# Smoking Buildings



## SBRacing (Mar 11, 2015)

So can I buy a Lionel train smoke unit and place it in a building and run wires to a small transformer to control the amount of smoke? These will be for my Ho scale buildings. And yes ill have to build some type of "pipe" to channel the smoke to the actual smoke stack.


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## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

SBRacing said:


> So can I buy a Lionel train smoke unit and place it in a building and run wires to a small transformer to control the amount of smoke? These will be for my Ho scale buildings. And yes ill have to build some type of "pipe" to channel the smoke to the actual smoke stack.



Good question.......I think voltage to the smoke unit is a consideration........no more than 6 volts or you can burn out the resistor..........but wait for Gunrunner John to chime in....he is the expert.

-Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you use an O-scale "dumb" Lionel smoke unit, they have a 27 ohm resistor and an internal regulator for the fan. They will smoke pretty well on around 8-9 volts and really well on 12 volts. You'll have to "fine tune" the voltage for the quantity of smoke you want to obtain from the building. You can probably simulate "building on fire" if you use more than 12 volts.

This is an example of the smoke unit I speak of.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> If you use an O-scale "dumb" Lionel smoke unit, they have a 27 ohm resistor and an internal regulator for the fan. They will smoke pretty well on around 8-9 volts and really well on 12 volts. You'll have to "fine tune" the voltage for the quantity of smoke you want to obtain from the building. You can probably simulate "building on fire" if you use more than 12 volts.


And add some flickering LED's for the flames. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> If you use an O-scale "dumb" Lionel smoke unit, they have a 27 ohm resistor and an internal regulator for the fan. They will smoke pretty well on around 8-9 volts and really well on 12 volts. You'll have to "fine tune" the voltage for the quantity of smoke you want to obtain from the building. You can probably simulate "building on fire" if you use more than 12 volts.
> 
> This is an example of the smoke unit I speak of.


John, I am glad this topic was brought up.......I am a bit confused, if you apply too much voltage doesn't the windings on the resistor tend to burn up.....how much voltage can you safely apply? And at what point do you need an AC regulator........

Am I interpreting this correctly that I can safely buy a Lionel run of the mill smoke unit and apply 12 volts AC via a wall wart and it run without issue? If yes, will 12 volt DC be ok too?

Thanks

-Pete


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yes, too much voltage (and power) will cook the resistor.

People run the 27 ohm resistor models off track power for conventional use. 12V dissipates around 5.3 watts in the resistor, that's a pretty normal load. I wouldn't run it at 18 volts, that rockets the power to 12 watts. You'll get a lot of smoke, at least for a spell. 

In TMCC locomotives with the 27 ohm resistor, they typically run on around 9 volts, which is just a half-wave track power. When you hold down the smoke on key, you get "boost", that's 18 volts power to the smoke unit. As long as you don't hold the boost too long, it doesn't kill anything.

You can run them on AC or DC, you just have to make sure the DC is the correct polarity of the fan won't run. If the fan doesn't run using DC, just swap the power leads. You can vary the voltage down a bit if you get too much smoke at 12 volts.


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## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

Thanks for clearing that up for me, John!

-Pete


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## SBRacing (Mar 11, 2015)

Thanks for info. I do have a building on fire simulated my flashing lights, ill add smoke to that one and my budweiser brewery. Could I hook up to smoake units in a circut or parallel.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Sure, as long as you have enough power in the supply. Each smoke unit on 12 volts will draw a bit less than 1/2 an amp.


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