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10 Responses to PowerFor Railroad Accessories
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Yes, of course you could use a 15A supply BUT, BUT, BUT that is possibly 15 times more power than you need and ample current to melt small wires. It probably does not have any sort of short circuit cut-out and relies upon the fuse(s) in the original radio. If you do use it, for goodness sake make sure you protect your wiring with suitable fuses or you could easily end up setting fire to your layout.
You can probably run 50 LEDs on a 1A supply.
Thanks,
Will rethink my idea or build a converter box to reduce the 15 Amps to 1.
I wouldn’t.
Thanks
Yes of course you can. I would check the voltage output with a test meter and maybe add a resister in line to control the voltage. I purchased a 5 amp 12 volt DC computer supply pack and use it for all my lighting and controls. Works great and minimizes current drain off my actual train controls.
I agree with Russ here. It does reduce drain from your regular power supply. When you start getting several things on your standard transformers and you throw a switch you can see a light difference in some of your lighting when throwing a switch. Newman
If you were a HAM operator, I am surprised that you would need to ask such a question.
Of course you could use such a power supply, but you need to regulate voltage to proper levels and provided short circuit protection from the power supply to your accessories. Because not all accessories use the same voltage levels and with such high current capability of the power supply, a short circuit could start a fire. For your layout’s protection, PLEASE make sure that you install proper circuit protection at your mains and at the output of the power supply to your layout’s accessory circuits.
Hi Dick,
Hope you are doing good and haven’t melted anything yet!
I wouldn’t use this power supply as it is far to many amps, and will shorten the life of anything you power in small scale. Does the unit even have a fuse? I’ve seen the effects of buildings melting and baseboards going up in smoke from 12v bulbs catching plastic alight when I worked in a hobby store! Seriously not a good idea. One guy even had to call the fire service!
Also check your accessories as some may be 16v ac rather than 12v dc… Probably cheaper and quicker to get a second hand hobby power controller and use that – make sure it’s fused, especially if you are using the unearthed 120v two pin US mains electricity! (If you are in the UK then seriously don’t use anything without an earth as it 240v here!)
Hope you sort out something more appropriate, and stay safe buddy!
Your 12V supply will power your 12V model accessories. (Keith is mistaken about shortening component life.) On the contrary, I would expect a power supply intended for a ham radio to have a very accurately regulated output voltage.
Your power supply unit maximum current rating of 15A means it will supply up to 15A.
The actual current taken from it will depend on the resistance (impedance to be precise) of the load (the devices it powers). Your 15A unit will probably be more suitable for powering locos than lights, as motors generally take much more power than lights on a layout.
Get an understanding of basic electricity from your school physics textbook.
There are also many good (free) basic electronics courses on instructional sites.
BUT ! The warnings given here about overload protection are absolutely vital !
If the maximum current taken by all your accessories is 1A, have a 1A fuse or cutout,
(Possibly 1.5 A, as motors can take a higher current when starting.)
Fit the fuse as close to the unit as possible, best fitted to it, such as a removable fuse holder by the output socket or cable. (And buy some spare fuses !)
However, more suitable, basic low currrent 12V power supply units are as cheap as the proverbial chips.
Your 15A unit could probably be modifed to make a very good 12V car battery charger by removing the voltage regulation to provide a 15V DC output. (A charger must provide a higher voltage than that of the battery it is charging.)
I have a 12volt supply from a computer. But like they said – Amps could be a problem with small stuff. I use mine for external LED Lighting where I have installed the LED Foot long tube lights above my scenes that are under cabinets and under upper levels. These work great for this kind of application and they are already wired for the plug ins. It also keeps 110 volt wires from running under the layout. There is always a good use for older computer parts I would be careful and fuse smaller stuff though Newman