THIS SECTION IS NOT COMPLETE.
Many DCC system require the purchase of a suitable power supply if one was not supplied with the system. This section will guide you through the selection process along with making recommendations for each DCC system.
Click DCC Power Supplies/Xmfrs (US) to see a complete list of available DCC power supplies.
Click on the DCC manufacture name below to see a complete list of recommended power supplies for that DCC manufacture
POWER SUPPLY QUALITY
In the tables of recommended power supplies, there can often be more than one choice with some choices being better than others.
I have defined 3 categories of power sources. Acceptable, Better and Best.
1) The "Acceptable" Power Source is the basic supply that will allow your system to fully function. This power supply is what is often sold with the system. It all about giving the most bang for you money. However, an acceptable power supply will typically sag/drop some of its output voltage under heavy loads causing a loss in track voltage regulation under heavy loads.
2) The "Better" Power source is a power supply that will improve the performance of the booster. These can be aftermarket or custom built power supplies. It will not allow the track voltage to sag under a heavy load as much as an Acceptable Power source.
3) The "Best" Power Sources will give your booster the best possible performance possible with cost being no object. This will give you the best possible operation under any and all load conditions.
Can you "see" the difference? Unless you know what to look for and when to look for it, probably not. Hence the common "acceptable" power supply is good enough. But if you got to have a quantifiable level of improvement under any and all operating conditions, then the Better or Best power sources will give you that.
What will a quality power supply give you? Better track voltage regulation under all load conditions. Many booster do have some form of regulated power supply in them. But if the input voltage sags to low under a heavy load, no amount of regulation will prevent the track voltage from dropping. This will result in varied train speeds and headlights (Bulb type) showing dimming unrelated to the train movement. This assumes the wiring is solid.
DO NOT USE AC WITH A DC ONLY INPUT
Not all DCC systems are created equal. Historically most DCC products were designed to accept BOTH AC or DC as a input power. However more and more DCC systems are moving to DC only inputs and include the DC power with the system.
WARNING: DO NOT CONNECT AC POWER TO A INPUT INTENDED ONLY FOR DC. You will damage the DCC product.
DUAL VOLTAGE RATINGS
Many DCC system accept both DC and AC voltages as inputs. This is why there may be two voltage ranges listed for the given product. One for ACV and one for DCV.