Greg Elmassian said:
SNIP All: I think Rick said 12 amp "stall" which normally is not continuous duty.Regards, Greg
What Rick actually said in the first post was:
“The New RailLinx Booster was designed to dissipate heat from your existing PNP controller card up to 12amps. Now you can operate multiple engines from one decoder, throttle or controller card without stalling out at 3amps.”
Unless I am misreading it, that says up to 12 amps. No mention of 12 amps stall.
Bob,
How about shutting down this thread now. You’ve routinely shut down many other threads that were a lot less contentious than this one.
Walt
Nick,
maybe you could keep your viscious vitriole for the MLS forum. While we may get a little heated here, the manner you are most renowned for is generally not acceptable on this site.
Del Tapparo said:
Funny - When I do a search for "RailLinx", I can't find anything other than this thread and these ...
Even funnier, neither this thread or either link showed up in the first 10 pages of two different web searches I tried.
I guess if you want to stir the pot, you have to know what to look for
Ralph
walter sarapa said:
Bob,How about shutting down this thread now. You’ve routinely shut down many other threads that were a lot less contentious than this one.
Walt
Kiss Kiss Timmy.
Dont continue this. I have zero patience for it.
I’m genuinely interested in the product, so maybe people who aren’t really interested can hang off for a bit so I can get a few answers, please?
Rick, I was not able to get any more data from your site, so I apologize to everyone else.
What will be the cost?
You can email me the info if you don’t want to post more here.
Thanks, Greg
I’d also like to know. While I’m not yet ready to begin investing in RC equipment (no point making engines go if there is no rails for them to roll on) this item has interested me as well.
Bob, if you feel the need to close the thread, could you open another one somewhere… perhaps the electronics forum for those of us with a real interest in the product.
Also, a thought for consideration. While I understand its your board, would it be possible for the advertisers to add a tag to the title of a thread like this. That way those who do want to read adverts don’t have to, and those who want to will know that it is a new item? Its just a thought… worth about… 1/10th of a cent I guess in this market.
Greg Elmassian said:
I'm genuinely interested in the product, so maybe people who aren't really interested can hang off for a bit so I can get a few answers, please?Rick, I was not able to get any more data from your site, so I apologize to everyone else.
What will be the cost?
You can email me the info if you don’t want to post more here.
Thanks, Greg
Hello everyone,
Sorry for the late reply’s, doctor appointments and physical therapy all day.
Greg, let’s see if I can answer your questions, $69.00 for retail price. Under the heat sink we have six Fairchild Semiconductors (and some other items, I really can’t say) rated at 14 amps each that are tide into each PNP pin-outs. This first version of the RailLinx Booster works with Aristocraft & RCS, we’re currently designing a version for QSI that should be available by the 2011 NGRC. Thanks for your suggestions with the “pin outs” with higher amps motors, with this first design I was more concentrated on PNP because that the way we’re desiging all the products lines of the New RailLinx System. (6amp PNP, Sound Card PNP, Live Steam PNP…).
Please be patient with our websites we are currently in the process of redesigning all four, but you will find the most up-to-date information at www.cordlessrenovations.com.
Tony, we have been testing this booster since June of last year and in every load bearing test our engineers and I put this board through, we haven’t had any problems with pin melting or over heating. And yes, that’s correct, we designed the Booster to dissipate “heat” from your decoder/throttle up to 12amps. I do not recommend drawing more the 12 amps for long periods of time, and soon we will add an inline amp meter to our product line to help your test the draw.
Rick Isard
Cordless Renovations, LLC
Thank you Rick for the response.
However, with respect, my original question was:
“I would be interested to read how long the TWO output pins that will be carrying the 12 amp load, are going to last before they melt?”
Please define what “for long periods of time” means in Minutes? Hours? Days?
Did you test the pins to destruction at 12 amps, and if so how long did they last?
Achhh, Tony, don’t be so fussy. He said “long periods of time.” What could be clearer? 
Well, the
“input” to the decoder (from the socket) has the power pins doubled up, so you have 2 pins. Depending on whose specs you believe, each pin is good for either 3 or 5 amps, so that translates into 6 or 10 amps continuous. Here, 12 amps for short periods of time is totally believable, if not almost continuous.
On the output, there are only single pins to the motor, but feeding through the socket normally powers just one loco.
We will have to see Rick’s solution to connect 2 locos when one is “fed” from the plug and play socket.
If you were concerned, you could tap the motor output for the second loco off the board itself.
I don’t think I know of any locos that have the Aristo socket that can draw much over 3 amps continuous.
Just some misc. ramblings…
Greg
Thanks Greg.
Most AristoCraft locos have a 3 amp Polyswitch on the PnP socket inputs.
There would have to be a separate input to the board so it would receive more than 3 amps. Certainly to achieve 12 amps throughput.
Just like as you say, it would need separate heavy duty output terminals to deliver 12 amps continuously.
I don’t think such output/input terminals would fit on the ends of the pcb. The ends are pretty well filled with what look like 4 x 3 amp diodes in a Bridge Rectifier configuration.
I guess we will all just have to wait and see.
Steve Featherkile said:I would expect mud maybe?? :P
Achhh, Tony, don't be so fussy. He said "long periods of time." What could be clearer? :P
I have another curious question; Is this photo simply for size illustration? Or is that how it is intended to be mounted?
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/izzy0855/_forumfiles/Revolution.jpg)
The reason I ask is, if you stack it that way then stick it in an enclosed space, won’t the booster then tend to heat soak the decoder and possibly cause trouble – just like headers routed too close to a starter in a car? I’m not an expert on electronics that’s why I ask, it just looks a bit counter-intuitive that way if the point is to prevent cooking the decoder.
Yes, the booster will be generating the heat, but it would be nothing compared to the heat the Revo would be generating on it’s own if it was carrying the load. Basically it will be better to have the booster dissipate 40 watts than the Revo.
The starter in a car was never intended to make heat, nor work in heat, so the analogy is not really applicable.
The heat in the air from the booster is nothing compared to the junction temperature of the output transistors.
So, the heat from the heat sink on the booster will have no effect in a measurable sense on the Revo.
Regards, Greg
Greg Elmassian said:?
The starter in a car was never intended to make heat, nor work in heat, so the analogy is not really applicable.
Greg,
I think Allen was using the starter motor analogy in the sense that headers from an exhaust system that are run too close to the starter motor, may affect the performance of the starter motor because it can get too hot from the headers.
