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For a 7864 12v train speed regulator:
Went down to Radio Shack yesterday and bought a 40W 110v to 220v step up
transformer. So far as I can tell 40W is just fine for running the LEGO
12v trains and accessories. The German plug on the 7864 goes straight into the
Radio Shack unit without any further adaptors. Very nice.
Concerning accessories:
I have noticed the 13v output sockets on the 7864 LEGO 12v speed regulator.
Can that connector be used for use with 12v street lamps so they are at
constant brightness rather than variable pick up from the electrified train
track?
I'm a little concerned that it says 13v, but that the lights are 12v. Oh, is
the 13v output AC rather than DC?
I understand that the typical way to power 12v street lamps is via the
connector at the end of the daisy-chained remote control switch panel bank.
Just curious abou the 13v output.
Also, while running my 12v train at maximum speed I measured the voltage
on the electricified rails: it measured over 13v. I wonder if that could
burn out the 12v train motor?
Thanks for the help.
later,
James Mathis
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> Concerning accessories:
> I have noticed the 13v output sockets on the 7864 LEGO 12v speed regulator.
> Can that connector be used for use with 12v street lamps so they are at
> constant brightness rather than variable pick up from the electrified train
> track?
> I'm a little concerned that it says 13v, but that the lights are 12v. Oh, is
> the 13v output AC rather than DC?
The lights _should_ be fine. Esp. if you have any real length of wire between
them and the powerpack, they are not going to get 13V, in fact, they may well
not even be getting 12V.
The best way to judge is to take the lights, and (in a dark room) look at the
"color" of the light, if it is yellow then the bulbs will have a decent
lifespan, if it is white then you are running them with too much voltage. If
you are really worried about the life of them, make a converter plate from 9v
to 4.5/12V connection, and connect to a spare (9V) train transformer. (I have
spares...Email me at my freenet addy for more info)
I run my 4.5V lights using 4- 1.2V cells, giving 4.8V on the lights. I have
_not yet_ burned any out, but I know that it shortens the lifespan of the
bulbs. So, at worst your lights may burn out before there "normal" lifespan,
but I doubt it.
> Also, while running my 12v train at maximum speed I measured the voltage
> on the electricified rails: it measured over 13v. I wonder if that could
> burn out the 12v train motor?
I doubt it. I used to run the 4.5V technic motor on 54V (6 9V batteries in
series)...That moved it a little faster :). An extra volt at the terminal is
not going to translate very far given the resistance of the lego track. I
would think that within 10-20 lenghts of track most of it has disapeared into
the resistance.
James P
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In lugnet.trains, James Powell writes:
I just wanted to confirm: I totally agree with the opinion of James Powell.
Light bricks might be shortened in their expected lifetime by to high voltage.
With 9 V they shold last for a very long time.
The Lego® motors (especially the older ones) are very robust! I drove my first
4.5 v motor for weeks with 12V and nothing happened, and I even drove it in the
bathroom underwater!
Regards,
Ben
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Thanks for the information, guys!
Now, to justify the space that my layout may "require" to my wife.
later,
James Mathis
In lugnet.trains, Reinhard "Ben" Beneke writes:
> In lugnet.trains, James Powell writes:
>
>
> I just wanted to confirm: I totally agree with the opinion of James Powell.
>
> Light bricks might be shortened in their expected lifetime by to high voltage.
> With 9 V they shold last for a very long time.
>
> The Lego® motors (especially the older ones) are very robust! I drove my first
> 4.5 v motor for weeks with 12V and nothing happened, and I even drove it in • the
> bathroom underwater!
>
> Regards,
>
> Ben
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"Ben" wrote:
> The Lego® motors (especially the older ones) are very robust! I drove my first
> 4.5 v motor for weeks with 12V and nothing happened, and I even drove it in
> the bathroom underwater
Ben, we have _got_ to hear the story of this! I used to make paddle
"steamers", using Electical tape and Lego (the tape seals the Lego up quite
well...except across the bottom...) I don't have any pic's here, and I doubt
there are any at home...
4.5V motor mounted in the middle of 4 of the (10x24?) green plates with walls
made of 1x bricks, wrapped with electrical tape. Bottom joints plated
top/bottom with longish pieces to reduce the number of leaks. Float times up
to about 15 min, before draining due to waterlevel aproaching batterybox. 4.5V
(3*C) battery box used.
James P
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In lugnet.trains, James Powell writes:
> "Ben" wrote:
>
> > The Lego® motors (especially the older ones) are very robust! I drove my • first
> > 4.5 v motor for weeks with 12V and nothing happened, and I even drove it in
> > the bathroom underwater
>
> Ben, we have _got_ to hear the story of this! I used to make paddle
> "steamers", using Electical tape and Lego (the tape seals the Lego up quite
> well...except across the bottom...) I don't have any pic's here, and I doubt
> there are any at home...
>
> 4.5V motor mounted in the middle of 4 of the (10x24?) green plates with walls
> made of 1x bricks, wrapped with electrical tape. Bottom joints plated
> top/bottom with longish pieces to reduce the number of leaks. Float times up
> to about 15 min, before draining due to waterlevel aproaching batterybox. • 4.5V
> (3*C) battery box used.
At the age of maybe 5 to 7 I built a paddle steamer too, but I used the red
swimming hulls of set 311:
http://www.lugnet.com/pause/search/?query=311-1
And I built it with a gap in the middle for the paddles shaft and placed my 103
motor avove that. (I dared to use that, because I got the 107 motor that days
also, but I really had no knowledge about electricity and water, just the
dump feeling that water would be wrong...)
But with the motor place high above the waterline (and rubber band transmission
to the paddle wheel, the ship alway tends to tilt.
So I changed the desingn and placed the heavy motor underneath the hull and
under the waterline. Still with rubber band as power transmission to the
paddlewheel whichs center has to lie just above the waterline.
And that ship worked (and swam) very good and stable! Years later I gave a drop
of oil into the motor and it works fine till today....
Regards,
Ben
P.s.: I damaged some bricks with strong soap water once: I played "rescue
divers" with the armless pre minifigs in that water (maybe quite hot with
nearly 40 °C) and they dived through the "foggy" water, to do ther jobs. And
all the bricks I used lost their capability to hold against each other. If I
just blow agaist those pre minifigs today, they break in parts....
I'm not sure if the heat or the soap damaged the ABS material.
[getting too off-topic here....]
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Reinhard "Ben" Beneke wrote:
> P.s.: I damaged some bricks with strong soap water once: I played "rescue
> divers" with the armless pre minifigs in that water (maybe quite hot with
> nearly 40 °C) and they dived through the "foggy" water, to do ther jobs. And
> all the bricks I used lost their capability to hold against each other. If I
> just blow agaist those pre minifigs today, they break in parts....
> I'm not sure if the heat or the soap damaged the ABS material.
> [getting too off-topic here....]
One possible explanation for this (since I have washed many bricks and
noticed this sometimes, but not most of the time): Dirty bricks will
have a layer of grit on them which could throw off the tolerances, and
will increase wear, especially anyplace there's a tight fit. When this
grit gets cleaned away in the soapy water, the bricks are now too loose.
Another possibility if the bricks are heated while connected is that the
plastic will "reset" to the slightly stretched connected position. What
I'm not sure of is why it seems sometimes like you need a jackhammer to
seperate a pair of bricks, but once you do, they become "loose". One
factor here of course is that wear may occur during the seperation
process. There could also be situations of a film of oil provides bond
which holds the bricks, but once is disturbed, doesn't work any more.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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