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Thank you. Your recommendation saves me money, and that makes me like you. lol
Can someone give me a quick 101 run down on amps, and what it can run kinda deal. you said 5 amp will be more then enough.. I assume thats just trains? I don't know amps or anything when it comes to Model Railroad. Of course i understand amp draws and surges when turning on a train to go and what not...
You should plan to run any accessories off of a different power supply, your DCC System will only be for running trains, or other DCC Accessories.
Everything electrical will have a rating for current draw which is in amps. You add up all the amp totals of everything that you plan to run at the same time, and that is the minimum size amp power supply you should have. You should plan for growth, so a supply of 50 - 100 % more than your minimum should be adequate. Also every electrical item draws more starting current than it does under normal runinng conditions, and motors can draw more current if they are under heavy load. All those factors need to be taken into account.
Check e-bay for older but still good MRC powerpacks to run everything but your trains. I got an MRC Throttlepack 510 and a smaller MRC trainset power pack for $10. The little one handles all the AC power for things like switch machines and the 510 handles all the DC lighting. I'm up to about 110 lightbulbs on the layout and heve the wiring bus go to the variable terminals. I can dim or brighten the lights just by adjusting the "speed" handle and not have to worry about things like series wiring.
As Rex said, you'll never need a booster on a layout your size. I have a Zephyr and have had a 3 engine consist and two switchers working at the same time without a problem.
Forgot to note: it is recommended to figure your needed power supply at 80% of its rated capacity, e.g. 5amp= 4. This doesn't mean it won't supply 5 amps or even more without damage, but it is an electrical factor to prevent pushing to its limits. Also, I should have said that in the event you grow into an empire, it is easy enough to add a booster if needed.
I too have a Zephyr on a 14'x 17' around the walls kind of set-up, with a peninsula going to the center (yet to be built...). I have also set up my own version of a "Loco-Net" using a couple of transitorized throttles I built and the Z's "jump" ports. Being a lone operator, I don't envision ever having more than 3 trains going at any one time, so the Z' suits me fine...
I also have a Zephyr, I can have 10 locomotives on and running at the same time with no trouble. The Zephyr puts out 2.5 amps at about 12 volts, slightly less than the bigger systems. This is a good thing for me, as it means i don't have to reconvert my Kato lighted passenger cars from bulbs to led. I have 7 sound equipped locos, and can have them all up and running on my layout at the same time using the Zephyr. These are N scale. but I also use the Zephyr for my small HO scale layout, with 4 sound-equipped engines, also with no trouble.
