I have two packs that came fro bachman train sets. I dont wont test them with oval layout just test them with powr pack plug in outlet and finout if they power eiher dc track or ac for assceries.
If there trainset power packs they’ll have two sets of terminals, one set for DC (track) and the other for AC (accessories). Sometimes you can come across a really cheap one that has only one set of terminals. Those would be for DC. If you have the ones that look kind of like the EZ-Command controller, the wall pack puts out AC but the controller puts out DC.
Do you happen to own a multimeter?
Put a 12 volt test light across them. This will test under a decent load.
Unfortunately, a test light will usually operate on AC or DC, so it won’t answer that question for him. As suggested above, a multimeter will be the best item to test these as he desires, but will still need a load on them.
You still need a meter for proper testing. Do not try to work on model trains without a test meter. It can be frustrating. Also, go to an automotive store and look for a auto replacement light socket for a single button lamp like a back up lamp. I recall at one time seeing a replacement socket with a six inch long pigtail wire. Get the lamp with the single base. The metal shell of the socket is for the other wire, ground or minus side of the 12 volt car battery. That should be a sufficient load.
Rich
You’re right of course. I didn’t read and UNDERSTAND the post.[#oops]. I usually recommend a meter but figured he didn’t have one if he was asking the question. Thanks for catching my brain f@rt, Mea culpa.
Well, if you hook a 12V test light to the 16V AC accessory terminals, it should light up nice and bright. If you connect it to the variable DC terminals it should get brighter as you turn up the throttle knob. So it IS sort of a valid test, at least to figure out which terminals are which and if it still puts out any power.
A meter though is well worth the cost. You can get inexpensive ones for as little as $5 which work perfectly well for model railroad uses. And that’s digital - I paid that for a poecket-size digital meter which came in very handy. I had a super-fancy benchtop one from Fluke if I needed to do anything really fancy - luckily it was given to me, new it ran somewhere north of $300, and that was 20 years ago. Definitely overkill for wiring trains.
–Randy
And now for something completely silly.
Solder two long wires to a 12 volt bulb. Hook to terminals. It will light if AC or if DC and the voltage is up.
Warning - Theoretical content below (run away now) not yet verified:[(-D][alien][swg] It’s been a long day.
Hold cord three feet away from the bulb and spin rapidly. Do not let it hit you or anything else. You should be able to see the bulb blink on and off if the rate is correctly synched. to the 60hz (50 for our Canadian and German friends) power line frequency. I do this with a 120volt cord and a neon bulb for my classes to “prove” that AC is not steady. I suspect that small incandescents would cool enough between peaks to dim somewhat.
Karl