Hi!

>I have several turnouts on my layout with LED lanterns in them. Some of them flicker, and some do not. Even when they are right next to each other on the same circuit and transformer. <

C-track?K-track add-on's?
How are they wired?

ALL lighting,turnouts lanterns,signals,structures should be on a totally separate circuit.

Dr D

I too run all my signals/points off my 6017 booster that is totally separate to my track power supply that uses an Ecos 50200 command station. My turnout lanterns are also connected to the separate transformer that powers all my K83's. It is important to note you cannot share the brown wire that you use for track power with your second system as that brown wire we all love to refer to as "earth/ground" carries current on a digital system but I am sure you already are aware of that. Consequently I have no flickering "led" lights on any of my turnout lanterns. Hope my two cents worth is of some help to you.

Not sure of above statement regarding common grounds?

My understanding:
In terms of track power only/power districts for tracks:
- Using old booster and CS2 Marklin moved away from their old principle of using common ground and here you had to separate it.

- With new type of boosters you can use common ground (see also post: https://www.marklin-user...2_Booster-exchange.aspx)

In terms of using other power supplies (including boosters) to feed solenoids, signals, lights etc:
- I always understood that preferred solution is to use a common ground? E.g. my Viesmann 5211 decoders are fed by a 32VA transformer and this has a common ground with that of the CS2 track power (see also: https://www.marklin-user...ml/digital/DIpower.html)

Please enlighten me if there is something I have completely misunderstood?

Thanks!

Brgds - Lasse

There is no problem sharing common grounds in the electrical industry. Three phase voltage does it all the time. Since there is no potential between the two power sources as they only share one side of their electrical circuit, they each just do their own thing unaware of the presence of the other. My ECoS feeds just the track and a M transformer powers all other equipment. I have but one brown connection for both power sources.

Daniel,

That is what I am doing too. Most of them are fine, just like yours. I just have a few here and there that flicker (out of about 50), and was just wondering what the deal was with those few.....

Viessmann do have a power modul 5215.
This power modul stop flickering the LED if you use trafo 14-16 VAC.
In my opion i prefer to use DC power 12-16 VDC.

No, the yellow is connected to the yellow terminal of a separate transformer or it can be connected to the track Red (B), but this results in current meant for trains being used for lights.

The brown wire from the turnout lights is connected to the common Brown - I usually solder the brown from the lights to a spare track brown (0) terminal. The brown from your separate transformer should be connected to the track brown to create a common ground.

I have fitted some of my turnouts with a non Marklin warm white LED - these will flicker if you connect them to the track current. I'm running mine off a separate 12v DC power supply so that they don't flicker, plus they aren't as bright when run off 12v DC (a good thing for me!).

I've never seen any of the Marklin lantern lights flicker regardless of whether they are feed off track current or from a separate AC transformer.

Hello David,


Likewise, I certainly subscribe to that concept - i.e. running lighting from separate transformers.

All my lighting is run from three separate transformers.

Some on 15v from an Arlec transformer I made up in my analogue days (on the right) :














But most of my lighting is from 12v since it was convenient to obtain this hefty (12v 9A) garden lighting transformer (distributed via three circuits each fused - yes a dinosaur fuse - to 3 A each) for the purpose (especially for my signals which are ancient Brawa with miniature globes. None of these globes have blown in over 20 years which I attribute to using slightly underpower at 12v) :














Best Wishes from across the Tasman Sea; I look forward to your "we got it first" New Year's Day greetings.

Regards,

Philip