tams elektronik Booster B-3 User manual

tams elektronik
Manual
Booster B-3
Item no. 40-19327
tams elektronik
n n n

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
Table of ontents
1. Why Boosters?............................................................................3
2. Getting started............................................................................4
3. Safety instru tions.......................................................................6
4. Your B-3.....................................................................................7
5. Splitting your model railway layout.............................................11
6. Conne ting the B-3....................................................................12
7. Settings....................................................................................16
8. Operation.................................................................................17
9. Che k list for troubleshooting.....................................................17
10. Guarantee bond........................................................................19
11. EU de laration of onformity......................................................20
12. De larations onforming to the WEEE dire tive...........................20
© 09/2016 Tams Elektronik GmbH
All rights reserved. No part of this publi ation may be reprodu ed or
transmitted in any form or by any means, ele troni or me hani al,
in luding photo opying, without prior permission in writing from Tams
Elektronik GmbH. Subje t to te hni al modifi ation.
RailCom® is the registered trademark of:
Lenz Elektronik GmbH | Vogelsang 14 | DE-35398 Gießen
To in rease the text´s readability we have refrained from refering to
this point in ea h instan e.
Page 2

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
1. Why Boosters?
The three essential fun tions of boosters are:
1. Supplying the power needed for the operation of digital ontrolled
lo omotives and points and other digital onsumers.
2. Bringing the voltage to the rails, in order to make sure that all
vehi le and a essory de oders re eive the digital swit hing and
ontrol ommands.
3. Making sure the urrent is swit hed off in ase of a short- ir uit on
the layout (e.g. when a vehi le derails), in order to prevent
damages at rails and vehi les.
In layouts monitored by RailCom the booster also provides the so- alled
RailCom- utout needed to transfer RailCom-feedba k data.
You an measure the power onsumption as follows:
1 lo omotive gauge N 600 mA
1 lo omotive gauge H0 800 mA
1 lo omotive gauge 0 1.000 mA
wagon light 50 - 200 mA
another onsumer
(su h as a sound module) 100 - 300 mA
reserve for points 10% of the al ulated sum of
power onsumption
The Booster B-3 an provide 2,5 A urrent. If your overall power
demand ex eeds the apa ity of one booster you have to onne t
additional boosters a ording to the spe ial requirements of your
layout.
Page 3

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
2. Getting started
How to use this manual
This manual gives step-by-step instru tions for safe and orre t
onne ting of the booster, and operation. Before you start, we advise
you to read the whole manual, parti ularly the hapter on safety
instru tions and the he klist for trouble shooting. You will then know
where to take are and how to prevent mistakes whi h take a lot of
effort to orre t.
Keep this manual safely so that you an solve problems in the future. If
you pass the booster on to another person, please pass on the manual
with it.
Intended use
The booster B-3 is designed to be operated a ording to the
instru tions in this manual in model building, espe ially in digital model
railroad layouts. Any other use is inappropriate and invalidates any
guarantees.
The booster B-3 should not be mounted by hildren under the age of
14.
Reading, understanding and following the instru tions in this manual
are mandatory for the user.
Checking the contents
Please make sure that your pa kage ontains:
Booster B-3,
one 5-pin onne ting able,
two short- ir uit jumpers,
a CD ( ontaining the manual and further information).
Page 4

tams elektronik
!
Booster B-3 English
Required materials
In order to onne t the booster you need:
Wire. Re ommended diameter:
for the onne tion to the transformer and the rails: > 1,5 mm²
for the onne tion to the digital ontrol unit: > 0,25 mm²
A transformer. The re ommended voltage and the minimum power
of the transformer depend on the desired settings.
Determining the necessary transformer´s voltage
Desired tra k voltage Re ommended transformer´s voltage
AC voltage DC voltage
12 V 12 V 14 V
15 V 15 V 17 V
19 V 16 oder 18 V 21 V
Determining the transformer´s minimum power
desired tra k voltage x desired interrupting urrent
minimum transformer´s power
Example: 19 V x 2,5 A 47,5 VA
Please note:
Use a transformer with a nominal voltage not mu h higher than the
desired tra k voltage. The power resulting has to be dissipated as heat
by the booster otherwise. When this power is too high, the booster
overheats and swit hes off.
Page 5

tams elektronik
!
English Booster B-3
3. Safety instru tions
Risk of fire
The booster is ooled by a heat sink to prevent overheating. Thus be
areful to allow the air to flow unhindered through the heat sink at the
booster´s ba k. If the airflow is blo ked omponents an overheat and
at h fire.
Risk of electric shock
Tou hing powered, live omponents,
tou hing ondu ting omponents whi h are live due to malfun tion,
short ir uits and onne ting the ir uit to another voltage than
spe ified,
impermissibly high humidity and ondensation build up
an ause serious injury due to ele tri al sho k. Take the following
pre autions to prevent this danger:
Only operate indoors in a dry environment.
Wiring should only be arried out when the booster is dis onne ted.
Only use low power for this devi e as des ribed in this manual and
only use ertified transformers.
Only onne t the transformer in an authorised manner to the house
power supply.
Use adequetly thi k able for all wiring. Too thin a able an
overheat.
If the layout is exposed to ondensation, allow at least two hours for
drying out.
Page 6

