DCC Booster

[prebres]

I am getting to the point where I think a booster will be necessary for my layout. What do you fine train-folk think of the boosters offered by CVP? A 5A system for less than $100 sounds good. But will it work with my EZ Command?

[grumpy]

It should work with your EZcommand and the price is reasonable. I ,myself just increased the power supply with a Digitrax 5 amp power supply that was given to me. A larger power supply should cost less than a booster.
Don

[prebres]

So Grumpy,

You are saying that I can just put in a larger capacity power supply in place of the wall wart that I got from Bachmann?

[Yampa Bob]

Others have said that if you input the EZ Command with any power supply other than the one supplied, you do so at your own risk, and I was also told the internal breaker is rated at 1.5 amps.  Enough said.   

The units offered by CVP appear to be true boosters, not just a larger power supply for the command station.  You will notice the command station is hooked up to the booster, and only the booster is connected to the track. In other words it boosts the power from the command station.  The command station is powered by its own supply as usual.  I assume the booster has proper input receptacles to connect the command station output to it. 

I downloaded the instructions and price list from CVP.  It is a 7 amp system and requires a separate power supply, so the total cost for the single would be more like $150.  I didn't see a 5 amp booster for less than $100.  What is the model?

The dual system has an automatic reverse loop module built into the unit. I only did a quick read, so it may have many other nice features.

We have been advised in this forum that the EZ Command will power from 3 to 5  non sound locos without using a booster.  With my small layout that is sufficient for my needs.  I can't see a single operator running more than 2 or 3 locos at one time on a small layout. 

My only comment is, if the units do what they say, then the price seems reasonable compared to other models on the market. 

Bob

[prebres]

My bad, Yampa Bob. I did not realize that a separate power supply for the booster was required. A booster can not be had for under $100.

[Yampa Bob]

I'll study it more later. I didn't see any note in the spec sheet that the power supply was included, but the one they recommend costs $55.  Another case of "batteries not included", but it is still a very good price overall.

Maybe they assume one already has a suitable supply, but most companies prefer to use their own.  They should just make it as a package, as it is a bit misleading.

Bob

[Hunt]

CVP Products makes excellent DCC products and I know of no reason to prevent their ZoneMaster Boosters use with the E-Z Command Control Center unit. Download the brochure and instruction manual and carefully read about the ZoneMaster Boosters. http://www.cvpusa.com



The power supply provided with the E-Z Command Control Center (Bachmann’s command station) is compatible with the circuitry and electrical components in the command station. Bachmann list the power rating of the system as 1.5 amps.

If you add a more powerful power supply as grumpy has done, you are potently creating a hazard and are dependant on the overload protection in the command station. You do not know how robust the overload protection is. The E-Z Command Control Center can not sustain a current draw anything close to 5 amps.

I recommend: Never use a power supply (transformer) with any DCC system component that is not rating compatible.

Here is what Bachmann recommends,
"The E-Z Command Control System is rated at 1.5 amps. You should use the transformer supplied with the unit.  If you need additional power then you should connect your E-Z Command to a more powerful DCC booster for more power."

[CHUG]

If hunt garantees the zonemaster with the ez command its gospel and go for it you see. Hes been posting excellent advice along time on here and if there was a problem with that he would know it. Meter your connections for a while and it should be fine and so forth. Yampa bob you may want to leave the driving to greyhound and yield your time to hunt on this with do respect since your only a model trainer for a short time and hunts been at it and advice way longer. Thanks.

[grumpy]

 Hunt:               Somewhere on another forum I read that pigs don't fly and I could assume this to be true because nobody has ever seen a pig fly . I was watching a tv commercial some time ago  and as part of the commercial they showed a pig flying . Pigs must fly ,the supplier said they do and to prove it they showed me a pig flying yet I have not personally seen a pig fly.                                                                                                  I do not personally suggest that everyone should add a bigger power supply rather than a booster but it works for me. The price of another
ez command is about $80.00. The price of Bachman's booster is about $200.00. I wonder how many boosters Bachman  has sold as a result of people being told that EZcommand is only fused for 1.5 amp which doesn.t make sense in the light of how many locos we have been told have been run by some modelers on EZ command.
How many people bought Pintos and Corvairs based on advertising and a sharp salesman until Ralph Nader showed up. I am not suggesting that Bachman is try to deceive us but it is good to question now and then, it helps to keep things straight.
Don

[Hunt]

If hunt garantees the zonemaster with the ez command its gospel and go for it you see. Hes been posting excellent advice along time on here and if there was a problem with that he would know it. Meter your connections for a while and it should be fine and so forth. Yampa bob you may want to leave the driving to greyhound and yield your time to hunt on this with do respect since your only a model trainer for a short time and hunts been at it and advice way longer. Thanks.

