IMHO, several other posters have already given the right answer. Just get one of the older but still powerful MRC powerpacks and run your lights off the track voltage side of the transformer. Run a transmission line around the bottom of the layout and hook up all your various lights. You can then use the transformer to vary the voltage (and brightness) of the lights. No compicated wiring and you can easily run 50 bulbs off one transformer. If you need a constant higher voltage, you can always use the 16 volt accessory terminals of the transformer. It’s cheap, easy, and nice to be able to vary the brightness of the lights at will depending on your mood.
YES, What I am saying is 100 bulbs @ 50 milliamps apiece (.5 amps) wants 5 amperes - without using for anything else.
Don’t let LED ‘soothsayers’ tell you how little mlliamps are used - true, but at the cost of LUMENS - what your eyes see - hence the word "Il-**lumen-**ation’.
CHEAP AC transformers plug into the wall -avoid -you want something you turn off , and protected by a fuse.There is very liitle savings if you house burns down. Fuses ad power switches ADD COST.
LOGARITHMIC means you need 10 times the power to produce (what our eyes see as) 2 X The brilliance. (10 lightbulbs produce 2 X the illuumumation) not double… Also 10 watts produces 2X THE sound of 1 watt, not 10 times.
TRY measuring the light one candle compared to two.
WHAT everyone is trying to tell you. is to err on the high side of amps, and drop your voltage sslightly to prolong bulb life. 10 volts for 12 volt bulbs is in the ballpark. So is 9 V.
THINK of VOLTAGE as intensity (speed or brilliance) and AMPERAGE as work-load/(cosumption). Your bulbs provide necessary resistance, like your 50-100 watt bulbs do on a 15 amp circuit.
There is also the option of multiple lighting buses so as not to require one large current source but multiple smaller sources. So as an example if you have 50 - 40ma bulbs that would normally require 2A of current off of a single source. You could split it up as 25 and 25 and get away with 2 - 1A sources. It also helps with troubleshooting. I run 18ga 7 conductor (I use 6 of the conductors) wire for lighting buses and have three buses. One is fixed 12vdc always on (for Tortoises etc…), an off/on bus for switching some lights off/on (i/e/ exterior building lights and street lights) and then a variable voltage bus 0-14VDC for interior building lighting. I find it nice to be able to vary the brightness of building lights. In my case I designed my own DCC controller for all of this so I can control it from my walkaround throttle. This isn’t required to run multiple lighting buses. Simple toggle switches will work too.
I am also searching for a feasable power supply for my accsesories but I am an o scaler will the computer spoer supply also work with the lionel acsesories or is this limited to ho dc stuff?
How do you go about using a computer power supply? Do I just remove it and splice the output wire and hook up to the lights? How complicated is it to reemove one from a computer and still have the plug attatched? If someone could post a picture or a link with instructions this would really help me out as I run O gauge stuff and all these lionel transformers are getting expensive.
This is a link to a power supply that I converted for hobby use and DID NOT have to OPEN the case! All of the modification can be done from the outside! And yes you have to remove the power supply from the computer case.
Unplug everything from the wall outlet, unplug everything from the doner computer, take the computer case apart (remove one or both side covers for access), unplug everything from the power supply, remove the mounting screws from the computer that hold the power supply in the case (there well be four) and follow the rest of my guide on my web page or do a search of the forums for a post called “structure POWER” or follow the link in my signature.
Thank you for the link it is very helpful. Do you know how many bulbs I will be able to power with this? Is 2 the limit or could I jump to other lighted accesories?
Basically with the power supply that I used a (500 watt ATX unit) I worked up this set of figures.
One amp = 1000ma
The three power outputs I plan to use on the computer power supply are,
+3.3V at 28 amps (max) output divided by a 30ma (load) or light = 933 lights bulbs
+5V at 38 amps (max) output divided by a 30ma (load) or light = 1,266 lights bulbs
+12V at 17 amps (max) output divided by a 30ma (load) or light = 566 lights bulbs
Totals = 2,765 lights bulbs
So in short one computer power supply can support 2,765 light at a load of 30ma each. Now that is at full load for each power lead. To be safe, drop the load in half. And you end up with 1382.5 lights that a computer power supply can support.
Be for warned that each power lead of the power supply is small and needs to be combined to achieve the “MAX” rating. If you put more of a load on the wire then it can support “IT WILL MELT THE INSULATION AND OR BURN IN HALF!”
I only want to add that; I use a Radio Shack regulated 12v. 5A. power supply. I don’t remember what it cost, but it wasn’t much at the time (10, maybe more, yrs ago now) but may cost a lot more today.
I have it wired to supply three fused busses that are then tapped with sub-busses for given scenes.
It is worth mention that I have only a very few lights (yard lighting, street lighting or structure lighting) and no switch machines. At some point down the road I may find I need a larger (amp rating) supply if I get the bug to do more lighting and / or ever finish my lower level. The idea of a computer power supply sounds very inviting…But so far, this RS unit works for me.
Ditto!!! I have one…costs like $10-15 and you get all these outputs… i use for lights, motors, etc. I do have a 1.5V circuit I built before I did this, but wish I had saved the money!
Oh and the +12 and -5 work really nice for some of the diode arrays which require a 17V difference… anyway, good luck!
I went to radio shack and the only thing I saw was a power supply , I think it was 3a, but it didnt have a knob to adjust the power, how do you regulate the power or it this not nessecary? wouldnt this burn out bulbs?
I have ALL of my power (DCC and DC) located in one spot. All I have done is to split the DC power output (at the supply) to three fuses holders that are mounted in my facia. From there a buss (three busses) runs to East, West and penisula benchwork.
Would this have to be fused? Well, not really as the power supply has a built in breaker and the sub-busses (at the individual scenes) are fused also. But…I tend to “over-do” and I would rather be safe than sorry! This also makes for any trouble shooting of a short much easier.
On my layout I use automotive fuse holders connected at either end to a terminal block to keep the holder in place and the wiring neat. You can buy the holders at any auto parts store. The wiring is fairly heavy. I solder spade lugs on both ends to make them easy to install or remove if necessary. For fuses I buy the lowest amperage available. That way, if there is a short it will blow quickly.
On a computer power supply, the four wire plug that goes to a hard drive two black wires, one red wire and one yellow wire. Going left to right with the yellow wire on the left, yellow is 12volt +, first black is 5volt -, second black is 12volt -, red is 5volt +.