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Offline Rwill  
#1 Posted : 21 June 2019 14:34:12(UTC)
Rwill

United Kingdom   
Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC)
Posts: 777
Location: England, London
After a morning on the trains my attention was needed elsewhere by management so I got up and walked out of the train room leaving CS2 powered on, M84/83 flashing, hobby signals on and a couple of loks with lights on. 24 or more hours later I returned and everything appears to be as I left it and other than a very old early digital lok with old light bulbs feeling rather warm everything seems fine. Have I "got away with it", should I expect trouble ahead, or is this perfectly OK and normal?
Offline michelvr  
#2 Posted : 21 June 2019 15:42:03(UTC)
michelvr

Canada   
Joined: 06/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,287
Originally Posted by: Rwill Go to Quoted Post
After a morning on the trains my attention was needed elsewhere by management so I got up and walked out of the train room leaving CS2 powered on, M84/83 flashing, hobby signals on and a couple of loks with lights on. 24 or more hours later I returned and everything appears to be as I left it and other than a very old early digital lok with old light bulbs feeling rather warm everything seems fine. Have I "got away with it", should I expect trouble ahead, or is this perfectly OK and normal?


Rwill,

My motto is when it comes to anything electrical turn it off when done. Or just like tending a fire, put it out when you're done with it!

BTW I fly radio control airplanes so when I charge anything I stay close by and keep my eyes 👀 on it! I'm not one to tempt fate!





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Offline rmsailor  
#3 Posted : 21 June 2019 16:04:24(UTC)
rmsailor

Scotland   
Joined: 20/01/2006(UTC)
Posts: 569
Location: Kirkcaldy, Fife
The problem with any digital controller is that it supplies a constant full voltage and a fairly high current (amps) before the cutout acts. This then has the potential to develop a lot of heat with possible catastropohic results if you have a partial short circuit. So always switch off and preferably unplug from the wall socket

Bob M.
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Offline DaleSchultz  
#4 Posted : 21 June 2019 19:07:25(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
This is to be expected. Leaving such an appliance turned on should not be an issue.

The suggestions to always turn it off (as you usually do) is because there is always some risk involved.

I have installed a small LED (that is connected to my layout power system) on the stairs going up out of my basement so if I go up the stairs without turning power off, I can notice that the power is still on. I have may layout plugged into a smart plug, so if I see it is on, I can simply use a voice command to turn it off via the Google assistant.




Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Offline dominator  
#5 Posted : 22 June 2019 01:45:14(UTC)
dominator

New Zealand   
Joined: 20/01/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,195
Location: Kerikeri
Hi Dale, that's a great idea. What device do you use to turn off your system by voice command.
Dereck
Northland. NZ REMEMBER 0228 for ä
Offline cookee_nz  
#6 Posted : 22 June 2019 04:13:06(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,949
Location: Paremata, Wellington
Originally Posted by: Rwill Go to Quoted Post
After a morning on the trains my attention was needed elsewhere by management so I got up and walked out of the train room leaving CS2 powered on, M84/83 flashing, hobby signals on and a couple of loks with lights on. 24 or more hours later I returned and everything appears to be as I left it and other than a very old early digital lok with old light bulbs feeling rather warm everything seems fine. Have I "got away with it", should I expect trouble ahead, or is this perfectly OK and normal?


I've done this many times, even when I only intended to 'pop upstairs for a minute', then get distracted and not come back down at all.

Of course, ideally, you would switch everything off, (at the wall), but how many do so with their TV?, or just turn off at the remote, the TV is still 'on' of course, mains voltage still present into the unit.

Same with the Freeview box, DVD player, your PC, Monitor, Printer, Router?, standby is low power-consumption ready for fast wake-up, it's not "OFF".

Fridges run all the time, most Ovens, Microwaves have a clock, always on. Most of us probably charge our phones, tablets etc overnight. Bedside clock is another.

Statistically the risk of damage (fire being the highest) is very low, but of course it does happen.

We'd like to think the Loco's Accessories etc are designed and manufactured to a standard that allows for them being permanently powered without coming even close to any overheating, but we all know we sometimes have mis-matched lamps etc than may be producing more heat that is desirable.

I think now and then you'll be fine, but perhaps not make a habit of it BigGrin
Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline Bigdaddynz  
#7 Posted : 22 June 2019 04:58:20(UTC)
Bigdaddynz

New Zealand   
Joined: 17/09/2006(UTC)
Posts: 18,661
Location: New Zealand
Well, you don't even have to have stuff plugged in and in standby to have fire risks......