CHUG, I did not see Bob’s reply before I posted my replied. What Bob wrote in this thread is okay.

When Bob first started to post on this board as Yampa Bob his desire to help got ahead of his knowledge and lead to some stuff I suppose based on assumptions and misunderstands. In a few posts, erroneous information he provided was corrected by Jim Banner, me and others. I don’t read everything he posts but the little I have read lately he seems to have put in some effort to get his facts right. My point --- anyone who has relevant factual information should be allowed to provide it.

[Hunt]

Hunt:               Somewhere on another forum I read that pigs don't fly and I could assume this to be true because nobody has ever seen a pig fly . I was watching a tv commercial some time ago  and as part of the commercial they showed a pig flying . Pigs must fly ,the supplier said they do and to prove it they showed me a pig flying yet I have not personally seen a pig fly.                                                                                                  I do not personally suggest that everyone should add a bigger power supply rather than a booster but it works for me. The price of another
ez command is about $80.00. The price of Bachman's booster is about $200.00. I wonder how many boosters Bachman  has sold as a result of people being told that EZcommand is only fused for 1.5 amp which doesn.t make sense in the light of how many locos we have been told have been run by some modelers on EZ command.
How many people bought Pintos and Corvairs based on advertising and a sharp salesman until Ralph Nader showed up. I am not suggesting that Bachman is try to deceive us but it is good to question now and then, it helps to keep things straight.
Don

Don,
Your logic supported by a flying pig is without merit!

Now get real... What is the sustained amps you are drawing with maximum number of locomotives you have on track drawing power? You are doing it, so you know it is not more than the overload protection in the command station you have but is just above the power the Bachmann supplied transformer would deliver.

You should be concerned with someone adding a transformer based on your "I do it" and ruining their command station and something else. Your solution is a potential hazard waiting to happen.

[Yampa Bob]

How would you know Chug? You were only born yesterday, at least you act like it.

I don't mind being corrected if I am wrong, and always admit it when showed the facts.  What I do mind is for a brown nose troll to evaluate my electronic experience and education, or my contributions to this forum. 

I don't post anything that I can't back up with facts. My response to Paul's question was right on, based solely on information at the website.

The electronics of model railroading is very small compared to the vast expanse of digital technology.  I have implemented digital packets for radio/gps for tracking emergency responders for many years and NIMS certified, so my longevity as a railroader is irrelevant.

In a typical clubhouse, idiotic innuendos and ridicule would not be allowed.  Perhaps Mr Bachman should evaluate the membership of trolls who contribute nothing worthwhile to this forum.

Yampa Bob

[CHUG]

yampa bob you took a wrong take on my words you see. No intent to diminish your interest, enthusiasm or contribution to the forum. Simple fact is hunt is a gold standard in this forum. If i needed advice on optics for spaceships or littleton trivia id ask you and so forth. Thanks

[grumpy]

Hunt
Why should I be concerned . According to you my logic has no merit
and therefore no one will listen to me .I would like to know what tragic results will occur. If you put 4 locos with DCC in a consist you have exceeded the fused limit of 1 .50 amp which is supposed to be the fused limit of EZcommand (4 x .50 = 2.00 ) . We have had many claims of  people exceeding this on this forum. The assumption I have made here is that .50 amp is fairly typical  of a train with a load on DCC . If you drop the no . of units to three ; depending on loco and dcc decoder  the 1.2 amps they may typicaly draw is just on the edge of the 1.amp power supply and below the so called 1.5 amp fused limit.
I have seen peop;le on this forum claim to have run 8 and 10 locos which you definitely can't do.
If you add sound to the equation you can only run 1 loco with no consist.
If you want to run 2 locos with dcc and sound you either have to buy a booster or bigger power supply. The cost of the power supply being free
and the booster being $200.00 I opted for the bigger power booster,and it worked and so I passed the information on.I originally put this in one of the threads a few months ago and asked Bachman to comment - no comment then or now. If Bachman was considering that I was giving out bad informayion I am sure they would have spoke up by now.
Hunt , a thought just occured to me ; are you in fact speaking for Bachman on this thread to discourage my input to the thread. I would like to see you discontinue expressing your opinions as fact . You have opinions as I have and you are entitled to express them  as opinions The facts that I have expressed here I arrived at by experimentation. In my experimentation I have blown nothing up ;in fact nothing got hot. My locos are still running fine and so is my EZcommand.
I passed this information on and that is it .
Don

[grumpy]

I meant to say power supply and not power booster . Sorry for the error.
Don