o gauge controllers and transformers

[sir douglas]

i'd like to know of suitable controllers and transformers for O gauge to get for a layout i'm building . The home fleet of locos are medium sized like J83 and G7 with larger like J39 and larger than that will be occasional visitors, ive looked at the gaugemaster website but none of them explicitly say O gauge friendly, this is an area i know nothing about as ive never had to think about it because of using OO power and controllers for my own little locos

[Adrian Stevenson]

I think a rough rule of thumb for O gauge is to find one with a 5 Amp output.

 

Cheers Ade.

[Simond]

I’d be very surprised if a 00 gauge one isn’t good enough.  

 

There are five amp and bigger units around but most modern motors (Mishima, Canon, etc, ) will only take an amp at the most when running and would fry before they tripped a 5A unit if stalled, so I’d stick with conventional controllers, at least, at first.

 

if you were using Pittman motors in big US diesels, or twin-motored Heljans,  that would be another story.

 

atb

Simon

[doilum]

St Frusquin has a JH motor. The literature says it should draw about 0.5 amps and not more than 1 amp. I have been a fan of the old ECM compspeed controllers and have never had a problem even on my old roundy round where my J25 would regularly pull 30 wagons.

I did try a Gaugemaster when building Houghton Street but wasn't quite satisfied with the slow running and built a new panel around an old ECM unit. I was also given a spares or repair Kentroller which I use on the test bench layout.

Given your interest in the smaller locos, any of the old school feedback controllers should be more than adequate.

[sir douglas]

ive tried my power system (Hornby transformer plug and gaugemaster) on this layout with the J83 in question and its a bit stuttery because its under powered

[doilum]

1 minute ago, sir douglas said:

ive tried my power system (Hornby transformer plug and gaugemaster) on this layout with the J83 in question and its a bit stuttery because its under powered

I use the TR6 recommended by ECM back in the day providing 16 volts ac.

[Hal Nail]

Gaugemaster do O gauge specific models. I've got a 100M.O I use to test locos (I dont have a layout yet).

[Nearholmer]

“Stuttery” implies poor contact in the circuit, usually wheel/rail.

 

I’m with Simon: most smaller modern 0 locos can be run from a typical 00 controller fit for 1A.

 

I even use the same for my tiny portable 0 layout, on which I often run 1950s open-frame-motor locos and run nominal 20V locos regularly.

 

Even the old stagers only need 1250mA when running fairly quickly with a decent tail load, if they are properly looked after.

 

5A is for big locos, with big loads, for truly ancient wound-field motors, and for locos that need a permanent magnet to be remagnetised. And, for damaging things.

 

 

 

[sir douglas]

i forgot to add handheld controller

[Nearholmer]

What current and voltage is it rated to deliver?

 

And, what sort of motor does the loco have?

[sir douglas]

the locos aren't mine so whatever these motor are in his photos

 

[doilum]

28 minutes ago, sir douglas said:

i forgot to add handheld controller

That starts to narrow it down a bit. The ECM is sort of hand held in a 6x3x2 inch case that also has the point switches. That was the appeal of the gaugemaster. Pity we didn't get on and I let it go as part of the deal when I sold the old layout.

[Simond]

You don’t need 5A with those motors, they’re Mashima.  1.5A at stall I’d guess.

 

atb

Simon

[Hal Nail]

Hand held aside, in terms of whether worth getting 5 amp or not, my gaugemaster cost me about £20 more. So not relevant really?

Edited December 17, 2019 by Hal Nail

[37114]

I was having the same quandary the other night and saw that Gaugemaster do a specific 0 gauge contoller but do have one question for the forum please; I have a Dapol 08 and am building a small shunting layout but intend to buy a Heljan class 37 later next year. From what I have read the 37 which is twin motored will need a 2 amp controller (current draw shouldn't be too high as it won't be pulling long trains or on a gradient) hence was going to go for the 100M0. My question is will this controller work ok with my 08 or will it be "overpowered" as it looks like the 100m0 pumps out 14volts vs 12v of their normal controllers? Thanks 

[Hal Nail]

4 hours ago, 37114 said:

My question is will this controller work ok with my 08 or will it be "overpowered" as it looks like the 100m0 pumps out 14volts vs 12v of their normal controllers? Thanks 

My 08 works fine. 

