Using a 20VA 24volt AC Transformer

Putting more voltage on the coil is not the answer. There is some problem you have not discovered. It should work 12 to 16 volts with no problem. 

 

The 24 volt transformer can be used for other things on the layout. 

 

Dale H

Ok Dale, I'll open up the Milk Car and return to working on it.

 

I'm open to any suggestions as to what I can safely use the 24 volt AC transformer on.

 

Thanks

    Gene

At 20 watts, there is not much that you can power up with it, especially at 24 volts.

A couple of 14 volt bulbs wired in series will give 12 volts to each. They may be a bit dim, but that is about all that can be done.

 

You may buy a bag of diodes to drop the voltage down to 14-16 volts, but again, 20 watts is not going to do much for trains. Remember what the original use of the transformer was for.

 

Larry

Thanks Larry!

Or run a string of some 24v bulbs from it.

Most bulbs have a 24v equivalent out there.

Truck stops stock a decent assortment of them if you need it now!

The nostalgia of the Aurora name on a power strip would be cool enough reason to do it.

Is it a "wall-wart", or a loose "brick"?

 

 

 

   

Have you cleaned the wheels on the Milk car? Post war wheels pick up a lot of dirt for some reason and need to be cleaned off very good, also clean and lube the axles for better electrical contact. The post war trucks can be spread apart with a flat tip screw driver with almost no damage and the axles with wheels taken out and cleaned off, then lightly lubed.

I had a case where I thought I needed new wheels until I cleaned up the wheels on a post war box car, the wheels appeared to be out of round but it was extreme dirt.

 

Sometimes the slide shoe if it uses one could be the problem as well.

 

Another thing to look at is the wires on the Milk car or barrel loader car, are the wires frayed? If so that will hinder the performance as well.

 

Lee Fritz

A 24 volt, 20 VA transformer means its rated for .83 amps. Most solenoids in these accessories require much more current to activate them. When these were made power was cheap and no one spoke of an energy crises. This might be OK for some of the modern accessories with DC motors though or powering buildings with lit with LEDs.

 

Pete

Really not a good idea.  As said, less than 1 amp current.  And 24V is too much.  I'd just put it on a shelf for the day you need 24 Volts and not much current.

Hello Gene in Alaska

 

You could use it for a lighting bus for buildings, either LEDs or power a few incandescent bulbs. For the LEDs,hook it to a bridge rectifier and make a bus.  If using the LED strips cut apart equal strips and wire them in series. Each strip will get 12 volts,shown here but don"t use the capacitor shown.  That would result in about 33 volts DC. Even a 20 watt transformer,which this is will light quite a few of the LED strips.

 

LINK1

 

Individual LEDs can also be used wired in series,shown here. Up to 7 LEDs with one resistor can be driven.

 

LINK2

 

For incandescent bulbs you could effectively split the transformer and make 2 buses equivalent to 12 volts using 2 diodes. You can use 3 leads of a bridge rectifier as shown in the first link. The voltage will be half waved pulsed DC,the RMS (effective voltage) would be around 12 volts. Powering 12 to 18 volt light bulbs this would not matter. Make the load on the 2 buses approximately even.

 

Finally,If you have any vibrator type accessories,like the old radar tower,a single diode in series to it from 24 VAC would work well,since half waved DC is more unbalanced than an AC input.

 

I admit the 24VAC is not optimal,but you could use it for the applications described.

 

Dale H

Ok Dale, Larry, Adriatic, Lee F, Pete, & Lee W, this is great info. Your comments, links & suggestions are helping me form my stratagy. I'll keep that transformer on the shelf until either my platform at home or the MSMRE's O Gauge display is ready for lights; now I have resourses!

As for the Milk Car I already replaced all of the wiring up to the coil. However, I had problems with one pick up shoe. That shoe or the source of my wheel replacement could be the problem areas. The wheels  were extras that were sitting on my Truck Car since my parents bought my train set for me, it is a 55/56 set that I believe I received in 57 for Christmas. Of course those wheels are like new, put could have oxidized somewhat, or who know what pollutant form the steel mill about 2 miles away in the Pittsburgh area.

Once again thank you all for your help, this has to be one of the best forums! Of course Because of all of you!

 If the milk car has been sitting a long period, make sure you run it awhile to "freshen" contacts in the wheels and axles. I don't know that it was causing my problems, but I have taken to cleaning the old trucks axle holes once as I get them. I just make sure the journal area is wet with alcohol and work the axle around well to break up any deposits that may be in there.

 I also used a spray on "dry lube", T-9 Boe-shield.

