PSXX Manual Rev: A Software Rev: F
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district. If you have a single booster for a power district, you still want a PSXX-1 protecting
that district. The reason is that the protective circuitry in the booster is designed to protect
the booster, NOT your $1000 fully lit, full sound, decoder equipped, fully detailed scale
model. The PSXX series IS designed to protect your models. For the multiple power
district per booster, you want to use a PSXX-2 or PSXX-3, . Each PSXX feeds a district,
and the inputs of the PSXX are daisy chained together to a single booster.
Probably the best way to determine where to place power districts is to take a look at the
expected current draw [primarily locomotive motors which use power] for each operating
location on the layout. For example, a busy yard might have several switchers, one or
more trains on the arrival and departure tracks, another train or two passing the yard on
the main, and maybe a peddler local working nearby industries. If some or all of these
trains have more than one locomotive, you could have 10 to 15 current drawing units all
competing for power in a fairly small area. Assuming all the locomotives have efficient
motors, this type of power requirement [amps] may be large enough to overload a DCC
system powered from one 5 Amp booster. For example, if you have four PSXX set to the
default current, each PSXX will trip at 2 amperes. If each power district draws 2 amperes,
that is a total of 8 amperes. None of the PSXX will trip, but your 5 amp booster will certainly
shut down. You can solve this by lowering the trip current on each of the four PSXX,
getting a booster with a higher current rating, or splitting the four districts on one booster
to two districts on each of two boosters
.
If you are using both PSXX circuit breakers and PSX-AR auto reversers on a layout make sure
the PSX-AR J1 input is taking power from the J2 DCC track output of the PSXX
When PSXX are used with PSX-AR, the PSX-AR trip rate must be equal to or less than the
trip rate of the PSXX. If PSXX trip rate = 2amps, then PSX-AR trip rate must be =/less than
2amps. Reference your PSX-AR manual for setting trip rate.
