# Many small boosters vs one large booster?



## videobruce (Jun 15, 2011)

What is the disadvantage of running a single large booster with enough reserve capability and separate breakers for each power district vs running a number of smaller boosters and the same number of breakers (one for each power district)?

Example;
20 amp total requirement,
10 power districts with a CB for each district.

One 20 amp booster (assuming there is such a thing) vs five, four amp boosters. 20 amps capacity either way, same number of districts, each with a breaker.

Is there a issue for block occupancy?


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

It will not make a difference if it is one large booster versus a bunch of small boosters. They just give more amps for things to run so both setup properly will work. Now I have not looked into block occupancy in depth but I believe that as long as each block is seperated and breakered as you are thinking it will work fine with one large one or a bunch of small.


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

As a communications person speaking, I would have to say that having multiple smaller boosters would by far be better for both reliability and efficiency. If one booster goes out, you arent completely dead in the water and additionally, it spreads the work load over several pieces of equipment vice one single point of failure. Also your wiring is shorter to get to the power districts so you have less signal degredation and resistance loss.

But that's just my opinion.


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## videobruce (Jun 15, 2011)

> Also your wiring is shorter to get to the power districts so you have less signal degredation and resistance loss.


Ok, but what is the difference between multiple supplies and just one, since the distance between the command station (if that is the correct term) and the actual track feeders are the same?
The data leaves the throttle before the booster, correct? The data path is the entire distance, correct?


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

Think of it with a water hose. Think of the command module as a water source, the boosters as the pumps/spigots, and the hoses as the feeder lines running to the track. If you have one pump and one spigot that has many splitters, the water will travel further and require more force to reach the endpoints, so it merely trickles out of each hose. But if you have many pumps, each with its own spigot and only one or two hoses, the pressure is much greater coming out of each hose. 

Digitrax uses standard phone cable to tie the boosters to the command module and those cables only pass data, no power. Because there are no splices (for the feeder drops to the track), the signal can travel further with less degredation. So you can place the multiple boosters closer to the districts they feed, hence making your power/data lines to the track much shorter.

Make sense, or did I confuse you even more? Maybe I need to do up a drawing or something...........


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

this is all true but the loss is very small for it unless you are running say 500 feet of wire from the booster to the track each. the booster pumps out the same amount of 20 amps to each wire so if I had say ten wires in one booster going to blocks and are the same distance then they will all get 20 amps per block at whatever the system voltage is. it just isn't ussually a problem with the distance. It is a lot more reliable using AC to power the rails as it can travel a lot farther then DC can on themso where on a layout where you used to need two feeders for DC now you would need maybe 1-1 1/2 feeders.

But as mentioned it is better to have more then one fail point for blocks because if that one booster goes then you only have the power supplied by the command station while if one blows and you have other boosters for blocks you can simply open a switch that allows one booster to handle the blocks of two boosters normally so it is not a huge loss.


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## videobruce (Jun 15, 2011)

> If you have one pump and one spigot that has many splitters, the water will travel further and require more force to reach the endpoints


I know it's easy and convenient to use water as an example for electricity, but first off, the distance is the same. Second, between one 5 amp booster vs five one amp boosters, the available current is the same.


> Digitrax uses standard phone cable to tie the boosters to the command module and those cables only pass data,


This I wasn't clear on. Is it just Digitrax that does this, or are all systems doing the same? I thought power & data left the command station with all manufactures.

Is this the "Loconet" part? I haven't gotten to the point of choosing one system over the other yet.


> so where on a layout where you used to need two feeders for DC now you would need maybe 1-1 1/2 feeders.


BUT, isn't that advantage is canceled by the fact, due to short circuit protection, you have to use shorter runs between the breakers and the feed points?


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

videobruce said:


> BUT, isn't that advantage is canceled by the fact, due to short circuit protection, you have to use shorter runs between the breakers and the feed points?


Not sure what you mean by that. DCC uses AC power so it travels farther without degradation compared to DC. The actual loss in it from booster to track is almost invisible. The breaker will blow if you use more then the 5 amps a 5 amp booster can supply. each engine generaly uses .5 amps and 1 amp for sound.the actual amps lost in the wire is just about 0 or maybe .1 or .2 of an amp. If you used copper wire it would be even lower.


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## videobruce (Jun 15, 2011)

For the breakers to trip properly, every book I read says a short run between each breaker and it's feed point.


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

It's not the amperage you lose, its the digital signal. Sure 20 amps is 20 amps, but so is resistance. I dont know how the other manufactures setup thier boosters, but Digitrax uses the Loconet to tie all the boosters to the command module, with each booster having its own power cord. So to get from the command to the booster is just data running over the Loconet. Hence why I said the lines will be shorter from the booster to the track.










The top box is the layout with four districts and one booster. You have distro cables going out and feeders coming off to the tracks. The second box is the same four districts, but with four smaller boosters. The distro cables and feeders dont have to travel nearly as far and the Loconet ties all the boosters to the command module. But this is just for Digitrax, I dont know how the others hook up.


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

cabledawg said:


> It's not the amperage you lose, its the digital signal. Sure 20 amps is 20 amps, but so is resistance. I dont know how the other manufactures setup thier boosters, but Digitrax uses the Loconet to tie all the boosters to the command module, with each booster having its own power cord. So to get from the command to the booster is just data running over the Loconet. Hence why I said the lines will be shorter from the booster to the track.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The digital signal is just an increase or decrease in AC voltage. very small but its just a change in that frequency or voltage. I don't think you loose any ever. if it is an unprotected cable and is long enough you can get interference but that depends on what thing you are talking about. I only know the interference to happen with DMX signals in Dj lighting and interference that can happen to rc planes and what not. The cable used to transmit the DCC has to bounce from one booster to the other. the way the Digitrax system is setup. now for bachmann the cable that gos to the track is switched and goes to the booster then to the track. this works because it is just an increase or decrease in voltage for a fraction of a second.


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## videobruce (Jun 15, 2011)

> So to get from the command to the booster is just data running over the Loconet.


Instead of data and power from the command station, its' only data, the 'AC' is only from the "booster", no AC from the command station., correct?
With all/most others it is both data and AC?

Assuming the above is correct, what are the pros and cons of their system?


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

all the systems are about the same some with AC and data going through and some just data. Their isn't really a pro or con with either. If the cable gets pinched or broken you loose it all either way no real advantage. Bachmann boosters still require a power supply seperate from the command station because it is supplying more amps. It is basically the same as the Digitrax except instead of using a phone cable it uses standard + - wire. The only disadvantage and it might not even exist is that the Bachmann booster might not be able to communicate with the command station like a Digitrax does I think.


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