I’m planning to use Tortoises for some of the turnouts on Phase 2 of my layout. I’ve bought a few, and noticed that the instructions say 12 VDC, but indicate that some use lower voltages to get slower throw speeds.
What voltage do you use to drive your Tortoise machines?
9-12 is a good voltage, especially if you put a diode or two in series for indicators. Wouldn;t want to go below 9 with an LED - the LED will drop another 2+ volts, and under 6 volts or so a Tortoise just doesn’t have much torque. They do run quierter with less voltage. But also a lot slower. If there’s a mix and match, some with indicators and some without - stick an LED on the ones without anyway so they all work the same and a coupel aren’t louder then the others.
My suggestion is 12 volts, with series LEDs for indicators, that runs the Tortoise at less than 10 volts. It should be quiet, still fast enough, and still have enough power. If no LEDs are to be used, a 9V power supply will give equivalent results.
–Randy
Do you use dropping resistors with the series LEDs?
Nope, the Tortoise motor acts as the dropping resister.
I use 12V DC in series with an LED, without any dropping resistors. If you want it to run a bit slower add a 220 or 470 ohm resistor in series or reduce the voltage.