> Ed,
> What do you mean by 'switch motors'?
> Ben Trousdale
Hi Ben...
A switch motor is a small electrical motor used to throw (move the points) the
track switch (turnout) to the curved route or back to the straight route. Two
of the most common brands are Tortoise and SwitchMaster, but there are others.
The two most common brands of switch motors are "stall motors" which means they
are "on" all of the time and become stalled when reaching the end of the point
throw. But they are still "on" even though the points have stopped moving and
still draw current. Typical current draw for many switchmotors is nearly 20 ma
(.02 amps). Thus, a layout with 100 stall motors would need almost 2 amps
merely to have all the switch motors operating simultaneously. With a 2-amp DCC
system, that does not leave much for running the trains.
Hand throws are not switch motors and do not draw current and do not factor in
when sizing a DCC system. In this case, the switch "motor" is your index
finger. (grin)
It is also possible to connect electrical switch motors so they do not draw
power from the DCC system. Just hook them up to a separate power pack and use
toggle switches or pushbuttons to operate them. In this case, the current
needed for switch motors is not a factor to be considered when sizing a DCC
system.
It all depends on how you wire your layout and what you want. Some folks like
to operate turnouts from the handheld throttle using DCC current and other
folks dislike that. Each can have what they like with proper planning.
Hope this helps....Ed L.
> > The next most common electrical load might be switch motors...
> > Good luck....Ed L.
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