RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion

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SD90:
Is the power supply that comes with the system 5 amp? I imagine it will more than handle the 12 locomotives per throttle?
It sounds like I don't have anything to worry about.
The 24 locomotives that can be displayed on the 4 pages, is that due to memory on the throttle? Is it possible on newer throttles down the line they will have the ability to display more?
I may be getting ahead of myself, considering I don't even own 1 locomotive yet, I just want to be sure!

I'll probably get the system and an extra controller for my son to run trains with me, to start, but just to be clear...if I had 24 locomotives with RailPro modules in them, and 2 controllers, we could run any combination of those 24 locomotives, at the same time? ( say, 4 trains with 6 engines on each? )
Now that I say that, it sounds kinda silly!

G8B4Life:
Hi SD90 (name???)

Welcome to the forum. Everyone else has got the specifics pretty well covered so I'll just add a couple of things. Probably the easiest way to think of RailPro when coming from DCC is to think of the hand held controller as a command station with built in wireless and throttle, except in RailPro's case you can use as many command stations at once as you please.

Just like your experience in DCC, having loco's MU'd counts as being controlled, and you'd have to un-MU them to free up the slots. This slot limit as pointed out only affects the individual hand held. If we were operating together and my throttle had 12 MU'd loco's your throttle would be unaffected by that and could still MU and run locomotives up until you reached the slot limit for the controller you were using.

I'd highly recommend watching Kevin's videos below. They contain as wealth of information on various topics, and are better than even the official videos from Ring Engineering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGx7lQC2-0Y
Kevins RailPro review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uL69dp0qmA
Kevins RailPro installation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRpszhMpks
Kevins RailPro buttons.

- Tim

G8B4Life:
The PWR-56 is 3 amps.

As Al has mentioned, you don't absolutely have to use the supply that comes with RailPro. You can use almost any DC power supply as long as it outputs 15 volts and is regulated. 3 amps should still be plenty for modern loco's with quality motors. I really wouldn't want to put much more than 3 amps into the rails myself anyway; 5 amps can do some serious damage if a short happens and is not detected.

I'd say the 24 picture limit is based on memory. It might be possible for RE to increase this but it might be at the expense of something else.

Yes, you can run any combination of those loco's at the same time, but you couldn't run the same loco's at the same time(eg, you can't both control locomotive 4334 at the same time). If you had 24 loco's with RP in them, both controllers would be able to have all 24 loco's stored in them at the same time.

- Tim

SD90:
Thanks Tim! My name is Mike, sorry! That answers lots of questions!
You brought up shorts, if that happens, say a locomotives derails on a switch and shorts, will the RailPro module protect the engine by shutting the track power down? I know that is how you tested the DigiTrax system, if it could detect a short, it shut the power down, if not, it could wreck locomotives!

Alan:
The RP module has built in over-voltage, over-temperature, and over-current protection. So, the module is very well protected.

If a short occurs it occurs before the module in the power path. Therefore, the module doesn't even really know there is a short. It just knows the power went out. This is no different than DCC.

Protecting against excessive current due to a short is the function of a circuit breaker most of which are self-resetting. All RP power supplies come with internal circuit breakers. In addition there is a RP circuit breaker/auto reverser module available. I agree with Tim that it doesn't take much amperage to do damage during a short. The Delrin plastic truck side frames melt easily.

If you want auto-resetting fast-acting circuit breakers of any trip current you wish then feel free to copy my design. They work well and cost less than $5.00 ea to build. http://www.lkorailroad.com/circuit-breaker-and-block-detector-final-units/

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