New Power supply - 12 Volt, 30 amp - cheap

[Perrotoro]

I bought a new power supply last week for $17.99 - see:

https://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-12V- ... rehouse=CN ------


Unfortunately, I'm not sure when it will arrive from China - I'm anxious to get it here so a bought the same thing off Amazon for a dollar less ($16.99) that'll be here Friday guaranteed. So if somebody will give me $15 plus actual shipping for last week's purchase, I'll absorb the $3 loss and will send it to them directly after arrival at the really good price stated.

[Perrotoro]

I just realized if shipping is $3 or more, it won't be any better deal to a purchaser than I paid ($17.99). So let me get some estimates on shipping when the 1st one arrives and see if I can make it an attractive deal for a potential buyer.

[HomeRacingWorld]

The link goes nowhere.

You do realize this is not an easy voltage adjust unit?

[HomeRacingWorld]

[War Eagle River]

[Perrotoro]

[HomeRacingWorld]

Lol yes. As with most everything, you purchase and use what works best for you.

If you can get good performance from something 1/2 the price or more than why not?

I’m just lazy. I like a simple knob with a digital read out that I can easily adjust. I don’t want to have to build my own. Each person/group have different needs when it comes to power and control. You look at the motors you will be running and decide from there. There is rarely a “one size fits all” answer for power as some people might lead you to believe.

I hope it works out for you.

[mattb]

One thing to remember about the power supply is that if you get a good one, it will probably be the last one you will ever buy. Probably. A few bucks more for something you can dial down easy is no big deal. If you just run at fixed voltage all the time, it doesn't really matter.

When you are young, I was once, you buy a good tool and you will still be using it 40 years later. That is a good deal.

[HomeRacingWorld]

[Perrotoro]

I have a cheap another one - not much amperage -with a dial for checking rpm. If this 30amp, 12volt gives cleaner performance as a replacement for the stock carrera power supply - as indicated in the posts - itll be a fixed, no adjustment arrangement for the track only.

[Perrotoro]

Update on Power Supply:

So I got the $17 limited-variability 12V/30a Power Supply from Amazon Prime late last week. I hooked it to the track and used an analog Multi-meter to check voltage - the range was 0-50V since the meter would peg on the "next-lower-down" 0-10V setting. With this 0-50, I read something close to 12V.
I found that I think I'm going to like this less voltage arrangement. (I had been running with the 14.8 fixed volts with the PS that came with the set.) At the 12V+/-, I set up two cars to run at my preferred set-up: holding 95+% of the time in the curves at full throttle – de-throttling at the end of the straights required. This is a great set-up for my grand-niece/nephew and other non-regular racers.

For the magnet haters out there, removing magnets was of course required. I removed magnets down to the stock magnets. The two cars ran lighter and still held corners comfortably – with only a bit more slide. Lap times went up from about 4.5-4.7 to 4.8-5.0 - that's okay - I like what Harry said about running more closely to scale speeds. I liked the lighter feel and the propensity for less violent de-slots - especially when great nieces and nephews will be driving.

After trying two cars, I realized that I might have a one or two lower-end cars of the 57 in the fleet that might require a higher speed setting than the Carrera Control Unit allows at the +/- 12 volts. So I decided to experiment with the voltage set screw before setting all cars up for this 12V+/-. Dang-it, the flimsy plastic head that had the plain-head screw fitting broke pretty quickly – so no more readjustment – at least not with screw turns. So I will eat crow for Harry about saying I should be able to handle the Voltage adjustment – grrrr! (or caw-caw, I guess I should say.) And I will agree with all that suggest going ahead with the long term idea of the 30V/10a dial-adjustable PS Harry has linked above at $55+/- . I put mine on order Monday and await its arrival.

I went to Home depot and got a digital multi-meter. The now non-adjustable PS yields a 13.70V at near all points of the track – both lanes. I do have a jumper from the front of the track to the rear. For the two cars I had setup for the 12V, I kept the same magnet set-up, and adjusted the speed setting for the 13.7V to obtain the preferred performance described above.

The lap times went to about 5.2-5.3 seconds. This is fine – the scale speed looks good – ultimately I think I will prefer slower lap times – closer to scale speed. But at the 13.7 volts, I think there might not be a low enough speed setting for the higher-end cars with stock magnets to hold in the curves to meet the preferred criteria. I want the Niece and Nephew to be able to select from the entire fleet and have the cars perform similarly – very little de-slotting with lap times within a couple of tenths of each other.

I know I can change motors and gear settings for different rpms on the higher and lower end performers, but I think I will hold out for the new Variable PS to see if there is a nice voltage - somewhere between the 12+/- and 13.70 to get the entire fleet to optimally perform within the control unit range of speed settings and with stock magnet power, before I change motors and gears. What a great fun challenge.

[slothead]

Thanks for the info. While there have been times when I really had to count my pennies and be cautious about discretionary spending, I learned that cheaper generally doesn't mean better and costs more in the long run.

I now have adjustable power supplies on both my tracks. The Pyramid PS on my road course has been a great addition. It stays set at 12.5 volts, and the oval is set at 11.4 volts using a Lionel train transformer. In racing the push for speed is central, but cranking things down a bit can be more realistic and make driving more enjoyable. At lower voltages all my cars become better and more evenly matched, while still putting the emphasis on driving.

[frank9129]

Well, I said I would order one. I got it on 3/9. It was shipped in a plastic bag. When I extracted the box there was a rattle. Upon opening the box it rattled more.
The first thing I did was to put it back in the box and e-mail Banggood. Deal with overseas seller can be a TRIP.
I was instructed to photograph the unit, the box, the bag, all the sku#'s and send it. :banana-gotpics:
I wrote them that that would not show them the problem as the rattle is inside the case. Do they want me to open the case and void the warranty?
Another message, Yes. I found the fan was broken and laying in the case. More pictures. :banana-gotpics:
Let's see what happens now.
This is my first problem with Banggood. Let's hope it is the last.

[HomeRacingWorld]

What a value.

And for a few dollars more....

[Perrotoro]