9 Volt train set

Bluefox1966

I am trying to run a train with 50 carriages. Of course one motor is not sufficient to pull all that weight. I have inserted a total of 8 motors into the train but the rail voltage is not powerful enough to run them at a decent speed. My question is if I put another regulator and power supply connected to the rail and operate both at the same time will I damage the motors. Obviously the 9V system was designed to draw enough power for one or two motor, so basically I'm trying to run 8 off of two regulators. It does work. If I crank the first regulator up to max and the the train hardly moves when I turn the other one up the train move off smoothly and at a nice pace.

Bluefox1966

I have already had a 37 carriage train running but I did not need the extra power.

bmwlego

Hysterical!!!!

The_Brick_Builder

LOL! I love your dog roaming around.

Bluefox1966

I can't seem to stop him helping. As I was setting up the 50 carriages he managed to derail it twice :-)

Matthew

Now that's a Hogwarts Express if I ever saw one! I shudder to think how much that cost. My Hogwarts Express currently consists of an amazing...... 2 coaches :-(

oldtodd33

Ok, I am not an electronics expert but, I hooked up a circle of track and put two controllers together on the track. I turned one on and got 9V at the furthest adjustment. I then turned the other one on and put it all the way up in the same direction and still got 9V. The thing is they will both have to be hooked up the same because when you turn the one down in the opposite direction the voltage starts to drop, meaning that the one is dragging the other down in voltage. So I don't think you will damage your motors as long as you hook them up the same and are using more than 4 at a time.

Bluefox1966

Cheers @oldtodd33, Thanks for looking into it for me. When it comes to electrics I am totally at sea.

Bluefox1966

@Matthew wait till you see the 50 coach train it looks totally nuts :-)

romdam

Isn't it a bit of overkill? It's like having a city with 200 polices cars.

Legoboy

^ It's brilliant!! Sadly I'm no electronics expert either so can not help you.

Your dog - again brilliant!! Have you used your dog as your avatar?

Bluefox1966

^ I used to have him (Dougal) as my avatar but changed it to the Fabuland Jedi.

^^Too much Lego is never enough :-)

mr_benn

There is a difference between hooking power supplies up in series and in parallel - if you hook them up in series (just like you would usually use batteries, so the end of one connects to the opposite end of another) you get an INCREASED voltage - so 2 x 1.5V batteries gives 3V. If you hook them up in parallel, which is what happens by independently connecting two controllers to the track, you maintain the original voltage.

As soon as you turn the controller in the opposite direction you're effectively reversing the voltage - it's like putting batteries together with two + or - ends connecting - it doesn't make a circuit and so just doesn't work!

Bluefox1966

@mr_benn Thanks for clearing that up both are connected in parallel. With one controller at max the train just moves. with both at max it runs smoothly, so I guess the 8 motors are sharing the two 9v voltage between them, so this shouldn't damage them?

brickmatic

They are sharing the current provided by the two regulators. The additional motors are adding additional resistance to the circuit. The voltage will never be higher than 9V.