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Understanding boosters
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Offline tommyheadleycox  
#1 Posted : 19 March 2006 18:12:49(UTC)
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tommyheadleycox


Joined: 29/01/2006(UTC)
Posts: 171
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
For many years, I've tried to understand the function of a booster. I know more now after reading a post on this forum. I'd like to thank the poster! As I understand it, you need a booster if the number of devices needing your digital signal (e.g. loks, turnouts, etc.) exceeds the capacity that your central station can supply. Does each booster require its own power supply?

I also learned that length of track does not necessarily affect the need for a booster, which leads me to the following hypothetical question: Suppose you had a simple oval layout, 10 feet by 4 feet. You had one digital lok powered by one Marklin CS and a 60 VA trafo and it ran perfectly. Suppose you could increase the oval to 50 feet long and 20 feet wide with no loss due to resistance. (theoretically difficult, I know, but this is just hypothetical.) Would you need a booster if you still ran just that one digital lok?

I really love this forum!

Regards,
Tom Cox
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Offline Lars Westerlind  
#2 Posted : 19 March 2006 18:39:20(UTC)
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Lars Westerlind


Joined: 19/10/2001(UTC)
Posts: 2,379
Location: Lindome, Sweden
Hello,
1. Yes, each booster needs it's own power source. It's highly recommended not to try using a powerful transformer to feed several boosters; there are several occations when this will cause severe damage.
2. Yes, the lenght of track doesn't affect the need of boosters. To achieve (near) no resistance, you just feed your track at several place with good enought cable.

Locos standing still with lights off, also don't take any power; neither do turnouts when not switches (if you don't feed the lights with digital current). I normally run 4-5 locos on a prototypical speed, with around 50 VA available and have never felt any need for boosters.

/lw
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Offline perz  
#3 Posted : 19 March 2006 19:00:33(UTC)
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perz

Sweden   
Joined: 12/01/2002(UTC)
Posts: 2,578
Location: Sweden
Quote:
[size=1" face="Verdana" id="quote]quote:Locos standing still with lights off, also don't take any power;

This is not really true, just a first order approximation. Very roughly, 10 locos standing still with lights off together draw current like one running loco.
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Offline Charlie  
#4 Posted : 20 March 2006 01:59:02(UTC)
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Charlie


Joined: 15/01/2003(UTC)
Posts: 707
Location: Texas, USA
Hi Tom,

You could compare your digital controller with a circuit breaker in your house. It can only handle a certain load. It does not really matter how long the wiring to the lights (how long your track) is, all that matters is how many lights (how many locomotives) are hooked up to it.

If you add more lights (locomotives), you will need to make a new circuit with another circuit breaker (in our case a booster).

Technically long wiring could result in power loss, and higher power usage, but in our layouts this will not really be a large factor.

Charlie
www.ajckids.com
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