The term smooth DC is used to describe the power provided to the layout by conventional model railroad power packs (analog transformers). Traditional model railroad power packs convert household line current into 12-18 volt current to power your model railroad. Voltage is supplied to the track, and as the voltage increases, the speed of the locomotive's motor increases, which makes it run down the tracks at faster speeds. Some power packs put out only AC (alternating current), while others put out DC (direct current) and AC (for accessories such as track switches and building lights). AC powered trains tend to ...
Q: I have an MRC RailPower 1370 DC power pack. I was wondering if that would work as a jump throttle on my Zephyr till I get my UT4 LocoNet Throttle? A: We think that the answer is "No", but you will need to verify whether this power pack produces pure or pulsed DC power directly with MRC. Throttles used with Zephyr Xtra via the Jump Port must produce pure DC power, often referred to as "smooth" power packs. Many "advanced" analog power packs use automatic pulse injection to make model locomotives run better at slow speeds. This uses 1/2 wave AC ...
You can add a second Zephyr to add more power and an additional throttle on the DCS50 and two additional Jump ports for using DC power packs to control DCC locomotives. You will need to change Option Switch 02 to c (Closed) on the second (and any additional DCS50s you might choose to add to the layout as well). The diagram below shows you how to do this.
DCS50’s Jump A & B ports can host two DC power packs that work as additional throttles to control DCC locomotives.You begin with an operating DCS50 attached to your layout. In addition to the throttle built into the DCS50, you can create a LocoNet to add additional Digitrax throttles and other Digitrax devices. Jump Ports:You can also connect up one or two smooth DC power packs as shown in the following illustration. These power packs must also be powered, since the Zephyr jump throttle connections detect the voltage level from the individual power pack(s) and makes adjustments to the command control ...