# Electrical question... odd shorting situation...



## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

OK, this is gonna sound weird, so be prepared. I have a 2-lane Atlas layout with 4-screw terminal tracks and isolated power supplies (old 20v Aurora power packs) for each lane. I also have a Lionel LeMans start track in the layout. With the Lemans start track, both cars can start from off to one side of the track, and the outside lane's "start rails" cross the inside lane to get the car out there, a la lane-change crossover "X" track. Now, it gets lonely here in my basement since there are no other slotheads in town, so I've gotten pretty good at running 2 old Tjets at once, keeping then roughly side by side, one controller in each hand. (I know, I know... I need to get out more.  ) The controllers are Parma Econos with metal triggers. I've noticed that if the 2 cars hit the LeMans start track exactly the right way, with one car exactly the right distance ahead of the other, I get a little zap from the 2 controller triggers. What the heck is that about? (AfxToo, I'm betting you'll have a good explanation...  )

--rick


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## car guy (Nov 22, 2003)

ParkRNDL said:


> (AfxToo, I'm betting you'll have a good explanation...  )
> 
> --rick



He always does, :thumbsup:


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

ok that's freaky. :freak:

thanks for the explanation... 

just for the sake of curiosity... didn't I hear that there's a new Parma Econo with a teflon trigger or something? is that the one you referred to? not that I'm really worried about the little teeny occasional zap, it just got me thinking...

--rick


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## car guy (Nov 22, 2003)

Couldn't you just put a few stripes of tape on the trigger? Maybe some cloth or duct tape?


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## okracer (Mar 11, 2002)

parma also makes a converstion to put the plastic trigger on the old controlers its like four bucks


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## jack0fall (Sep 8, 2004)

Multi-Zapps of electricity... Rick things are starting to become clearer to me as to how you got the way you are... 

<head twitching from side to side> "and the Doctor says just a couple more treatments and I will be back to 'Normal'

Jeff


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

electric shock therapy treatment for addiction to slot cars... :freak:
my wife would LOVE that. :jest:

<twitch>

--rick


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

Am I the only retard who uses 440x2 wall warts and stock tyco controllers????????


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

sethndaddy said:


> Am I the only retard who uses 440x2 wall warts and stock tyco controllers????????


 not at all... I have a 4-lane Tyco door track that uses that stuff. Right now it's only 2 wallwarts, but I'm planning to isolate the lanes and use 4 of those big X2 wallwarts. I have enough of them laying around. (There's actually a thread on this in another section of the board.) I tried out the "restricted" Tyco controllers from the new Mopar set, and they're set up pretty well for a little kid. However, I'm also planning on making up a couple of adapter rigs by cutting the wires/plugs off junk Tyco controllers and connecting them to a couple of terminal screws or something similar that I can hook Parma alligator clips to...

The main reason my big layout isn't Tyco is that Atlas was the first stuff I found at a yard sale that got me back into the hobby. I was hooked by the variety of turn pieces (6", 9", 12", 15") and by the smoothness (much better than Aurora L&J IMHO) and by the fact that it's compatible with Lionel track... between Atlas and Lionel, I spent maybe 60 bucks on Fleabay auctions building up enough track for my layout after the initial yard sale find. Plus there's adapter tracks to go to L&J if I have an urge for weird pieces like hump tracks or cobblestone or whatever...

But I think the Tyco track is good, durable, basic stuff and i have a ton of it... I keep picking it up cheap when I find it.

--rick


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