Track size vs. power supply

[Fast_Eddie]

Hello to all :)
Over the last few months I have been collecting AFX special track sections ...like hairpin turns , bank turns , squeeze track....etc...plus picked up a AFX track pack. I have a 8x8foot table to lay this all down and started with it tonight. Its already getting pretty good sized and i have a lot of track and room on the table. So I'm wondering as a general rule just how big can a track layout can get before another power supply is needed? And would I just plug in another power supply in a different part of the track? ( i have a extra power supply and track terminal )

[RichD]

It is the cars that use power, not the track. Depending on what sort of cars you are running the sort of power supply that comes with a set may be too skimpy, even if you use one power supply per lane. Every track joint is a potential problem, so the longer the track is the more likely it will be that there will be a bad joint somewhere, however you can take measurements to check for bad joints. If the joints are all good you won't need any jumpers, but it would not hurt to plan on having a few sets of jumpers on a longer track.
You might want to take a look at this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r_mey6 ... sp=sharing

[Fast_Eddie]

[RichD]

AFX track makes good connections, so the clips may only be necessary in a few places. With sectional track there is often a few places that do not want to match up perfectly and that is where the clips are useful.
With an 8X8 foot table the center is going to be difficult to reach, so it would be best to avoid having the tricky sections located there.

[HO RacePro]

Just to expand on RichD's authoritative explanations -- power issues with a large track cannot be addressed by installing a more powerful power supply. Any issues would be due to resistance in the track's power conductors. The best power supply in the world simply won't fix it. It would be like installing a race-tuned turbo-charged engine in a car with a flat tire.

The problem with poor electrical connections is that each bad connection reduces the voltage supplying power to the car. The amount of voltage drop is dependent on the amps going to the car, but no matter, bad connections reduce voltage, and reduced voltage means reduced power.

The only fixes are better connections or jumpers. Poor connections should be fixed, but there are an awful lot of connections if you are racing on sectional plastic track, and there is a limit to just how good those connections can be. Ultimately jumpers are required on a track when it gets truly large. Even with the best connections there can be a significant power drop on a large track as measured at a distance from the power supply. Jumpers can fix that.

Routed tracks usually have less issues with power drop due to fewer connections, and in some cases better power conductors. A modest-sized routed track with braid power conductors can usually do perfectly well without jumpers.

Ed Bianchi

[Fast_Eddie]

[RichD]

My table is 4X16 feet and the table legs are only two feet long, but it it is still difficult to reach across the table to reach cars that have come off at the back side. There is enough space to walk all around the table, so the reach is not a problem when I am having a formal race. If you are only going to use your track for casual running you can use grabbers or a stick with a Neo magnet on the end to retrieve the cars, you would not want to do that during an actual race. In that 8X8 foot space 65 feet of track is about the maximum that you can squeeze in unless parts of the track are elevated so they can overlap. 65 feet is not terribly long, so jumpers may not be needed when the joints are all good. There is a possible hitch when you may be using used track that is not in good shape, in that case it is likely that you will see a voltage drop as the cars get further away from the place where the power comes in. You can shine up the connections using a Dremel with a wire brush and also use contact cleaner on the joints to improve the connections.