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
4. Your B-3
Technical specifications
Supply voltage 12 - 20 V AC voltage or
14 – 21 V DC voltage
Maximum output urrent 2,5 A
Output voltage 12, 15 or 19 Volt digital voltage
Power max. 48 Watt
Digital formats DCC, Motorola,
mfx ( ontrol ommands only)
Feedba k log RailCom
Interfa es DCC- onforming booster port
(3-pole)
Märklin- ompatible booster port
(5 pole)
Tra k signal symmetri al
Prote ted to IP 00
Ambient temperature in use 0 ... +60 °C
Ambient temperature in storage -10 ... +80 °C
Comparative humidity allowed max. 85 %
Dimensions (approx.) 100 x 90 x 35 mm
Weight (approx. ) 181 g
Page 7

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
1 Tra k port
2 Märklin booster port
3 DCC booster port
4 Transformer port
5 RailCom
6 Tra k voltage
7 Operation display (LED)
Ports
The booster B-3 an be onne ted either to a port for a Märklin-
ompatible booster or to a DCC- onforming booster port. Advi e: The
port ( Märklin- ompatible or DCC- onform) used for the booster´s
onne tion to the ontrol unit, is of no importan e for the data format
used to ontrol the de oders. Use the port ompatible to your ontrol
unit.
Please note: With ontrol units providing both booster ports (e.g. Tams
MasterControl and Tams RedBox) you have to set the short ir uit
polarity a ording to the booster port in use.
Data formats
The booster B-3 is a multi proto ol booster and apable of amplifying
data sent in the Motorola or the DCC format. It transmits ontrol
ommands in mfx-format as well, but no mfx feedba k signals.
Page 8

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
RailCom
The booster B-3 an provide the so- alled RailCom- utout needed to
transfer RailCom-feedba k data in RailCom-monitored se tions.
When using the B-2 with ontrol units sending a DCC signal but not
ompatible to RailCom, providing the RailCom- utout an ause
malfun tion. Some older DCC vehi le de oders and urrent de oders
(espe ially of US Ameri an manufa turers) whi h are not designed for
use with Rail om, do not rea t to driving ommands properly with the
RailCom utout a tivated. With sound de oders not ompatible to
RailCom interferen es in the sound playba k an o ur.
Thus with the B-3 it is possible to swit h RailCom on or off. With pure
Motorola ontrol units, malfun tion due to sending the RailCom- utout
is impossible on prin iple.
Using the ABC-braking method
The booster amplifies the tra k signal ompletely symmetri ally. This
allows the ABC-braking method to be used in DCC- ontrolled layouts.
The DCC-input of the B-3 is isolated through an opto- oupler.
Balanced track voltage
The booster B-3 provides a regulated tra k voltage, whi h an be set to
a value of 12, 15 or 19 V. At delivery the tra k voltage is set to 19 V.
Regulating the tra k voltage to a onstant value prevents hanges in
lo omotive speeds and lighting brightness, resulting from voltage
variations.
Rated size Re ommended tra k
voltage
Value in state of delivery
Z 12 V
N and TT 15 V
H0 19 V 19 V
Page 9

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
Short-circuit protection
The Booster B-3 provides an intergrated short ir uit breaking in shape
of an integrated urrent limitation. This auses the booster to swit h off
automati ally when a short ir uit o urs at the tra k output and thus
prevents damages to the booster, the tra ks and the vehi les. The
short ir uit sensitivity or the interrupting urrent is set to 2,5 A.
When the short ir uit feedba k line is onne ted to the booster port of
the ontrol unit, the B-3 sends a feedba k to the ontrol unit when a
short ir uit o urs and then the ontrol unit swit hes off the booster.
After approx. 5 se onds the B-3 swit hes on automati ally. If the short
ir uit is still there, it swit hes off again immediately. After the booster
has been swit hed on and off five times, the automati swit hing on will
be interrupted for approx. one minute before it starts again.
Page 10

