Train Tech PC2

[Jodeson]

Installed PC2 with new Peco PL10 'motors' with direct track feed from NCE Power Cab and there appears to be insufficient power to throw the solenoid.

Is this a common problem for accessory decoders without an 'outside' power supply?

I have two DAC10's with 'outside' supply and two ADS-8fx all of which function without this type of problem 

[Crosland]

It's always a bad idea to power solenoids from the track supply unless the decoder also includes a CDU.

[Jodeson]

As far as I'm aware the PC2 includes a capacitor.

[Crosland]

In that case, and assuming everything else is OK, the track voltage may be too low for the solenoids to operate reliably. That's another reason for not using the track supply, even with a CDU

 

I would use an external supply in preference to increasing the track voltage.

[10000]

What's the amp rating of the motors?

 

What is the volts and amps of your  Powercab supply?

[shibushe]

According to Train-Techs info, this does have a built in CDU. The PC2 is a DCC points controller, so one would think this will be powered via a DCC feed.

However its possible that feeding from the track may not have enough umph.

If you have a separate DCC output why not try that.

I use a number of Train-Tech signals all are fed from the track with no problem.

But I do have a 5 amp power supply. It also powers point motors and automatic signalling.( Not Train Tech ) all from the power bus..

[Suzie]

From reading the PC2 instruction manual which stresses the importance of correct mechanical alignement of point motors it would appear that the PC2 has a low voltage CDU that only outputs track voltage, and not the 25V CDU output typically required by most Peco/Hornby/Seep motors for reliable operation.

[Jodeson]

Thanks for all the info and suggestions, I've rigged another accessory decoder to power a couple of the points and no apparent problems. Train Tech agreed for me to swop the faulty PC2 for another at my supplier, unfortunately no improvement.

So maybe the NCE Power Cab in its standard form does not produce enough "oomph" for the PC2.

[Butler Henderson]

Just installed two to work the points on my fiddle yard instead of a duff DCC Concepts ADS8FX and found they easily cope with two Peco Surface Mount point motors on each output. Having a spare output on one I connected the point motors for a crossover to separate outputs programmed to the same address as the instructions recommend and found the changing of the points very sluggish. Wired them together to one output and they fire straight away

Edited September 21, 2017 by Butler Henderson

[Phil S]

I swapped out ALL the Lenz LS150s on our transportable H0 layout, and replaced them with the smaller Train Tech 4 output or single output modules ... and removed the need for a 16Vac power feed ,,,  making them much easier to install / hide (mine are mounted on the top side of each board - nothing below.

 

I use them successfully to operate Roco Geoline points - which are admittedly a low-current design with inbuilt end-off switching ... and they now operate cleanly as one would expect from a single pulse - no buzz and no risk of bounce which occured with one or two specific points and the LS150s...  They have similarly free form of addressing each output which I make great use of.

 

However, there is an unnerving delay when first using them, until it fires across ... giving me the impression that it only charges the capacitor once a point on that module has been selected/commanded ... Mine are all powered via the Accessory Bus from a MultiCentral Pro with (3+A) 16V dcc track voltage (ac) from an SMPS of 3.5-4A rating.  Whereas myh track busses are via PSXs .... I assume you have not fed them via an equivalent protection device ??

[Butler Henderson]

However, there is an unnerving delay when first using them, until it fires across ... giving me the impression that it only charges the capacitor once a point on that module has been selected/commanded ... Mine are all powered via the Accessory Bus from a MultiCentral Pro with (3+A) 16V dcc track voltage (ac) from an SMPS of 3.5-4A rating.  Whereas myh track busses are via PSXs .... I assume you have not fed them via an equivalent protection device ??

No protective device and has have not noticed any unnerving delay on any other than the pair than I had connected up to separate outputs; that was painful waiting for them to react, whereas wired to the same output they react immediately.

[Butler Henderson]

giving me the impression that it only charges the capacitor once a point on that module has been selected/commanded

When you switch the power off do the LEDs stay on or go out immediately - on mine they stay on and eventually die which I take to be the capacitors discharging through them.

[Butler Henderson]

Had the lid off one - the reason why they can seem sluggish is that their are only two capacitors - both 4700uF, rather than each ouput having its oown capacitor.

[Butler Henderson]

A word of praise for Train Tech. Late one evening I thought it would be good idea to drill the holes for the track connections on the new removeable fiddle completely overlooking the fact that I had wired up all the points. Oops, one stuck drill in a PC2 module that was screwed to the underside. One dead PC2, looked inside to discover the drill had completely dislocated a resistor and come very close to a pair of transistors. Contacted Train Tech who kindly sent me free of charge a new full size resistor rather than the surface mount that the drill had dislodged. Then discovered the transistors had been forced off the pcb and having been advised what type the surface mount ones were I sourced some normal sized one and with the help of an extract of the pcb arrangement eventually supplied by Train Tech I got the thing back fully working. The trick was to solder the resistor and transistor wires together as appropriate and use thin decoder wire to attach them to appropriate locations on the pcb. With the wires long enough it was possible to fix the transistors to the full size capacitors that exist on the module with mounting tape and hence get the whole lot back into the case.