74 VDC



I'm ignorant and I can prove it
I'm NOT RESPONSIBLE for any smoke coming from your electronic devices if you listen to any of my ramblings. My background in electronics is from 30 years plus ago in the Navy. The closest in silicon chips they had then was a triode. That's like comparing an ant hill to an Egyptian Pyramid. I hope you get my drift
UPDATE: I've burned out TWO ( 2 ) power supplies on my newest Lap Top computer plugging it in to the 74 VDC on the locomotive. So let it be known, it does not always work out. It worked for about 1 Hour then power supply went DEAD and I mean DEAD. I be a slow learner, had to try it twice at $45 a pop. I now us a LOCOVERTER UNIT
	YES! You can get away with plugging some of your new electronic devices in to the 74 VDC plug on the locomotive. But you need to check some things out first before you try it. Look on the backside of you power supply. Most of it will be Greek to you. What is important is the INPUT, to prevent the smoke factor. NOTE: Any Cell phone will work with the correct power supply. The wattage requirements are very low for cell phones.
	If the input on your power supply says 100 Volts, 110 Volts or 120 Volts. DO NOT even try plugging in to the 74 VDC on the locomotive. You will SMOKE your power supply. It will not handle it. What else will happen I have not a clue. My guess is your power supply will have a major melt down. You will be replacing your power supply.
	This is what you want it to say on the INPUT: 100 – 240 VOLTS. This is a dead give away your power supply has what is called "Voltage detection Circuitry". Different manufactures refer to it with different wording but you will know. It all has the same ring to it. Most of your newer electronics are designed for Over Seas and USA use. They finial caught on. If your cell phone power supply does not, I guarantee you can buy a TRAVEL power supply for it, that will work. Yes they cost more, but what’s new about that.
	THAT DOG DON’T HUNT ! Even though your power INPUT says 100-240V, it might not work. Now we need to look at the OUTPUT on the power supply. Here I am in the dark. I do not know what the cut off point is for WATTAGE requirements. This is where I will need your help on feedback so I can post what the wattage limit is. What I do know is my laptop works like a champ. But I have a very special chip set that is made for low power consumption. My total power requirement is 40 Watts. I have a very small screen, 10.5 inches. With a wimpy video card by today’s standards. I also know that the new Centrino 1.7 mhz 15 inch screen works with 512 mg of ram. I also know that there are a lot of other laptops that do not work, because they are power hungry mongrels. The new AMD Athlon 64 chip by it self takes 62 Watts. That does not count everything else inside. You get it. More power Scotty!. YOU CAN FRY YOUR POWER SUPPLY DOING THIS
JIM CALLOWS DOG

Don’t panic, there is HELP for those who have wattage requirements that are above what the 74 VDC will deliver through a Voltage Detection Circuitry power supply. I know of three outfits that can save the day. But only one is priced within reason and already configured for your needs. I will not list links to others account one is $800 but it will run your big screen TV, Popcorn popper, and dishwasher all at once. It is large and heavy. The other you have to do some wiring yourself, and modify. I am not about to talk you through that.

Thank God for LOCOVERTER. This outfit is the best friend the T&E crews has when it comes to powering electronic devices. They are staffed with an electronic engineer with a degree in the field. This company has the railroad workers square center in the bulls’ eye. I’ve had several correspondences with them and I am impressed in every area. Including customer support. Something a lot of outfits neglect. The main difference between them and myself is, they are up to date on current electronics and use a slide rule. I on the other hand am out of date in the field of electronics and use the smoke test method. The pros to my method is it is faster in development, The cons is you sometimes need a fat wallet and ways to hid your screw up from the wife. In my defense my method does prove the pros wrong sometimes. If it works, it works. But when it don’t, ooooouch! Locoverter is offering a 100 Watt 150 Watt, and 200 Watt Converter. This company has you covered. They sell package deals that give you everything you need to power up. You won’t go wrong as long as you get the correct set up. Now they even have an ALL-IN-ONE unit, 100 watt and 150 watt. What wattage do you need? How do you know? Answer is simple. Look at the OUTPUT data on your power supply. Take the Voltage times the Amperage this equals the wattage required. Volts x Amps = Watts I would defiantly recommend LOCOVETER for anyone who does not want to gamble. Or anyone who has a wattage requirement beyond what my method will support. And I really would appreciate feedback on what combinations work and don’t work with my method. Like to post it for all to know. In the event I'm all wet on plugging straight in to 74 VDC, you can send your model number to LOCOVERTER and they will look up the replacement power supply and get the exact wattage needed. But I don't think that will happen if your paid attention to what I already told you.

FOOT NOTE: You will need a CONVERTER and an INVETERTER. The converter changes the 74 VDC to 12 VDC. The inverter changes the 12 VDC to 120 VAC like your home wall socket .These are two separate units. Match wattage as close as possible, the lower of the two will be what you end up with for wattage output. LOCOVERTER sells a package deal that includes everything you need. They also do custom Orders. The ALL-IN-ONE unit is a Coverter and Inverterer in one package.

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