I have an old Troller DC Walkaround Throttle as seen below that I'd like to incorporate into my new layout. (I've been in N Scale for 50+ years, so have mostly DC locomotives. Kato's DC power pack will be my primary throttle.) The Troller has a 16 VAC input. If I were to instead supply it with 16 VDC, would it work? I'd be a cinch to use one of my solid state DC power supplies than add an old AC transformer to power it. I'm thinking that the rectifier inside the throttle would simply pass the DC current through and all would be well, but I want to see what y'all think beforehand. As an aside, the round silver-colored metal contacts on the right side of Kato's pack are fixed DC, right? Thanks y'all.
I'm not familiar with them but if that "Autopulse" means that it has a pulsed output, the pulses are likely generated by the AC waveform and won't be there if you power it from DC. It may still work, however, just without the pulses.
Ah, that makes sense -- thank you. I'm sure I have a small, low-amp train set power pack around here with an AC output.
I still have my Autopluse Transamp 1. It's always worked well and never overheated motors on any locomotive. I sometimes think that Troller was victimized by a smear campaign fueled by hobby shop scuttlebutt. I see similar "piling on" with issues on today's automotive forums where a small handful of people influence hundreds of others to believe in falsehoods.
I've since been messing around testing my Troller walkaround with various AC power supplies on an N Scale test track. It's clear that my old train set transformers (Arnold Rapido and Minitrix) aren't up to the task. The trains run much too slow -- max voltage is only 8 VDC. A source with at least 1 Amp is needed. I could use one of my old MRC or Troller pack's AC outputs, but I don't have a convenient spot to set one in place under the layout. This old Radio Shack 120 VAC transformer would certainly do the job, but I have a question about it. Looking at the output specification as seen in the photo, would it draw 3 Amps at rest with no load or only draw what's needed when I'm running a train, say 1 to 1-1/2 Amps? I'm just curious. Thanks.
The 3A is the max it will put out IF called upon. But it will put out what's called for below that. So if you have train(s) running pulling a total of 1.5A, it will supply 1.5A. If they are pulling 1A, it will put out 1A, etc.
Thanks MK. I forgot that the guy I buy my firewood from is an Electrical Engineer and before I read your response, I asked him as we unloaded wood from his truck. He agrees with you entirely. He added that the resistance of the wire in the transformer windings will always provide a tiny load, but nothing of consequence. I remembered last night that I have an old MRC Ampack given to me by a friend 50 years ago. It's banged up, but works just fine and plays well with the Troller handheld. I plan to extract its transformer and use it -- the MRC transformer's smaller dimensions will fit better under my layout.
Speaking of transformers, this one is from the CNJ's RA Tower (later renamed Boyd) at Raritan, NJ. It was given to me some 40 years ago by a friend who worked for Jersey Transit's signal department. I used it for lights on an N Scale layout at the time. It's a neat artifact, but produces only 12.8 VAC with a low amperage rating. I like it's "built to last" quality that completely encases the coil with air slots to cool it, and the old skool cloth insulation is neat too. Being a CNJ fan, perhaps @Mark Ricci might want to see this obscure CNJ item. It's ~ 2-3/8" Wide x 2-3/8" Tall and was made by GE.
GREAT pic! Thank you for sharing. The transformer is a beauty and in CNJ green. What can be better? The cooling fins look alot like those of selenium rectifiers, popular till mid century.
LOL "Transistorized"! Yeah, from transistors replacing vacuum tubes to smart phones with touch screens replacing throttles running multiple trains independently and simultaneously. I run a Pi SPROG 3 "Pi hat" that includes a microcontroller for a command station on my Raspberry Pi 4b running JMRI, displayed on my laptop using VNC, while my phone runs Engine Driver for a wireless throttle: 4 computers to run trains! Technically, I only need the laptop when running JMRI Decoder PRO to program the decoders, so just 3 computers to run trains!
And that's why we're lucky that there is such a variety of DCC systems from several manufacturers. Each has its pros and cons for different users' preferences.
