Post by thread:[OT] PSU for slotcars-revisited

Krikey, you weren't kidding. At least you don't give up easy. I would place a classic linear unregulated supply, with filament xformer, big bridge, and big cap, in front of the circuit for each car. Then add a MOSFET based switcher to regulate current through the track line. The linear front end will be forgiving of peak currents, and the switcher will account for voltage variation and track resistance. And hopefully waste will be kept down to 1000 watts per. Ask Andrew: is there a standard way to do this in general practice? Chris Eddy Quentin wrote: > OK, to get this OT topic back to topic, yet still OT. :) > Confirmed that the amps needed is 4-8A peaking to 15A. The track only > got 6 slots (not 16). Still a lot of power. > Anybody got an idea for a no nonsense PSU for them? > > Thanks > Quentin

On Fri, 24 Mar 2000, Quentin wrote: > OK, to get this OT topic back to topic, yet still OT. :) > Confirmed that the amps needed is 4-8A peaking to 15A. The track only > got 6 slots (not 16). Still a lot of power. > Anybody got an idea for a no nonsense PSU for them? Quentin, Many hams run 100W to 200W transmitters with tremendous appetites for 12-14V DC power. As a ham, I see ads for 20 to 50A DC power supplies all the time. They're almost always linear spuplies, not switchers. Check with any ham equipment dealer (Burqhart, HRO, etc) or pick up an issue of QST or 73 to see what the prices are like. Dale --- The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." -- Isaac Asimov

On Fri, 24 Mar 2000 14:53:47 -0600 Dale Botkin <spam_OUTdaleTakeThisOuTBOTKIN.ORG> writes: > On Fri, 24 Mar 2000, Quentin wrote: > > > OK, to get this OT topic back to topic, yet still OT. :) > > Confirmed that the amps needed is 4-8A peaking to 15A. The track > only > > got 6 slots (not 16). Still a lot of power. > > Anybody got an idea for a no nonsense PSU for them? > > Quentin, > > Many hams run 100W to 200W transmitters with tremendous appetites > for > 12-14V DC power. As a ham, I see ads for 20 to 50A DC power > supplies all > the time. They're almost always linear spuplies, not switchers. > Check > with any ham equipment dealer (Burqhart, HRO, etc) or pick up an > issue of > QST or 73 to see what the prices are like. I have a 30 amp switcher w/ 35 amp 'instaneous current'. Andrew > Dale > --- > The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds > new > discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." > -- Isaac Asimov ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: dl.http://www.juno.com/get/tagj.

At 4:34 PM 3/24/2000, Quentin wrote: >OK, to get this OT topic back to topic, yet still OT. :) >Confirmed that the amps needed is 4-8A peaking to 15A. The track only >got 6 slots (not 16). Still a lot of power. Arc welder. > >Thanks >Quentin

You might want to check the surplus market. You can probably get PSU's like this for $20-50 each - less than you'd pay for parts to build one. Try http://www.jameco.com, http://www.allelectronics.com. There are others, but I can't remember them right now. Don

<x-flowed>You'll be happier with the nicad low esr capacitors,,, they come in smaller package sizes than the lead product. The capacatance is quite a bit lower,,, but you can still get a good filtering product for 0.2 to 0.5 hz. At 12:07 PM 3/24/00 -0600, you wrote: >How bout this: Plan your power supply for your continuous current draw and >use a big "lead acid capacitor" (you heard me) for the peak start-up current >draw. 'Grif' N7IVS </x-flowed>