# Power Supply Problem



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

My modest garden railroad is powered by a used Aristocraft 5460 and Train Engineer 5470. After working fine for a couple years the power supply recently died. One day when I turned it on, it vibrated loudly and the needle on the amp meter swung back and forth. I quickly turned it off, disconnected the output wires, opened it up to look for any obvious problems, and tried again. It again vibrated and after a couple seconds I heard a "Pop", and it went dead. The "pop" was a blown component that appears to be a thermal fuse wired into one of the 110 Volt incoming power wires. I could probably track down a replacement fuse, but replacing the fuse might not address whatever problem led it to blow. Does anyone have any insight on the probable nature of the problem or how to get it fixed? Could the rectifier or one of the capacitors be the culprit? Any suggestions are welcome. 

Thank you. 
David


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Sounds like a short in the primary side of the transformer. Throw it away, and pick up a regulated switching power supply, about $70-80 and better power. 

Greg


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I assume that something in the 18-20 volt range and up to 10 amps would be good, and I can afford $70-80. I did not readily find something matching this description online, but I'll keep looking. Do you have any suggestions regarding a brand or a place to purchase a good regulated power supply? 

Thank you so much for what sounds like good advice. 
David


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

24 volts is pretty much the top voltage you will need, and look for a Meanwell supply, 24 volts at 10 amps... I think I got mine from J&R electronics, search on Meanwell. 

Many people here (including myself) use them. You will need to supply your own 120v cord, $5 from home despot. 

Greg


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

This where I got mine. Later RJD
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...=10001&pa=693581&productId=693581&keyCode=PDF


----------



## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Posted By aceinspp on 15 May 2011 05:02 PM 
This where I got mine. Later RJD
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...=10001&pa=693581&productId=693581&keyCode=PDF 


Yup, I bought my 3 packs from here as well, Golly these are great packs. And they work every time........................









Thanks again Greg for letting us know about these great Power Packs...............









You BETCHA, LOL........................


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I found a Meanwell 24 volt 13.5 amp power supply online and intend to purchase it soon. A couple more questions: Can I simply hook the 24 volt power supply to my Aristocraft 5470 controller, or is it more complicated? Is it OK to run standard aristocraft engines (and the lights on the cars) on the full 24 volts? 

Thanks much for the guidance. You guys are sure great to support people like me. 

David


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

David:

As long as you have the TE controller between the power supply and the track you should be OK. You will be adjusting the voltage to the track with the TE. 


Remember that you must connect the positive (+) output on the power supply to the positive (+) input on the TE controller box. Otherwise you will blow the fuse in the TE box. If you are going to run trains on the track that exceed 3 amps, you will need to get a cooling fan for the box. At least I did on mine. I don't remember the maximum power you can (should) run through the controller, but my guess is that 13 amps would be too much.


Aristo has cooling fans for the TE boxes. Most Aristo dealers either have them or can easily get them.


Chuck


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Ditto on the fan... put it on no matter what... I think you can also purchase a fan from Radio Shack if you strike out elsewhere. 

Greg


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I ordered the meanwell power supply. It is good to know that the TE will limit any excess voltage. I believe the TE is rated at 10 Amps, but I assume that if I attempted to pull more than that it would just blow the fuse in the TE. In any case I'm unlikely to do that because I'm currently running only one loco and a few cars at a time on a level surface. I'll also look into the fan. I've been aware of them, but with my limited power use thus far I figured I could get by. At some point I'll be expanding the track and the power demands, so I'll definitely get it by then. Thanks again for the advice. You guys are great. 

David


----------



## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

We've done up to 13 AMPs, But not for any great length of time.................


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

start looking for the aristo fan kit now, so you will find it at a good price by the time you get it. If it's rated 3 amps w/o fan, then only run one loco and not huge trains... 

Greg


----------



## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

The 27mhz trackside was originally spec'd at 5 amps, but changed to over 3 amps needing a fan. 

I always installed fans on mine, cooler is better for electronics. 

Internal connector supplies 12 volts via a 7812 regulator, and I always used fans from old PC power supplies...cost was $0.00.


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

It would be nice to have a picture of where the fan connects, I would put it on my web site. I assume there is a connector on the main board? 

Greg


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

It has been a number of years since I installed my fan, but I think it plugs into the top of the board. It is necessary to cut out a cloth screen to get to the board. The fan assembly then is screwed in on top of the board. I think that it is less than a 10 minute operation.

Chuck 


The instructions for installing the fan are in the booklet that came in the original TE box.


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I like the idea of getting a fan going. My defunct Aristo power supply 5460 has a fan installed inside. It looks like it is about the same size as the external fan Aristo makes to mount on the TE receiver, and I assume that it would have about the same power requirements. I was thinking about seeing if I could mount it on top of the receiver and get that to work. Any reason that might be a bad idea? 

David


----------



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Greg,
There were 2 versions. Both are attached here. The one with the circuit board, the FAN connector is in the center. The one with the case has 2 terminals on the outside to land the wires. 

Mark


















Regards,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I pulled the fan out of my dead Aristo 5460 power supply, and my guess is that it is the exact same part that aristo sells to attach to the top of the TE 5470. The fan is listed at 24 volts, the mounting holes match perfectly, and it already has the clip that attaches directly the circuit board (picture #1 above). I can't test it until the new power supply arrives, but it sure looks like the perfect part for the job. Thanks again for the reminders about the importance of the fan. 

David


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Great Mark, may I have permission to put those 2 pictures on my site? I think the pictures would make people more comfortable fitting the fans themselves with those pictures. 

Interesting about the 24v fan, that way it does not run super fast at the 12v. 

Greg


----------



## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Once again I will tell you that the fan connector inside the unit is 12 volt, not 24 volt. Power comes from a 7812 regulator. 

You can use the 24volt fan, but connect it to the power coming into the receiver. 

And if using the 12 volt connector, verify the polarity before installing the fan. I have found fans to have been wired both ways on the connector. 

Red is positive and blue or black is negative on all the fans I have seen.


----------



## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Greg,
Yes go ahead and use them.
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Mark!

*http://www.elmassian.com/trains-mai...n-engineer*

Regards, Greg


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

Thanks for the observation about polarity on the connector. I'll double check that. The fan I took from the 5460 power supply was running on 18 volts. I suppose if I plug it into the 12 volt socket it will run a bit slower, and if I wire it to the power coming into the receiver it will run faster. I'm eager to get the new power supply and get everything running again. 

David


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

No danger on it running fast, i.e. at full rated voltage, just noisy. You don't need max airflow to keep the system cool, as far as I have been told.. 

Greg


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

Thanks for the clarification. I noticed that the fans sold online specifically for the TE receiver are indeed 12 volts, so I'll wire my old 24 volt power supply fan to the power coming into the receiver and see how well that works. I'll be careful about polarity. 

David


----------



## Daydoo (Jan 6, 2010)

I got the new power supply, a Meanwell SP-320-24, and got it all hooked up with the fan attached directly to the 24 volt power supply. It all works great. Thanks again for the guidance on this.


----------

