I still have a couple of PS-1 engines on one of my tracks. With the DCS remote, to start I select the track and hit PS-1, it gives a few seconds at high voltage then drops to a low voltage and then the PS-1 train is started and ready to run.
I was looking at installing LED 12 volt light strips in the passenger cars to replace the bulbs that draw high amps.
The lights should be fine when the train is running as the train does not run at much more then about 10 volts or it is really flying along. 12 volts would be too fast.
I do not have an accurate meter handy; what is the high voltage that the DCS starts at when you hit the PS-1 button?? Did not see it listed in Barry's book or the MTH book on DCS??
What is the minimum voltage required to start a PS-1 engine?? and if in the Track set up mode I set the the max volts does the PS-1 button not exceed this start up voltage??
I was hoping I could get away with wiring up the passenger cars with the 12 volt LED light strips through a bridge rectifier to keep it simple at about 10 volts the train runs fine and lights look good!
But I do not want to blow the LED light strips if I hit PS-1 and it jumps to too high a voltage.
I should note that many many years back I wired one long set of passenger cars with Silhouette windows
that I run with a PS-1 engine with LED christmas lights, just 4 bulbs cut from the string, bridge rectifier and 300 ohm resistor and they still work fine when I hit the PS-1 button. Has worked many years very well.
The other train I have I have the clear windows with passengers so the long roll of LED light strips with peel and stick backing works very well for a neat good looking installation, but max volts is 12 and if I wire it to handle a really high starting voltage of say 20 volts and then lower volts to running power of about 10 volts they get too dim!