[sir douglas]

so its okay to go for any of the OO gaugemaster handhelds

 

if i got the GMW-W would the GMC-t1 transformer be okay with it

http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=GMC-W&style=&strType=&Mcode=Gaugemaster+GMC-W

 

http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=GMC-T1&style=&strType=&Mcode=Gaugemaster+GMC-T1

[JeffP]

These are bomb proof and go up to 5A

https://peco-uk.com/pages/helmsman

[sir douglas]

we want one but they are currently unavailable. i didnt mention it because i forgot the name

 

theres nothing yet as to exactly when production will continue and i dont to wait for an unknown time though we will probably still get one when it comes out

[2mmMark]

It would be worth looking at the various PWM speed controllers on eBay.   I've been trying out the low amperage ones, in the region of 3A, for 2mm scale mechanisms. All I do is feed them the required DC supply of a voltage and amperage which suits the 2mm motors, using a plug in transformer.  They can also be fed with a battery pack, which could be an advantage on a garden railway.

 

The level of control is very good and the PWM is high-frequency so is kind to coreless motors.  Putting "pwm motor speed controller" should throw up many choices. Some come with reversing switches, some not and most will need a case.  Easy jobs to do.

 

Look for 0 to 100% duty cycle.  Some don't go down to 0% which means there's always some voltage present which might cause very efficient mechs to creep.

The prices are very keen!

 

Mark

Edited December 17, 2019 by 2mmMark

[hartleymartin]

I've used standard Hornby controllers and more recently a standard Gaugemaster hand-held. My locomotives are all small 0-4-0 and 0-6-0s and rarely haul more than a 5 or 6 four-wheel goods wagons and I've never had a problem.

[O-Gauge-Phil]

Personally I wouldn’t rush out and buy anything until you have to.  Most O gauge stuff is much the same as oo, so just use what you have.  I believe that cordless motors like a smooth dc supply and no feedback.  Whereas generally standard can motors need a good feedback controller for slow speed running.  Motors don’t run at the maximum current for long if at all.  I have just been working on my City, 1.2 amp motor,peaks at 0.45 amps average 0.25 amps.

One of the main factors is not so much the length of the train, unless you have a round and round or garden layout, it’s the gears.  A worm gear is so inefficient everything else pales into insignificance .  With dcc you tailor the feedback to that particular engine, much better. .But more importantly you may wish to go dcc before too long.  I  know I haven’t helped much but same old compromises.

 

Phil

 

P.S.  1)  my City has a helical gearbox and 2) overloads should have an inverse time characteristic , meaning it will operate at full load without tripping.  A very high current will trip immediately,while a lesser current will take longer to trip.  So to answer your question a to larger transformer may not protect your motor but should protect your wiring.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2019 by O-Gauge-Phil

[sir douglas]

1 hour ago, O-Gauge-Phil said:

Personally I wouldn’t rush out and buy anything until you have to.

 

Phil

 

we are now at the point which we need to get a controller and transformer so i can finish the wiring, we dont have a controller or transformer for the layout  yet

[doilum]

It is worth deciding a standard set of plugs and sockets for your transformer and controllers. This allows you to keep looking for the bargain controller that will turn up a week after you finish wiring. It also brings peace of mind at exhibitions if you have a back up controller and transformer in the tool box. I settled on the locking line connectors. Once sourced from Maplins, now available at half the cost on line. That said I still miss being able to pop into Wakefield and pick up the odd item.

[Adrian Stevenson]

There is a good deal on Amazon the Gaugemaster GM-GMC-100MO at £69.33

 

That is a £34 saving on Gaugemaster's own price.

 

I have just bought one! Even though I am going DCC and have got a controller for that, I have not bought chips and speakers yet for most locos and I need to get them run in first.  

 

Cheers, Ade.