Do I need DCC Booster or Bus Wiring

[richd286]

Until recently I have been able to run 3 or 4 locomotives at the same time without issue.  I have about 100 feet of Bachmann NS ez-track.   I have added a Bachmann AMTRAK loco and 3 of the lighted coaches.  It runs for a short while and stops.  It did not short out, the Dynamis just went into stop mode.  Releasing the stop mode and the train resumes running for a short time again.  The loco and two lighted coaches will run uninterrupted, but adding a 3rd shuts down the system again.  I have cycled each coach alone or in pairs and I have no issues.  Adding the third and it stops after a short distance.  I am running the Dynamis system with a Pro-Box.  There are only two feeds to the entire layout, one to the insulated service track and another to EVERYTHIING else that is connected at a single terminal track. I have tested the coaches with all other engines and lighted cars removed and get the same result.  These Bachmann coaches are beautifully detailed and the interior details and lighting make them an impressive train.  These 3 lighted AMTRAK coaches put my system in stop mode.  Can these 3 coaches draw that much juice and do I need bus wiring or a booster (expensive) or both.   Any thoughts?   Thanks

[jward]

it certainly sounds like the system is being overloaded. have you tried measuring the resistance in the coaches? dividing the track voltage by the resistance will tell you how much current each coach draws. if they draw excessive current you have a couple of inexpensive options. you can disconnect the lights altogether. you can add a resistor in the lighting circuit which will dim the lights but lower current consumption. or you could replace the lighting altogether with led's which is guaranteed to drastically cut curent comsumption. any of these will be far cheaper than adding a booster.

[RAM]

You might also try running the 3 lighted AMTRAK coaches with a different locomotive.

[railtwister]

It sounds like the third car is adding enough of a current draw to overload your power supply, how many light bulbs does each have (some incandescent bulbs can draw up to 500ma each)? Also, are you running any other trains when you run the Amtrak?

If you are exceeding the capacity of your current system (2.5 amps) then adding a higher output power booster should fix the stopping issue. Buss wires and feeders are a recommended with DCC due to the potential for higher amperage draw.

Bill in FtL

[Doneldon]

rich-

You clearly have an overload. One alternative is to run less power-consuming equipment at a time. Of course, that's not a solution which many MRs I know, myself included, would choose. You can check to see if your passenger cars have incandescent bulbs and, if so, replace them with LEDs. That, however, probably won't do much more than bring you just barely back beneath your limit so the next loco or sound system or lighted car will overload your system. Thus, I'm not confident that is a desirable solution, either.

Locos made in the past several years use can motors which consume much, much less electricity than do older ones. You can check your existing locomotives to see whether they have can or open-frame motors. You can't really make a significant improvement by swapping one can motor for another but replacing an open-frame motor with a can will save a substantial amount of current. So ... if you find older-style motors, you will need to decide whether to upgrade the loco or replace it. You may well find that a new loco is almost as economical as upgrading an old one and buying a new decoder. Unfortunately, the fact that you are running DCC with everything leads me to believe that you already have can motors (it's the devil's work to put DCC in most locos with O-F motors.) This is all leading me to the conclusion that any genuine, long-term solution will involve increasing the output of your DCC system with a booster.

Your Dynamis DCC system with the Pro Box is an excellent product and I cannot imagine a way for you to benefit from the expense of changing systems. Bachmann makes a good but expensivebooster. You are not obliged to use only the Bachmann booster; I encourage you to research what Bachmann and other manufacturers offer as boosters and purchase the one which best accommodates your need and budget. A five-amp system is likely to be adequate unless you anticipate a major expansion of your needs due to either the simultaneous operation of many more locomotives or the adaptation of sound throughout your locomotive roster. Sound draws quite a bit of current, typically more than a motor.

Whatever you do, consider adding some additional feeders to your layout. They won't solve your immediate problem (unless you are right at the exact limit of what your system can supply, which is unlikely) but it may head off some future difficulties. DCC can be persnickety about its power supply and you may develop some dead spots as time passes. I know that the manufacturers say you just have to connect one wire and you're ready to go but it really isn't quite that simple. (This reminds me of the real estate ads which say a house is only 15 minutes from downtown, suggesting great convenience, but when you check the location on a map you realize that you could only make the trip in 15 minutes if you were traveling in an airplane.) The good thing about multiple feeders is that you don't have to do the elaborate wiring required by DC blocks. You do, however, need to ensure that you respect polarity.

                                                                                                                                       -- D

[jward]

dc block wiring is a solution i have used to reduce power consumption. for example, the radial tracks around a turntable are full of locomotives. if these tracks are powered, every decoder in those locomotives is adding to the current draw, especially if they're sound equipped. having a way to turn those tracks off when not in use takes those decoders out of the equation.