Can I run 4 pf train motors off of one IR Rec.

[edsmith0075]

Hey crew,

As my lego train hobby has grown as too has the length of my trains. I am currently in need of adding two more PF Train motors to the already 2 train motors on the primary loco. Is there a way I can set this up. Right now I have to use an extra loco with 2 PF train motors with the reciever set to the same frequency as the primary loco. This works ok, but I would like to only use one Ir reciever.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I plan to build my outdoor setup in the spring, in order to run efficiently I will need more power for these trains and able to run multiple locos to pull the cars.

Ed

[zephyr1934]

I suspect you will run into overcurrent limitations either in the IR receiver or the battery before you could realize the full power of 4 train motors. I have two heavy PF trains each with a pair of PF train motors. When they get warm the IR receiver will cut out for a second or two, then unfortunately it snaps back at full power. I recently got a v2 receiver but have not yet had a chance to install it. While I hope it will solve my problem, I doubt it would allow for significant power from a 3rd or 4th motor.

Using two separate units each with two motors is probably a good solution, it is just a challenge keeping the speeds consistent.

If you care about power but not speed, you could use a pair of XL motors. They run slow, but I've pulled 50+ boggied cars with a single pair and one IR receiver.

[Duq]

Have a look at Philo's famous comparison pages for motors, receivers, and batteries.

The V2 receiver can easily handle the power consumption of 4 PF train motors (or 4 XL motors) but the battery packs can't supply that sort of power. You would have to add a second battery pack if you want to run more than 2 motors.

[AussieJimbo]

I've tried with four per IR receiver but it would keep shutting down due to overload, probably due to the battery box as duq mentioned. I've run 3 but not tested it over an extended period (ie. for more than a few minutes) but reviewing philo's data it would probably overload quite quickly under any load.

:classic:

Edited December 7, 2013 by AussieJimbo