Subject:
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Re: Eliminate high-speed derailments forever! (and possibly void your warranty)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Mon, 23 Aug 1999 14:54:21 GMT
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Viewed:
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685 times
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In lugnet.trains, John R. Clark writes:
> Okay, how's this for an idea:
>
> Most electronic stores stock a kind of universal power converter. These have
> several output settings, including 9v and 7.5 volt. If you use the 7.5 volt
> setting, the train never gets enough power to derail on curves. This has
> obvious
> advantages at shows, and also anytime kids are given the controls (my 2 1/2
> year
> old loves my trains, but sometimes he runs them a bit fast!)
>
> This reduces the number of different speeds available to only two (instead of
> 6). Specifically, it seems to simply eliminate the 4 highest speeds. But • that's
> perfect for little ones who seem to have only two speeds anyway: full-forward,
> and full-reverse.
>
> So the obvious question is: Am I damaging/shortening the life of my • transformer
> by feeding 1.5 volts less than it expects into it?
>
> And another question that someone with more electronics knowledge than I have
> can answer: The universal converter has removable male jacks, which are
> designed
> to fit many different devices. They are also reversible, which means that the
> tip can be either positive or negative. So does it matter which way it goes
> into
> the transformer?
>
> I leave the answers to these questions as an exercise for the reader.
>
> Rick Clark
> jrclark@nospam.aol.com
> http://members.xoom.com/jrickclark
Hi,
> So the obvious question is: Am I damaging/shortening the life of my • transformer
> by feeding 1.5 volts less than it expects into it?
by transformer do you mean the lego speed controller? If it's a yes there is no
problem feeding it with 7.5V DC. The input will accept 9V to 12V AC or DC for
full performance (0V to 9V at the train output).
by feeding it with 7.5V DC, all what you do is limiting the maximum
"train" voltage at about 6V, thus limiting the train speed.
about reversing the tip polarity there is no danger at all to damage the
regulator, it's built to support AC voltage (the polarity of AC reverse from +
to - 60 time/second).
The only way to damage it would be to feed it with input voltage over 12V or
maybe shoorting the output if you use a power converter that can feed a lot
more than the 7VA of the transfomer that come with the regulator.
Martin
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