Can someone recommend a power supply unit (15 volt) for a Walther’s Turntable 130 foot?
Are they just “wall warts” available at Radio Shack? Any brands preferable to others? Pics?
Thanks. My T.T. is on it’s way. I’ll need a power supply unit and don’t know what to get.
Thanks.
15 amp ??? That sounds pretty excessive. Are you sure it isn’t 1.5 amp?
15 AMP??? 
Holy Moly, what does that thing use for a motor??? A starter motor from a Ford truck? [swg]
I think you will be hard pressed to find a 15 amp wall wart anywhere!
Do you mean 15 volt?
Rotor
Yes, sorry, 15 volt. Any Walthers 130’ t.t. owners here?
There’s a couple in the Olympia, WA area (I think) has one? I’ve forgotten her and her husband’s screen names. Maybe they’ll see this…
I’ll give Walthers a call tomorrow. I have trouble with the search function on their site…
I was told that Radio Shack could supply one. I think it’s just a wall wart like those used for electronic keyboards (pianos, synths, guitar effects)? I’ll have to wait to receive the t.t. to check the polarity lst. Wondered what brands people used and if there was a reason for their preference.
You’re probably thinking of Sue and Larrry (gear-jammer.) Drop by the Beer Barn thread. They usually drop by for a cold one, or a cup of coffee in the morning.
Capt,
We used a 12 volt power supply. If I remember right, they gave a range, and we had a 12 volt ps from something that we had discarded. Our TT runs great.
Sue
My 90 footter runs great on a wall wart. (12VAC) I suspect it is the same motor as the 130’.
BTW it runs on AC or DC.
I used an old DC power pack I got at a flea market for a buck. It works just fine.
If you use a starter from a Ford truck, make sure you use a post recall ignition switch. The original ones had a tendency to go up in flames.[:D]
Thanks everyone. The dealer (Craig) answered my email and it sounded like he was answering my “is it just a wall wart?” question in the positive but I wasn’t quite sure. My apologies Craig for asking here again to be sure. I didn’t want to bug you a 3rd time!
Sue, sounds like yours is “just a wall wart” then. Once the T.T. arrives I probably could’ve been able to tell simply by looking at the input/output… but was thinking of being ready to test it out when it arrives.
Seems kind of silly that for the price of the T.T.s, Walthers doesn’t just include a power supply.
By the way, I went with the Walthers 130’
on your recommendation and detailed threads from the past Sue and Larry. One of these days, I’d love to see your guys layout if I can ever afford the gas to drive from Skagit Valley down to Olympia again 
Art, Walthers, when I asked about their turntable originally, a few months back recommended not using a DC power pack (as I have two older yet brand new MRC Tech IIs laying around.) They said that the voltage wasn’t controllable enough to be sure of not damaging the motor. Sounds like you haven’t had any trouble
but maybe the Tech IIs are different somehow? They recommended a brand of power supply micro-something but at the time, I didn’t think to ask exactly what it was-wall wart or what?
Thanks everyone. Now I’m just waiting for the UPS guy/gal to show up.
Craig at Dallas Model Works (who participates on this board) was fantastic to deal with and I recommend checking him/them out.
A wall wart will work just fine! The motor will probably draw less the .20 amps, or 200 milliamps under normal circumstances. Certain no more than .50 amps, or 500 ma.
Just about any 9-15 volt wall wart should do just fine. The lower the voltage, the slower the turntable will move. You might experiment with different voltages to see what looks best to you.
Rotor
Thanks Rotor.
Craig the packages just now showed up. I’ll read through the directions. I hear that’s always a good idea anyway
Jacon12 (Jarrell) recently had a spotty record with his new 90’er, and he acted on the advice of the Walthers techs and purchased a 15 or 16 volt power supply. He had been using a 12v one and it was acting up…the TT I mean. Walthers said to up the voltage, and his problems are history. So I am gratified to learn that Sue’s is doing marvy.
In my case, I sought help from a local electronics supply store, not one of the franchises, but a private one. He found a used 16.5v AC wall wart and offered to confirm that it was true to its stated specs. It was, including maxing at 0.5 amps, which is what Walthers states is to be the case for the built-ups. Now, over 20 months into its use, I have had zero faults.
I think Walthers may have produced one of its finest HO products in this model. Kudos to them, and richly deserved I say.
-Crandell
Capt,
We originally purchased the larger power supply for $$$. Upon reading the instructions, there was a range. So we tried the 12V; it worked; and we took the larger one back.
That was about 2 years ago. This was the topic that brought us to the forum.
Sounds like everyone’s efforts are all over the board. So just have fun with your new TT.
Sue
Thanks Sue. Your layout pic looks great. Do you have more in a link(s) somewhere?
Thanks everyone.
I’m about to open the boxes to see if everything arrived ok and to read the
manual/instructions. Yay Christmas in July!
WHAT (I think) you want want is a separate variable supply for the TURNTABLE MOTOR - separate from your track power, and any extra MRC pack should do the job.
You want to control the speed of the TT, and GEARED MOTORs are available that don’t require many amps - such as Tortoise or SWITCHCRAFT.(.002a)
‘WALL WARTS’ are not varible, and not always DC. If you buy a supply with no speed control, your TT will always turn at only top speed, assuming you don’t burn it out, first.
Every motor has a voltage rating and uses power to turn. It’s internal resitance selects its amperage. I think what you want is a DC supply 0-12 volts with an amp rating of 1.5a max
A direct quote from Walthers 130’ TT instructions:
Your new turntable drive should be
powered from its own power pack,
sold separately. Check the output
of the transformer with a voltmeter
before making any electrical connections.
The drive operates best at
15 Volts AC or DC, 500mA; a
minimum of 12 Volts is required,
but total output must not exceed 19
Volts AC (RMS) or DC.
Thanks for the plug, Jim! [:)]
And I agree – I think the Built-Up TTs ought to come with their own powerpacks. I thought the whole point of Built Ups is that they are ready to go right on the layout!
Not in this case, Don. The instruction manual that comes with the built-up from Walthers is very specific, and states that the range of voltage that is acceptable, in either DC or AC (no, not an error there) is 12-19 volts inclusive. The internal circuitry looks after the rest. In my case I opted for the used power supply that happened to be AC, and my TT works just dandy.
-Crandell