6v Controller & Tomytech Portram

[Garth]

A good throttle for running the Port Tram is a Z-scale one put out by Akia and it is rated at less than an amp at 10vdc. You can find it under Other Z at Hobby Search. It will also be made in different colours and with the Crown PRMLoco name on it in the near future.

 

For n-scale unless you are running alot of engines at the same time you do not need more than one amp. Most of out motors draw .3 of an amp while running.

 

If you use a power supply with excess amps and you hae a short you are going to burn something up so put a lamp in the line like the brake light of a car then if you short someting out the filament lights up and things wil get worm at the site of the short but do not usually burn up.

 

The best type of throttle for the Port Tram and other low current devices (which most modern N-scale qualify as) is a transistorized Throttle where the reostat or potentiometer is controlling the bias of a transistor which regulates the voltage to the track and the motor. With older transformers with wire wound potentiometers as they age you loose the isolation or insulation on the bottom windings and they short out so the thing starts at 3 or 4 volts instead of 0v. 

 

 

In general you should be able to run 3 modern N-scale engines on 1 amp power supply without a problem and using older motors the limit might be 2 engines. If you go all the way back to the open frame type motors of treble O then only 1.

 

Cheers Garth

[CaptOblivious]

Toni, that's correct!

 

And: Thanks, Garth, that's very helpful.

 

In general you should be able to run 3 modern N-scale engines on 1 amp power supply without a problem and using older motors the limit might be 2 engines. If you go all the way back to the open frame type motors of treble O then only 1.

 

Or, if it's like my Super Hitachi, with high-draw bulbs lighting each car, you're doing good to run even just that one (it makes my Tomix throttle heat up really warm after just a few minutes running).

[Bernard]

Okay through trial and error I found a solution and at no additional cost to me.

From Bill's previous post, I learned that the Portram works best at 6v and he uses the Tomix battery controller to accomplish this which is perfect for this tram. Since I'm using it on a permanent layout I wanted to use an electric power supply that would co-exist with what I'm already using. Here is what I came up with:

I found 2 controllers from an Aurora race car set to regular the flow of current to the track. I hooked them up to the DC fixed posts on one of the transformers I am using on another line then from the controllers hooked them up to the individual tracks. I works beautifully! Here is a photo of the controllers:

[CaptOblivious]

cool! How do those things work? What's the one on the right, specifically?

[Bernard]

cool! How do those things work? What's the one on the right, specifically?

Don - They're really the same controller but different years that they were made (back in the 60s and you weren't even born. )

They are to Aurora Modelling Motoring race car sets which are attached to a 12v transformer. I had them in storage and thought if they worked on the race cars why not the Portrams? And they do. I'll post videos of the results.