Subject:
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Re: Replacement Wire
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Thu, 23 Feb 2006 17:36:35 GMT
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Viewed:
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2906 times
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In lugnet.trains, Tom Keenan wrote:
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In lugnet.trains, Ted Michon wrote:
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In lugnet.trains, Tom Keenan wrote:
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Hi,
Does anyone know if phone or thermostat wire is a suitable or (more
importantly) safe replacement for the 9v train wire? If not, anyone know
what I can use? I am running 45 feet of track in a loop and I want to run
additional wires from the transformer to boost the current at other spots
on the track.
Thanks,
Tom
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Tom-
You can use almost any convenient type of wire wire to run your 9-volt
trains. Stranded 16 or 18 gauge might be optimum and can often be had
particularly in the form of paired speaker wire or lamp cord.
At SCLTC, we use the 4-conductor connectors used for PC power supplies to
make our own modular wire system. We use 1 pair of conductors for 9 volt
LEGO power for animation and 1 pair for DCC distribution.
One idea to consider before adding wire to your large layout: You might find
it simpler -- and a lot more fun -- to break the layout into sections (just
slip some plastic such as the clear stuff used in LEGO boxes) between the
track joints. This way you can control each section independently and
effectively run several trains on the same loop! (Usually, extra LEGO
voltage regulators are very easy to come by.)
-Ted
SCLTC
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Ted,
Thanks for the suggestion. The train track is going around the ceiling in my
son’s room, so I think I want to have a single regulator on the track. Plus,
I think I have a pretty good idea what several trains one one loop will look
like after my son is old enough to control them...any bets on whether or not
a LEGO train motor will survive a seven foot fall?
Thanks again,
Tom
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I have a similar setup for my sons room. Good for storing trains. But hard for a
kid to see from the ground. If you plan to run 3 or more motors on the layout at
one time, you’ll need a reved up controller, or a second controller.
You can up the power on the controller with minimal fuss by changinging the
transformer to one with a bit more current. You want a 11v to 14v, AC rated at
1+ amps (1000 ma) or 13 watts (1300 va) or more. To get more juice then that you
need to modify the controler or buy a medium size hobby train controller.
Mat
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Replacement Wire
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| (...) Ted, Thanks for the suggestion. The train track is going around the ceiling in my son's room, so I think I want to have a single regulator on the track. Plus, I think I have a pretty good idea what several trains one one loop will look like (...) (19 years ago, 22-Feb-06, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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