tams elektronik Booster B-3 User manual

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