I think I posted in another thread a picture of some damage done to my house wiring by a mouse. The wires in question were intermediate straps for my hallway lights, where I can turn the lights on or off at any of the 4 switches in circuit. This meant that all three wires in the cable carry phase power, and they are only energised when the switches are in certain combinations. In trying to find the problem we (an electrician friend from our club and myself) got the switches into a combination where the lights started flickering badly and we could hear arcing and smell electrical burning.

After bashing holes in the plaster board downstairs and upstairs we found the issue. It looked like a mouse got into the cavity between ceiling joists and to find a way out tried to chomp through the cables that were going up through the wall.

20190427_180425.jpg

The hole that the mouse tried crawling up through - you can see clear burn marks

20190427_212254.jpg

The same hole from above

20190428_150000.jpg

The wires we pulled out. New wires were spliced in to repair the damage. I also squirted (on Per's recommendation) some expanding foam into the hole to prevent a repeat.
My electrician friend said it was the worst he's ever seen. He is also an electrical engineering tutor at the local Polytech, so took the wires to work, where they were put on display for students to see!

20190427_180453.jpg

Crispy mouse anyone??

20190429_063743.jpg

A few holes had to be cut into ceilings and wall to find and repair the issue.
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Offline ocram63_uk  
#8 Posted : 22 June 2019 13:04:43(UTC)
ocram63_uk

United Kingdom   
Joined: 07/01/2015(UTC)
Posts: 704
Location: England, Suffolk
when I have to leave the trains for some odd reason I always hit the 'OFF' button on the EcoS, this cuts power to track and accessories leaving the EcoS on and in stanby but no power is sent anywhere on the layout.
HTH
Offline Goofy  
#9 Posted : 22 June 2019 13:27:40(UTC)
Goofy


Joined: 12/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 8,993
I always switch the power off from the model railway when i don´t use it.
H0
DCC = Digital Command Control
Offline LongHairedDavid  
#10 Posted : 22 June 2019 14:29:54(UTC)
LongHairedDavid


Joined: 04/01/2019(UTC)
Posts: 344
Location: England, Ipswich
Originally Posted by: Goofy Go to Quoted Post
I always switch the power off from the model railway when i don´t use it.


I have a Teckin Smart Plug from Amazon logged into my Alexa. It switches all of the extension leads that I have under the railway that power the ECOS and all the Wallwarts for lighting, Arduinos etc. A simple "Alexa, turn railway off" does the job. "Alexa, turn railway on" gets me going again. Simples!
Long Haired David
AKA David Pennington
A mystified Maerklin Newbie
Offline David Dewar  
#11 Posted : 22 June 2019 15:38:12(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,333
Location: Scotland
I check plugs and sockets in each room at night. All I leave is the TV on standby along with the cable box (Virgin Media in the UK)


New Zealand in known for its man eating mice.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
Offline TEEWolf  
#12 Posted : 22 June 2019 17:52:05(UTC)
TEEWolf


Joined: 01/06/2016(UTC)
Posts: 2,465
Originally Posted by: David Dewar Go to Quoted Post
I check plugs and sockets in each room at night. All I leave is the TV on standby along with the cable box (Virgin Media in the UK)


New Zealand in known for its man eating mice.


And I thought, Keas are the nasty KiwisLaugh

https://upload.wikimedia...4/Kea_bei_der_Arbeit.jpg
Offline DaleSchultz  
#13 Posted : 22 June 2019 21:31:38(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
Originally Posted by: dominator Go to Quoted Post
Hi Dale, that's a great idea. What device do you use to turn off your system by voice command.
Dereck


I have my big 16VAC power supply as well as my DC power supply plugged into a power strip that runs though a 'smart plug' - in this case made my Leviton. I can control it via any of my Google assistant devices, by saying "turn off Intellibox"

(In addition, my software will power off the track current if there is no activity on my layout for 5 minutes.)
Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by DaleSchultz
Offline kiwiAlan  
#14 Posted : 23 June 2019 00:47:22(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: TEEWolf Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: David Dewar Go to Quoted Post
I check plugs and sockets in each room at night. All I leave is the TV on standby along with the cable box (Virgin Media in the UK)


New Zealand in known for its man eating mice.


And I thought, Keas are the nasty KiwisLaugh

https://upload.wikimedia...4/Kea_bei_der_Arbeit.jpg


Yeah, an NZ car insurance company made an a TV advert by taking a small car up into the mountains and setting up a camera that must have been movement activated to film the keas demolishing it. A David Attenborough fronted 3 part item on them is here on Youtube.

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