10-05-2009, 09:01 AM
If you run the smoke unit from the track, which in DCC the power is always on, then the chances are that unless the user is really careful, when the smoke unit runs dry it will overheat and melt the loco body.
If the decoder is of such a low spec. that it doesn't have any accessory outputs then attaching the smoke unit to the motor contacts will almost certainly overload the decoder and destroy it.
What's needed is a decoder that can cope with the extra power consumption that a smoke unit draws, such as a Digitrax DN121 or similar. The correct smoke unit is vital too. If the loco has a plastic body then I would suggest using a Seuthe #22 which is specifically designed for the purpose. Power consumption of the Seuthe #22 is 140mA.
If the decoder is of such a low spec. that it doesn't have any accessory outputs then attaching the smoke unit to the motor contacts will almost certainly overload the decoder and destroy it.
What's needed is a decoder that can cope with the extra power consumption that a smoke unit draws, such as a Digitrax DN121 or similar. The correct smoke unit is vital too. If the loco has a plastic body then I would suggest using a Seuthe #22 which is specifically designed for the purpose. Power consumption of the Seuthe #22 is 140mA.