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quote:
Originally posted by ADCX Rob:
I don't really see a problem.

Your new loco just draws more current than the transformer will deliver. It will draw less as it gets broken in & lubed well.


So try the ZW and see how the loco responds? Would the lack of appropriate current also contribute to the RailSounds not functioning? The sounds were sporadic at best.
quote:
Originally posted by Jeff T:
So try the ZW and see how the loco responds? Would the lack of appropriate current also contribute to the RailSounds not functioning? The sounds were sporadic at best.


Is it Railsounds or Trainsounds? The latter is sensitive to dirty track, dirty axle and ground strap, etc...

You can always have the engine checked out to ensure no wiring fault that is causing high current draw, but it sounds like your CW is operating correctly. G
Do newer engines (ie: legacy engines) draw less amperage?

I only ask because so many people knock the CW-80 and yet I ran two legacy diesels (SD 70ACe's) and a tmcc steamer (jr mikado), while powering a few accessories at the same time from one CW with no issues.

I've even powered 3 legacy diesels at one time with one CW.
quote:
Originally posted by jrmertz:
Do newer engines (ie: legacy engines) draw less amperage?

I only ask because so many people knock the CW-80 and yet I ran two legacy diesels (SD 70ACe's) and a tmcc steamer (jr mikado), while powering a few accessories at the same time from one CW with no issues.

I've even powered 3 legacy diesels at one time with one CW.


Any of the newer engines (tmcc and legacy) with can motors will draw less current than the old open frame motors. Length/weight of train and tightness of curves will also affect current draw. My o36 curves are pretty tight and a few of my engines struggle through them a little.
Any cw80 should be able to run two modern TMCC locos no problem. Maybe not all cw80s are created equal? Or maybe some are getting the cw80 confused with a cw40?
Put a postwar duel motor train on a 80 watt you see the green light blink..

The new trains do not draw the volts the old trains did.. The print boards are low amps/volts.. When i had a zw the volts would get over 22 who knows how many amps it was .If you powered a mth or a new lionel with that with no breaker protection it was a fire waiting to happen...
quote:
Originally posted by jojofry:
Put a postwar duel motor train on a 80 watt you see the green light blink..


Not so. Read above posts.

quote:
The new trains do not draw the volts the old trains did..


What does this mean?

quote:
The print boards are low amps/volts..


What does this mean?

quote:
When i had a zw the volts would get over 22 who knows how many amps it was .


10 amps. Higher for short durations.

quote:
If you powered a mth or a new lionel with that with no breaker protection it was a fire waiting to happen...


What does this mean? Breakers protect the transformer.
Random musings:

1. Some flickering of the green light on the Lionel CW-xx series of transformer/controllers is not only normal it should reassure the operator that the self-protective "fold-back" circuit is working as designed. When the load approaches 5 amps this circuit gradually cuts back the power to prevent the device from exceeding 5 amps. This is designed to protect the transformer itself and the associated wiring of the layout. It is not designed to protect the solid-state circuitry in modern locomotives and some modern accessories.

If the flickering really annoys you (some people are quite sensitive to it) cover the lamp with tape, paint it black, or locate the device on a ledge under the train table, etc. I am one of those normally bothered by flicker but I find I can easily ignore it on my stable of CW-80s.

2. To protect the solid-state circuitry in the locomotives and other devicesyou need to deploy one or more Transient Voltage Suppressor diodes (aka TVS diodes)as close as possible to the device you want to protect. This may mean carefully* opening the locomotive and placing a TVS inside it, although one tvs across the "hot" and "ground" terminals on the transformer or across ** the center and outside rail should certainly help. Remember. it is high voltage that zaps solid-state circuits. Such voltage spikes may be generated by the onset of or recovery from a derailment, but they can also be generated simply by walking across a rug and touching the locomotive, or wrapping it in the wrong kind of plastic wrap, etc. (You have probably experienced (especially in the relatively dry atmosphere of winter) that if you walk across a rug and touch a door-knob you will fell a jolt. What may supprise you is that this static-discharge could easily be several thousand volts. The current is small, however, and thus is generally harmless to you, but a similar voltage spike can instantly kill solid-state devices. How many times have you seen posts that say something like "My thousdand-dollar locomotive worked fine when I stored it last spring, but when I tried it this Christmas, it was dead." Does that suggest anything?

3. Fuses can be great for protecting transformers and their associated wiring. I use them myself, ALONG WITH TVS diodes. However, investing in "high-speed" or "instrument" fuses is generally a waste of money. Even the fastest of these will NOT protect your solid-state circuitry. What they will do is blow far too frequently in normal operation. Keep in mind that the circuit-breakers that Lionel and others used for years often took several full seconds to react. All they needed to do was to cut off the current before the insulation in the transformer core and/or the wiring on the layout got too hot and began to melt, potentially resulting in a fire; and that is still true today both with post-war and modern equipment. Or so I understand....

*As you would a computer, using a wrist ground-strap or similar anti-static device and procedures.

** Across (in parallel with) as you would with a capacitor.
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