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
5. Splitting your model railway layout
Split your model railway layout in several tra k se tions ele tri ally
isolating them from ea h other. Every se tion has to be supplied by a
booster of its’ own. In ea h se tion a maximum of three to five
lo omotives should run at the same time. The following divisions are
useful:
station
engine sheds
the main lines (if ne essary in several se tions)
the bran h lines (if ne essary in several se tions)
Make sure that se tion borders are not rossed too often.
Isolate the borders between the booster se tions as follows:
With 2-rail systems: one rail. Be sure to isolate in all booster se tions
on the same rail ("left" or "right"). In large onfusing layouts it is
re ommended to isolate both rails.
With 3-rail systems: the middle ondu tor.
Page 11

tams elektronik
!
!
English Booster B-3
6. Conne ting the B-3
Please note:
Do not blo k the flow of air over the heat sink at the booster´s ba k
surfa e, otherwise the booster an overheat. Risk of fire! When
onne ting the booster be sure to keep suffi ient distan e to other
devi es, walls, and the like.
Connecting the central unit
It is possible to onne t the booster to
the interfa e of the entral unit for a Märklin- ompatible booster
(with a 5-pin onne ting able) or
the DCC booster interfa e of the entral unit (with a 3-pin onne ting
able).
The en losed able is intended for onne ting the booster to the
interfa e of a Märklin- ompatible booster. It an be used for onne ting
the booster to the entral unit MasterControl. The booster onfiguration
of the MasterControl has to be set to "short ir uit polarity: positive
(MM)" (= fa tory setting).
The booster B-3 has two Märklin-booster ports and two DCC-booster
ports to be used at hoi e. Please make sure that the pin assignment of
the entral unit´s booster interfa e orresponds to that of the booster
port.
Please note:
When using the Märklin ompatible booster port, the onne tion able
between booster and ontrol unit should not ex eed a length of 1 m.
Otherwise a malfun tion of the short ir uit feedba k an o ur. When
using the DCC onform booster port it is possible to use a longer
onne tion able.
Page 12

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
Pin assignment of the booster ports
Märklin booster port DCC booster port
1 short ir uit warning wire 1 short ir uit warning wire
2 earth 2 data (-)
3 dire t voltage appr.+ 19 V 3 data (+)
4 booster "on / off"
5 data
Connecting an additional booster
To onne t an additional booster please use the Märklin or DCC booster
port "still disengaged". Please note: If you have onne ted a booster
via the Märklin- ompatible booster port to your entral unit you have to
onne t the additional booster via the "still disengaged" Märklin-
ompatible booster port. The same goes by analogy for the DCC
booster ports.
Hint: Only use boosters of one type and made by one manufa turer to
avoid problems su h as:
Problems with data transfer to the de oders.
Current leakage that make lo omotives move by themselves when
other lo omotives ross the borders between two tra k se tions.
Short ir uits when rossing se tions.
Page 13

tams elektronik
!
!
English Booster B-3
Connecting the tracks
Conne t the booster´s tra k port to both rails (with 2-rail systems) or to
one rail and the middle ondu tor (with 3-rail systems). These
onne tions should be repeated every 2-3 meters, be ause the
resistan e at the onne tion points of the tra ks is quite high. When
hoosing too high intervals, problems with the short ir uit indi ation or
the power supply of the vehi les may o ur.
Please note:
The onne tion order of the rails (or the rail and the middle ondu tor)
to the two poles of the tra k port is not signifi ant, if you haven’t
already onne ted a booster to your layout. If you have then please
note:
The left pole of the se ond booster´s tra k port has to be onne ted
to the same rail (or the the middle ondu tor) as the left pole of the
booster already onne ted. The same goes of ourse for the right pole
of the boosters´tra k ports. In ase the onne tions are mixed up
short ir uits will o ur when vehi les ross the boundries of the tra k
se tions.
Connecting the power supply
Conne t the transformer to the booster´s transformer port. The
required voltage and the minimum power of the booster depend on the
desired tra k voltage. See se tion "required materials" on page 4.
Please note:
You must not inter hange the onne tions to the tra ks and to the
transformer. Inter hanging these onne tions normally auses
damages at the booster, in the worst ase beyond repair.
Page 14

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
Connection to a DCC port
Connection to a Märklin port
Page 15

