On our club layout we are using 15 amp power supplies with Basic Train Engineer. In the manual for Train Engineer it says up to 10 amp output. Am I right that this is a waste of 5 amps if the power supply is putting out more than the Train Engineer can use?
sort of, but how much money did you “lose” by having extra capacity?
I sure would not worry about it, unless you were overloading your BTE’s.
Greg
Doug:
No amps (or any other measure of power such as watts) are being “wasted.” Amperage is a measure of the amount of electrical energy demanded by the electrical load. The amount of amperage supplied is only the amount that is demanded downstream.
Although the power supply is capable of supplying 15 amps, in operation it actually is only supplying the amperage that is actually being drawn (demanded) by the Train Engineer. The Train Engineer is only supplying the amperage that is being required (demanded) to operate the electrical load on the track. That track electrical load is the total of locomotive(s) and any other electrical draw such as lights and accessories. Remove those loads, and no amperage flows regardless of what is available from the source.
In fact, your power supply is probably plugged into a 110 volt socket that is capable of supplying at least 15 or perhaps 20 amps at 110 volts. Again, no electrical power is being “wasted,” as the amount of amperage drawn will only be what the power supply demands. When no trains are moving on the track, no amps are being demanded.
The setup you have is very common The reason for a power supply being able to supply more amperage than the downstream controller can supply is to accommodate the overhead required to power the controller electronics along with the slight losses in the wiring and connections. If the power supply could only supply 10 amps, then the Train Engineer would only be able to supply 10 amps less the overhead required to power its electronics and the line losses.
Hope this explanation helps. More available on request!
Happy RRing,
Jerry
Doug.
The Basic Train Engineer cannot handle 10 amps.
Your club will be using regular trackside TE’s. The Basic TE is limited to 2-3 amps and PWM ouput only.
Greg Elmassian said::)
sort of, but how much money did you "lose" by having extra capacity?
This is kind of like driving in the day time with your headlights on. If you turned them off, how may dinosaurs would you save?
Ric Golding said:ummmm, 4????
This is kind of like driving in the day time with your headlights on. If you turned them off, how may dinosaurs would you save?
But then, you can get nice 6.5 amp power supplies for around $40 from an electronic surplus outfit.
But will it power 600 feet of track?
:lol: :lol:
Very funny, very funny!
OK, first of all the power supply doesn’t really care how many feet of track are attached to its output side. Since the cross section of the track is most likely several times larger than any of the feeder wires any of us use in the garden, there will be negligible voltage drop - provided all rail joints have also an equally large bridging capacity. Where current capacity matters is in: how much can be run at the same time?
Just between you, me and the lamp post; the one about the current capacity related to the voltage drop is - strictly my opinion - a close relative to the scale/gauge conundrum. 
Basically very simple, but apparently often confusing.
@ Ric,
About those headlights, up here in Dinosaur country the headlights/running lights are on when in motion - apparently as an indication that somebody is home … errrr driving. 
Quite handy out on the wide open road when the summer heat plays Fata Morgana games.
Even at my age I’m still learning! I didn’t know the amount of rail doesn’t make a difference. Since I ran #10 wire and I only run one or at the most two trains at a time I won’t be concerned. Additionally I only run small to mod-sized engines on my mining layout. And half of mine are battery anyway!
P.S,: I do see some drivers that have their lights on – but nobody’s home!
Yes Doug, we have those drivers too; usually one gets stuck behind one and no way to tell if the lights are on or if anyone is home.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Not to mention on grey winter days -- dirty grey sky, dirty grey road, dirty grey cars barely visible in the general dirty greyness (in winter, all cars in the Great Offwhite North are muckgrey as soon as they get more than 10 feet from the car-wash exit).
... the headlights/running lights are on when in motion ... Quite handy out on the wide open road when the summer heat plays Fata Morgana games.
I don’t mind lights in daylight; it’s the fargleschnupping idiots who don’t turn them on in poor visibility that get my goat.
I visited with Braille Institute which is on the Lower Desert.
The woman that assisted me told a great story. A couple weeks after she saw one legally blind guy she saw him driving in town! That’s scary!
Chris Vernell said:Thanks Chris,
I don't mind lights in daylight; it's the fargleschnupping idiots who don't turn them on in poor visibility that get my goat.
Just made my day. :lol: :lol: Now if I can remember “fargleschnupping” the next time it applies, it should be good for a laugh or some very consternated looks.
When my Mother in-law was still with us, at least physically. She would ask a question with every car that had its lights on during the day, “Why?” 2 minutes later, she would ask again. We finally would always just answer “Funeral” and she was happy. We really thought she wasn’t all there and one day, out of the blue and not being prompted she remarked of how big a family the guy had and that they should really all stay closer together. It was never a dull moment.
Ya they make them running lights for folks who are to lazy to turn them on. They want the car to do everything for them. Next a way for the car to pump it’s own gas. Yikes. Later RJD