by proxieken » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:30 pm
I am no technical expert, so double check this info before you take my advice and ruin some equipment. This is just what worked for me and my trial and error method.
We are running 6 D124 cars with magnets. I use an aftermarket power supply with variable amps and voltage. I also use the newer control unit.
Take the power supply and turn the voltage all the way up and the amps down to 0. Create a short by running a wire from one terminal to the next. Turn up the amps till it hits 7.8 or 7.9. Now switch it off and remove the wire short. Do not turn the amp knobs, as you want that setting to remain. Now attach it to your control unit. Adjust the volts to about 20, which gives me 18v at the rails.
You can not exceed 7.9 amps due to your power supply being adjusted. This means your control unit should not trip out on you for drawing too much current. I read on here that the control unit can handle 8 amps and it seems to work for me.
One other thing I had issues with. I had power drop outs in places on my track. I was using the Carrera wire taps and getting no improvement. I switched to good speaker wire and have had no problems since. Not sure why.
This is just how it worked for me, so please be careful and listen to smarter folks who might say I am wrong.
I think the black box is limited to less amps also? Not sure about that. You might need to check.