track voltage

[Dobby]

can anyone please tell what the track voltage should be, coming from a central station 3 plus, can you use a multimeter to check it.
thanks
Steve

 

[Dan]

Is this the LGB MTS III?? if so then a 24 volt input power supply will give approx. 22 volts to the track.

 

[LGB333]

can anyone please tell what the track voltage should be, coming from a central station 3 plus, can you use a multimeter to check it.
thanks
Steve

Steve, I believe you're asking about the Marklin CS3+ command station, not the obsolete LGB MTS III system some users still operate. The CS3+ User Guide states: • Voltage supply - This device may only be used with these Märklin switched mode power packs for 60 watts (60041/60065, H0), 100 watts (60101, 1 Gauge), or the LGB switched mode power pack for 100 watts (51095). The CS3+ output is limited to 5 amps. If you're using the Marklin 60195 DC Power Supply for powering your CS3+, it provides 22 Volts, 100 Watts DC output, so in theory your CS3+ should provide 22 volts 5 amps DCC to your track layout.

You can't accurately measure DCC voltage with a regular DC/AC Voltmeter. You need to use a special multimeter such as the RRampMeter v.4 that I sell for $110. It can measure DC/AC/DCC voltage and amps and I use it extensively on the DCC sound decoder installs I do on customers' LGB locomotives. It can also measure the PWM voltage output on DCC decoder terminals to wired devices such as the locomotive's motor, lights, and smokers. Note: Some DCC decoders for large scale lose about 1.5 volts between the track power's DCC voltage input and the PWM voltage output to the decoder's wired devices, so if your track power to the decoder is 22 volts DCC, then the locomotive's devices will receive about 20.5 volts. If you want to measure how many amps and volts a device is consuming on your decoder, you should measure the terminal "under load", i.e., with the device connected and operating.