Motion sensors: Regulated vs Unregulated transformers?

Mannyrock,

Regulation is a word that describes the ability of the power supply, in your case a train transformer, to hold its output voltage steady as the load varies.  Normally you'd use it to power track.  As the locomotive on this track moves around the layout the amount of current it draws out of the transformer will increase and decrease; increasing when rounding curves compared to travelling straight, increasing when climbing grades as opposed to flat, increasing if pulling more cars as compared to pulling fewer.

As the load goes up and down, the current follows suit.  If the transformer (power supply) is well regulated the voltage it puts out to the track will not change very much with changing current draw.  You set throttle, the voltage on the track gets set, and it doesn't go up or down significantly once it's set.

As was implied your sensors will work best with a well-regulated supply.  Apparently your N Gauge transformer is "well-regulated" enough so as not to cause problems.  It's output apparently is steady no matter if the load current goes up or down.

Now if you think about it isn't that what you want?  Steady output voltage from a train transformer means less speed-up-and-slow-down going around the layout.  A regulated supply doesn't eliminate all voltage variance when you're powering trains, because you still have the voltage drop in the tracks to deal with, more over some sections than others, but does help.  To help fix the track contribution we use additional power feeds (drops) around the layout.

Back to regulation.  It works the same way with sensors.

You're fine.

BTW -- Regulation is common with DC supplies; it's harder (more expensive) to do with AC.

Mike

Perhaps you could be more specific as to the make/model of the motion sensors we're looking at here?

Thanks Mike,

My DC current is only powering two things:  the Sensor itself, and an Atlas Oil Pump.   

When the sensor trips and the pump starts working, it stays at a constant speed, since nothing else is drawing current.

My concern is that somehow, an unregulated transformer would burn-out the sensor switch.

Perhaps the sensor company recommends regulated power supplies because the motion sensor is really built to trigger a loud burglar alarm of some type, and they are worried that the dropping of the current created by the sensor itself will cause the downstream current to the alarm to drop below the minimum voltage to operate it.

Assuming there isn't a burn-out issue with the sensor, I am fine.    I guess we will see if it still works in a month or two.  :-)

Thanks again,

Mannyrock