It dries to a very thin, slippery, waxey surface that will help any addressable wear issues. Not cheap, but worth it.

Use sparingly, just because you can. It doesn't take much

 I used to use it on everything I could. Another fav, use was pinball flipper solenoid coils. They often have replaceable guide tubes, but especially on ones without a replaceable tube, a coat of that inside the tube/on shaft, doubled its life, and even the components driving them seemed to go without issues longer.(in my head anyhow, I left & never got to review my long term records on the group I'm thinking of)       

Concerning my last post:  I used t-9 "On the car frame" not on the trucks.

Its soooo very good though. If no electrical contact is lost, it would likely make heavy cast PW cars, roll like fast angles.

I have worked on hundreds of pinball machines and never saw a flipper coil that did not have a replaceable sleeve. The sleeves usually are steel or teflon type plastic. No lubrication is needed in general on solenoid plungers or sleeve. Graphite,very sparingly is sometimes used on the old metal sleeves,but it is better to just replace them if they are worn. You can buy them from Pinball Resource. . The dry lube might be OK if it can take the temperature and not gum up. I use the t9 on my bicycle chain but never thought of using it elsewhere. Might try it sometimes with caution.    

 

I serviced a lot of machines where the user oiled the plunger,what a mess. Never apply oil to a plunger or solenoid

 

Dale H

 

 

Orig posted by Dale H

 

I serviced a lot of machines where the user oiled the plunger, what a mess. Never apply oil to a plunger or solenoid

---

 

I swear it wasn't me!

 

  Normally I fully agree 100%, But its not oil like, no surface tension to hold it in place if thin enough. Try wiping it on something that slides Dale. Something you wouldn't like oil or grease on normally. Even if over applied, wipe the heavy wax away, it will still leave a micro-thin coat that should last a good long time. Your opinion, as usual, would be of great interest to me.

 

 I don't think some heat is an issue. Not until you get to temps were the heat of the Teflon compound wants to coagulate. Then its an issue (Much like synthetic car oil acts in an overheat situation).(the old can listed the temp range, but it has little paint on it now. How about yours?)

  

  I pretty much gave up graphite after finding T-9 at Graingers on a clearance sale. I became a diehard fan after it freed up my old Dodge A-100 door hinges, that liquid wrench, moly lubes, lithium, oil, mobile-1, and aerokroil couldn't keep working. I applied it every fall after. and that was it! They never so much as creaked after a month or so, and had to be held on to after a year or so, else they swung open too fast.     

 

 I had one tube dig-out early on a high volume machine, and I was out of tubes, they were backordered (wico). I had tried the T-9 on a Skee-ball drop solenoid that was hanging up, and that gave me the idea. I reamed the tube slightly, and changed tube position to put a fresher surface at the thrust issue of course, applied t-9, and it survived the weekend, & still played great Monday a.m. After that I gave each tube a swipe with a water color paint brush as I refilled my supply drawers. I know they are already Teflon, or at least are supposed to be(Wico).

  It wasn't a big coin-op name that had the "no-maintenance" solenoids, they did have the metal sleeves, but had either melted something & stuck, or both had been glued in place by another tech. I cant think of the name, but it had an astronaut, or fighter jet theme. They only made a few machines one, or two years in the late 70s-80s. I couldn't even find used parts (other ones), so I added generic Wicos, and "canned it" eventually.        

 

 

 

 

 

, 

Steve Young at Pinball Resource is a good source of some parts,I think he has sleeves.  I had horrible experiences with WICO and avoided them like the plague.  I used to service coin ops. I kept only a few machines when I retired,I sold a collection of over 100 machines I had once. Left now I have maybe a dozen pinball machines,a skeeball a couple of shooting galleries and some juke boxes. I have Seeburgs V200,100 B,100c,100R,a trash can,a Wurlitzer 1015 and Rockola 1426. They probably all need work. I will try your T9 sometimes,thanks for the tip.

 

Here is a pic of my skeeball before restoration,click on any pic to enlarge

 

 

 

You can see a pic of a few of my pins behind the layout I am building

 

 

 

No living room is complete without bumper cars

 

 

 

 

 

I painted the skee ball cabinet to match the room,you can see it in the background,click to enlarge

 

Dale H

Transformers like this were used for Door bell/chimes, usually included in kits.  12, and 16 volt were common.    Basic Heating thermostat control wiring (more likely 24 volt) was also supplied by transformers like this.  The VA was a bit higher on HVAC control, maybe 30 va. More modern HVAC equipment has the control transformer built into the control board system.