I just finished my first TMCC upgrade to a Williams scale length GG1 installing a TAS SAW board that I bought on eBay and all seems OK. So I am contemplating my next project adding TMCC to a MTH AA centipede with PS1. There seems to be several paths available first and probably most versatile would be a complete TMCC system in each unit however that would also be quite a bit more expensive. The second two strategies I am considering would require someone answer a couple of questions perhaps GRJ may have some ideas. Since both of the centipedes are powered they would require ether a second full TMCC system or a way to slave one of the units off the TMCC system in the first unit. I have been looking up specs for the Triacs in the Lionel DCDR and they seem to be rated at eight amps each. Seems Lionel used several different triacs just guessing they all have similar specs. The ones in the DCDR board I am looking at are TECCOR Q4008L4 TECCOR has a fifteen amp triac with near identical characteristics except for the 15A rating, Q4015L5. Have any of you tried to uprate the DCDR with higher rated triacs ? It seems that substituting the 15A triacs for the 8A would allow one DCDR to drive all 4 motors with some headroom for stall situations. Thoughts ! I have one more idea on powering both centipedes with one TMCC system that would involve just adding a second DCDR to the slave unit and control both DCDRs with one R2LC. Has anyone tried to wire two DCDRs to one R2LC ? I must say uprating the DCDR triacs to 15A seems the easiest and cheapest of the three solutions. Thanks for any thoughts, John Acton
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Just run off one DCDR. Make sure your connecting harness is good. G
FWIW, K-Line used the standard DCDR to drive their six motored A-B-A units as well, I had one. I wanted to add cruise, but the Cruise Commander was not happy about six motors!
John, do you happen to know what the static internal resistance of those K line motors are ? I wonder if pairs in each unit might have been wired in a series. I thought about doing that with my centipedes or even putting a 6A breaker on the dcdr just in case. I am usually easy on start-up and 6A at 18V would give the loco over 100W just to power motors and 4 small lamps which I'll convert to LEDs while inside. Only question would top speed be high enough should I wire motors in serial pairs. Guess I could check that before I add the tmcc boards. Thanks, John A
I have no idea what the static resistance was, but they wired wired in parallel in all units. If you use a breaker, I'd use a PTC and I'd have the trip current around 4A. They don't react that fast, so they'll take a considerable overload for a spell, and if you're drawing more than 4 amps for any length of time, you have a problem anyway.