Meters for Model Railroading

[ginzokid]

Does anyone use volt and/or amp meters on their control panel to monitor the trains that are running? CoDccFadda

[dl85vette]

No. Are you talking like one volt meter and one amp meter for the entire layout? I can't see having multiple meters all over the place. We wanna watch our trains not feel like the guy at the power plant. Would you notice a difference in performance with several locos running without needing to see what a meter reads? I don't intend for this sound sarcastic Pete. Perhaps I have as many questions about this as you do. Ok. There are now two inquiring minds about this. Is it a must have or nice to have? Dave

[trmwf]

Dave, Not a real must but can point out impending troubles with your favorite locomotive. Example: normally draws two amps but now it is taking almost 3 to get it moving could point out that a good cleaning is in order before you burn it up. Can also point out power drops in your track work. However, I myself do not use them as of yet. Thought about it but just never made the leap. prof

[ginzokid]

The old layout had two set of meters, one for each mainline. When I wanted to change from one power pack on one mainline to the other power pack on the second mainline and keep the train running at the same speed, I would just match the voltage settings on both to the same number and there was no glitch when crossing over. You see, the way I had the old layout wired was with a common so that any of my two main cabs or even the two extra yard cabs could control any engine in any block. It is actually a lot easier than it sounds. No two power packs put out the exact same voltage at a particular setting. Why would I want all this extra wiring? Because I had two walk-around throttles and with this set up, an engineer could follow and control his train all over the whole layout. Sort of pre-DCC. The ammeters would tell me immediately if I had a short or open circuit or alert to bad performnce like Mike said. Now I do not use them as the hand throttles give me all the information I need for each engine. I was just curious if meters had become a thing of the past, and it looks like they have. B-)

[jamajack]

I have both a Voltmeter and a Ampmeter in line with the output from my power supply to the track connected in series parallel. I only use the meters if it seems that there may be a problem with a engine or to watch where I may have a dirty track which will give you a higher current draw. When I try out a new engine or after a good cleaning and re-lube I can see at what Voltage it starts to creep and what the current draw is. I make a small note and put it in the engines box for future reference. Like the Prof said it gives you a good idea of when track or a engine may need to be looked at. If you just happen to have a dead short either through a engine or the rails it will give you a hard over deflection which gives you time to shut down before completely burning out a motor or your power supply. It is also a good check to look at your meters periodicaly just to check out the output of your power supplies. The two meters I have I picked up at the local electronics house and I think Radio shack also sells them. The volt meter is a 25-0-25 volt and the ammeter is a 5-0-5 Amp. By using "0" centered meters between your contoller and the track connection it does not matter which direction your you are traveling, the meter will deflect left or right. Connection drawing is easy, but if you need a quick schematic let me know. Jack

[ginzokid]

Those are the same type I used. Bought them through Micr-Mark as a set. It used to be the standard to have meters on the control panel. Of course, that was way back when dry storage batteries or even car batteries were used to power the trains. Yes, I remember it well......it was just the other day I was saying to......but that's another story for another time. B-)

[beastranger]

Sounds like a good idea for the future. It would be interesting to see what the numbers are for each loco. Right now all I know is that it's hard to run the Challenger with other locos running as it takes a lot more throttle to run at an equal speed. Punk

[ginzokid]

Same question two years later. Anyone using meters now? I'm not with the DCC as it really wouldn't tell me anything since the track is under constant voltage at all times anyway. I still think they are a good idea for dual DC control. B-)

[dl85vette]

nope.. another great reason for using DCC.

[jamajack]

Not having got into DCC I don't know if a Volt Meter would help but a Ammeter might just give you a reference as to what particular engine is drawing which would let you possibly know when a engine is acting a little sluggish and might need cleaning etc. A Volt meter would only give you the output of your power supply, which might not be a bad idea as I understand replacement boards could get expensive if your running to high. I would asume meters could be hooked up the same way as in DC before it gets to your controllers and track. Just a thought. Jack

[g-pa1]

I have an MRC 9500 that has track voltage and ammeter meters for one of my DC tracks. I'll try to post a picture of the controller setup. Gene

[montanabud0]

I have an Ammeter and a Voltmeter always connected to my layout. They are the small ones that I got from Micro-Mart and work very well. I also have another set which are larger. I use them on the workbench when testing items. I also have a Speedometer connected to the layout - it's fun to play with, but needs to be adjusted for each locomotive. Bud.