I have the 44211 Power Controller. I want to power the switch controllers that comes with the Remote Turnouts 44561 and 44562. Since the Power Controller does not have an accessory port can I power the switch controllers from the track power cord plug in? Yes, I do know that the Power Controller is 16 VDC.
Not a good idea if you are talking about tapping the 16VDC output of the power supply that is plugged into the speed controller. Not that 16VDC will not operate the switches, it will. But when you push the button to operate them, it essentially creates an instantaneous short across the power supply, which will momentarily drop the voltage to the speed controller and the track, then popping it back up when the switch conrol button is released. Over time, this will do not good things to the electronics of the speed controller and the motor and gears of your locomotive.
Better to find, or buy, an old 14 - 16V AC or DC "wall wart" rated 1 amp, or better, and use that to power your switches seperately from the speed controller.
Len
Thanks for your response. I will have to study and see how this would work.
Duke
The problem you have cannot be answered the way you wish. Your Bachmann model 44211 is only a speed controller for track power only. What you need is a separate power supply as Len indicated. If you want to keep all power consolidated into one unit, you need to have the Bachmann model 44212 or 46605A. These models will have the track power, and accessory power for your switches all in a single unit. I do not understand why Bachmann has two different model numbers for a controller that, to me, looks the same.
My recommendation is to keep the power to the tracks separate from the track switches. This is the way I have done it on my layout.
Hope this helps.