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
7. Settings
With the B-3, you an set a tra k voltage of 12, 15 or 19 V and swit h
on or off RailCom. Position the short ir uit jumpers in luded in the
pa kage in on ordan e with the drawings to the orresponding pins on
the PCB.
Pins open
= RailCom off
Jumper inserted
= RailCom on
Jumper pla ed
on pin 2 and 3:
Tra k voltage
= 12 V
Jumper pla ed
on pin 1 and 2:
Tra k voltage
= 15 V
Pins open:
Tra k voltage
= 19 V
Page 16

tams elektronik
!
Booster B-3 English
8. Operation
LED
The LED on the front lights or flashes indi ating the operation modes or
problems that o ur.
LED Meaning
onstantly lighting booster in operation
slowly flashing
(apprx. 1 se . y le)
no signal from the ontrol unit
qui kly flashing short ir uit at the tra k output
Shunting the boundry between two booster sections
You should take are not to allow lo omotives or trains to halt dire tly
on the boundary between two se tions. This would lead to a onne tion
between the outputs and possible damaging of the two onne ted
boosters. The short ir uit indi ation does not work under these
ir umstan es.
9. Che k list for troubleshooting
The booster is getting too hot and/or starts to smoke.
Dis onne t the system from the mains immediately!
Possible reason: The onne tions to the tra k and the power supply
have been mixed up. à Alter the onne tions. Possibly the booster
has been damaged.
The LED at the booster does not light and the lo omotives annot be
driven.
Possible reason: The power supply has been interrupted. à Che k
the onne tions to the power supply (transformer).
Page 17

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
The LED flashes slowly.
Possible reason: The ontrol unit has been swit hed off or the
onne tion to the ontrol unit has been interrupted. à Che k the
ontrol unit and the onne tions.
The LED flashes qui kly.
Possible reason: There is a short ir uit at the tra k output.
Therefore the booster swit hes off automati ally and after approx. 5
se onds automati ally on again. In ase the short ir uit is still there
after autostarting, the booster swit hes off immediately. This
pro edure is repeated five times, followed by a one minute break.
à Eliminate the short ir uit.
Hotline
If problems with your devi e o ur, our hotline is pleased to help you
(mail address on the last page).
Repairs
You an send in a defe tive devi e for repair (address on the last
page). In ase of guarantee the repair is free of harge for you. With
damages not overed by guarantee, the maximum fee for the repair is
50 % of the sales pri e a ording to our valid pri e list. We reserve the
right to reje t the repairing of a devi e when the repair is impossible for
te hni al or e onomi reasons.
Please do not send in devi es for repair harged to us. In ase of
warranty we will reimburse the forwarding expenses up to the flat rate
we harge a ording to our valid pri e list for the delivery of the
produ t. With repairs not overed by guarantee you have to bear the
expenses for sending ba k and forth.
Page 18

tams elektronik
Booster B-3 English
10. Guarantee bond
For this produ t we issue voluntarily a guarantee of 2 years from the
date of pur hase by the first ustomer, but in maximum 3 years after
the end of series produ tion. The first ustomer is the onsumer first
pur hasing the produ t from us, a dealer or another natural or juristi
person reselling or mounting the produ t on the basis of self-
employment. The guarantee exists supplementary to the legal warranty
of mer hantability due to the onsumer by the seller.
The warranty in ludes the free orre tion of faults whi h an be proved
to be due to material failure or fa tory flaw. With kits we guarantee
the ompleteness and quality of the omponents as well as the fun tion
of the parts a ording to the parameters in not mounted state. We
guarantee the adheren e to the te hni al spe ifi ations when the kit
has been assembled and the ready-built ir uit onne ted a ording to
the manual and when start and mode of operation follow the
instru tions.
We retain the right to repair, make improvements, to deliver spares or
to return the pur hase pri e. Other laims are ex luded. Claims for
se ondary damages or produ t liability onsist only a ording to legal
requirements.
Condition for this guarantee to be valid, is the adheren e to the
manual. In addition, the guarantee laim is ex luded in the following
ases:
if arbitrary hanges in the ir uit are made,
if repair attempts have failed with a ready-built module or devi e,
if damaged by other persons,
if damaged by faulty operation or by areless use or abuse.
Page 19

tams elektronik
English Booster B-3
11. EU de laration of onformity
This produ t onforms with the EC-dire tives mentioned below
and is therefore CE ertified.
2004/108/EG on ele tromagneti . Underlying standards: EN 55014-1
and EN 61000-6-3. To guarantee the ele tromagneti toleran e in
operation you must take the following pre autions:
Conne t the transformer only to an approved mains so ket installed
by an authorised ele tri ian.
Make no hanges to the original parts and a urately follow the
instru tions, onne tion diagrams and PCB layout in luded with this
manual.
Use only original spare parts for repairs.
2011/65/EG on the restri tion of the use of ertain hazardous
substan es in ele tri al and ele troni equipment (ROHS). Underlying
standard: EN 50581.
12. De larations onforming to the WEEE dire tive
This produ t onforms with the EC-dire tive 2012/19/EG on
waste ele tri al and ele troni equipment (WEEE).
Don´t dispose of this produ t in the house refuse, bring it to the next
re y ling bay.
Page 20