of them(bought them in 1991) and used them until I went DCC. I sold them a few years ago and got over half of my money back. They are rock solid, and deliver very stable power for a DC layout.
For $40 that unit looks good, but you will need to supply a AC power unit as well. Does your old power pack put out about 35 watts? If so, the AC terminals could provide the power for this hand-held.
I did a couple of searches on the Internet, and found the MRC Tech 4 250 going for $25-$65, and the AB800 going for another $36. So, you are talking about $100 for that combo, and a new Controlmaster 20 on the Internet is going for a ‘street price’ of about $150.
Before going to DCC I used the DALLEE Yardmaster hand held throttle. It was ok but I was still teathered to the fascia connection. They cost around $100.00 They connect to the AC side of the power pack and convert the power to DC thru the handheld throttle before returning to the rails. This feature renders the DC side of the power pack useless because the AC interferes with the DC side of the pack when the throttle is used. I used 4 prong MIC phone jacks to connect it to the layout so that I could move the throttle and plug into different locations around the layout.
Your best bet is to save a few more dollars and install a DCC system with infra red or radio control. The freedom of unteathered controls is awesome. I was leary of DCC for years but finally broke down and installed the Digitrax 8 amp Super Chief w/ radio control. (The system doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the super chief either to go to DCC.) It was the best move i’ve ever made with my layout and it’s not that hard to install and use once you get used to the system. A couple of sessions with reading the DCC manual and it was wired, the locomotive decoders where in and programmed, and the trains were running before I knew it. If you want hand held controls then DCC is really the way to go…chuck
I recently purchased one of these units, but I haven’t had time to hook it up. I got the 3 amp model, and am going to power it from my ControlMaster 20. I picked up the unit in person, as the manufacturer is only about 20 minutes away. I had earlier discussed my power requirements with Ken and he assured me that this unit will run the trains that I need to run. While the ControlMaster 20 has plenty of power (I’ve run 12 or 15 locos at a time) I find that the controller is sort of a sledgehammer-to-swat-a-fly situation: slow speed control, even with can motors is not that impressive, and the momentum feature is useless. I asked about the tether length, as I currently use a 30’ coil-type, with plugs to fit 'phone jacks in the layout facia, and was told that this will work just as well with the PWM Throttle. If I get it installed next week, I’ll let you know how it works.
I suggest a cheap way of handling your problem. Get longer leads from your power pack to the track and carry the pack around.[(-D] The smaller your layout, the better this works![^]
Thanks for the info, Wayne. That’s good stuff. I would appreciate that update when you have the system up and running and can spare a few minutes.
Great idea, Walter. I could just rig up a neck strap with a 20’ coil of 14-gage copper wire left over from when I finished the basement, and I’ll have my instant Hillbilly Walkaround! Woohooo!
Well, I’ve got the new throttle hooked up temporarily, using the supplied cord. Slow speed control is excellent, and the momentum feature is easy to get used to - much more predictable than that with the MRC unit. A couple of locos make a bit of a “buzz” when starting, but it fades out as speed increases. Top speed may not be fast enough for some, although there’s a pot on the pcb to adjust this. For my layout, it was just about right. I also tried it with a heavy train on a grade, and while the train did slow, it kept going. Train weight was 100 oz., powered by a pair of Bachmann 2-8-0s, and the curving grade was about 2.5%. My ammeter showed just under 1 amp on the grade.
I was taking the power from the DC terminals of my ControlMaster 20: on the HO setting, maximum voltage was 10 volts, and the G scale setting, 12 volts at the rails. I haven’t tried it using the AC terminals, yet, and I didn’t run a train on the G scale setting, although I intend to.
Overall, based on the abbreviated tests that I did, I’m quite pleased with the performance. My next step is to see if I can hook up my 30’ tether to the throttle. I had all of the wires soldered to their respective contacts, so I couldn’t unplug to follow the train around the layout.