RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion
Capacitors, keep-a-live etc.
MtRR75:
--- Quote from: Alan on October 30, 2017, 03:06:24 PM ---The real space eaters are the super capacitors. ........... So, without some radical new technology super caps have probably reached their limit in miniaturization.
--- End quote ---
One of the advantages of running steamers. All that space in the tender to work with.
Alan:
--- Quote from: MtRR75 on October 30, 2017, 04:28:44 PM ---One of the advantages of running steamers. All that space in the tender to work with.
--- End quote ---
One of the advantages of keeping track clean and powering your frogs. No caps needed.
Yes, yes I know about club layouts. But for your home layout do yourself a big favor. Power your frogs, drag a masonite block occasionally, and be done with it. Attention cap lovers - you do realize that if you park your loco on a spot that otherwise requires a cap to get across then the loco is not going to start back up when you want to move it again. The cap will continue discharging itself into the module while parked. Once the cap drains below 10V the module will shut off and you will have no choice but to use the 0-5-0 to get the loco moving again.
William Brillinger:
This is Tim Ring's mantra too. "One of the advantages of keeping track clean and powering your frogs. No caps needed." And it's why he has not released a Keep-Alive of his own yet.
I'm sorry, but it's just not realistic. You don't run sound units so you're in a whole different world Alan. Keep-Alives add just enough juice to assist with the little gotcha's that sneak up on you and ruin an op session, especially when you take your motive power to another persons layout.
It's like a having a UPS on your computer. It just smooths out the blips.
Alan:
Bill, I get the 'other people's layout' part. Caps make perfect sense in that case. And if your power finds it way onto other layouts frequently then by all means cap'em all. In the paint manufacturing business we have a saying - make the paint as dirty as the surface being painted. Perhaps you have heard of a paint additive called fish eye eliminator? It is the keep-alive equivalent for paint. It is recommended only as a last resort.
But I respectfully disagree about life on your own layout, sound or not. Case in point... watch the headlight LED in the below video. It is just as sensitive to drop out as sound would be. Perhaps more so. Sound has at least a tiny amount of capacitance in the amplifier circuit. LEDs have none. Do you see the LED ever blink during the whole run? Those familiar know this is a video of the first end-to-end run on my completed upper deck track work. However, that does not mean it is brand new track. Far from it. The track laying process took over a year and a half during which many trains were run both for testing and for fun. There were a whole lot of hours already on the track when this video was shot. Shucks, the track was 5 years old in the box by the time I laid it.
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Don't get me wrong. I am not saying caps are bad. I merely caution people reading these threads about using them as a substitute for proper track installation, wiring, and maintenance on their own layouts. Our little locos are cramped for space as it is. Modern 6 axle and steam may have the space. What about your switchers? Ever tried to put a LM inside an Alco S2? It is an extremely tight fit. And there is no weight to mill for additional space. Absolutely no space for a block of caps. So, if you rely on caps what do you do when the little switcher can't make it across the spot? You are screwed. I am just trying to encourage people to spend the time taking every possible precaution outside the locomotive before they start stuffing a solution inside the loco. Quality trackwork, a wire to a frog, and a cloth across the track works for every loco on your layout, cap or no cap.
William Brillinger:
--- Quote --- I am just trying to encourage people to spend the time taking every possible precaution outside the locomotive before they start stuffing a solution inside the loco. Quality trackwork, a wire to a frog, and a cloth across the track works for every loco on your layout, cap or no cap.
--- End quote ---
That's a fair point Alan. In my case I was screwed before I started. I had a plethora of old Peco Insulfrogs on hand and I didn't know any better until my track was all down. Wired frogs are not an option for me. If there is a next time, it might be different.
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