Z4000 on two separate loops.

No problem at all, it's quite normal to have momentary bridging when you cross over power districts.  As long as the voltages are equal, or very close to equal, no issues should arise.  Obviously, widely divergent voltages on the two power districts can be a problem when you bridge them.

John ,

Do you think the Z4000 would be a good choice for the whole layout ?

I'm still  getting in trouble 😁 with this being quarantined keeping me locked 😍 into the layout room !!!

You shouldn't have any issues with using a single Z4.   It wont make any difference at all to have rollers on both sides of the split, so long as, like John said, you have both loops running at the same voltage. The changeover from handles (and TIU channels, if so equipped) would be seamless.

      I power two loops with one Z4000.

      One thing I've noticed when running a train is when the occupied loop is set to 15 volts and the unoccupied loop set to 15 volts, when the crossover happens the now occupied loop drops to about 13 volts, the train slows and the now unoccupied loop the volts increase to about 17 volts.

      For me to have a smooth transition from loop to loop I have to set the unoccupied loop about two volts higher.

      Does this sound like normal transformer behavior?

fast freight ,

I'm not familiar with the Z4000.........yet anyway, if ever..........but do you have the two loops on different blocks or channels ?     Is there some reason your train might  be drawing a fair amount of current ( smoke on , passenger cars with incadescencts , extra long freight  or other ) ?  Do you have a larger amount of incandescent lights or operating devices on one loop over the other drawing from track power ?

Not being familiar with the Z4 , I figured maybe mistakenly ,  that I could run both my two loops with just the one channel instead of using Fixed 1 and Fixed 2 separately. each with a Z1000 .          I'll have to consult the PDF for the Z4 .

.

@fast freight posted:

One thing I've noticed when running a train is when the occupied loop is set to 15 volts and the unoccupied loop set to 15 volts, when the crossover happens the now occupied loop drops to about 13 volts, the train slows and the now unoccupied loop the volts increase to about 17 volts. 

I suspect so, the voltage drop when you have a load is normal, it happens with all transformers to some degree.  If you set the voltages on both loops without a load to be equal, then you'll achieve the result you're looking for.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Not being familiar with the Z4 , I figured maybe mistakenly ,  that I could run both my two loops with just the one channel instead of using Fixed 1 and Fixed 2 separately. each with a Z1000 .          I'll have to consult the PDF for the Z4 .

Each handle on the Z-4000 is good for 180 watts, it's not like the old PW-ZW where you could draw all the power from a single handle.

Soooo    John ,

if I now use approximately 200 watts total for the two separate loops with no issues , then maybe a decent chance of doing a one handle 180 watts straight through both loops could work ? 

Correct me if I'm wrong big J. 😭

If you don't exceed the draw available from one channel, then you certainly can power both loops from the one channel.

With all those LEDs of yours John , in all the cabooses and passenger cars  , I should be OK.  😁

That will certainly help!

I power my entire layout with one z4000 and one TIU. Its about 400 ft of total track, all tubular. The two handles are set at 17-18 volts and there are small voltage changes happening continuously as trains transition from section to section. The ammeters also show changes from output to output as the trains move around the layout. All completely normal.

The amperage loads used to vary in a big way running passenger trains with all incandescent lighting around the layout. When two pax trains happened to be on track sections powered by the same handle, you could easily see loads of 4-6 amps, and higher. Lashups also cause big amp loadings. This causes big sags in the output voltage. I have now converted several pax trains over to led lighting which has made a huge reduction in loads. Piece of cake now. I rarely see a load exceeding 3-4 amps total.

All sidings and storage tracks are switched, so there are few if any engines powered up at any time, except the 2 or 3 that are operating. Continuously powered sidings are no big deal for PS2/3 and Legacy engines, as they will stay dark and silent until started up. But tmcc engines will have most lights powered up anytime there is track voltage, which I personally don't care for. Just me.

I am a big fan of the z4000, but I wish the outputs had been designed to have regulated voltage. Then once set the output would stay steady, regardless of load. But that would have been more expensive of course, so here we are! 

Rod

ROD ,  very encouraging reply.  Learning more about the Z4 might just mean putting off the next engine purchase . 🙃

You mentioned that the two handles are set to 17-18 volts and the trains run from section to section.  

Would this section to section be similar to what I am trying to achieve with my inner and outer loop being connected With the end to end switches ?   Not knowing much about the Z4 ,does it hook up to the TIU on ,say for instance , fixed 1 and fixed 2 like the separate Z1000s for DCS and using the remote ?

Thanks for the reply.

Dallas; yes the Z4K will work fine for your 2 loop setup. Each handle feeds one Fixed output, each to one loop, with multiple track feeds depending on your loop size. Insulate the center rail at the crossover points of your end to end switches. Set both handles for 17-18 volts (assuming you are running command) and your transitions will be smooth and simple.

I use all 4 TIU outputs, with the variable channels set to fixed so they simulate command voltage outputs. My track is separated into quite a few blocks, each switched, with an average of about 100 ft of track per TIU channel, so as to get the best DCS signal strength I can. But you should be fine with the 2 fixed channels.

Rod

Boy ROD , thank you .

You have made this pretty darn clear and to the point.  Very helpful.  You aren't some manner  of instructor  are you ? 👨‍🎓

I'll have to start looking for the Z4.🤓