# Need help with power supply



## waylow (Jun 29, 2014)

Hi guys, new member here!
So I'm building a whitefish bay 43 routed layout. Got it cnc routed from a sheet of mdf. I need some help with powering it. I'm going to use tie wire for the power rails, but I'm not sure if I need to use more than one power tap to each lane?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

It was a holiday here in the US today, so hang in there. Someone who knows way better than I should have an answer for you soon. Til then... I'll guess! LOL

Approximately how long would an entire lap be?
What kind of resistance is there for that length of wire? That will determine how much power loss you'll have and if taps are needed. Since both ends of the wire can be powered, odds are you be good to go with one tap (for both end of the wire).

Sounds like a cool track, so get that post count up to 5 and hit us with some pictures!


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

yep
with continous rail, you have no impedence points like sectional track.

so as stated in the prev post, power to the 2 ends should work fine


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## waylow (Jun 29, 2014)

I was planning on soldering the join of the wires so it will be one continuous length for the entire lap. It will be just under 43 feet per lane, had to shrink it down a little bit so the cnc would run the program


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

OK, so you have the necessary one at or near the terminal ( just a word indicating original power tap and associated with sectional track for a mind set) then you should have at least one more 21 feet from that.
this will give you equal (almost) distance between power taps and the farthest you would be away from raw power would be about 11 feet at any place on the track.
if you put a total of 3 power taps, approximately every 14.5 feet, then you would never be more than 7.25 feet from raw power at any time.
my buddy has a 65 foot Maxx track with 2 power taps and we seem to have good power everywhere.
my 1/64 scale drag strip 1/8 mile (10' 3.75") has three power taps.
Hank's 1/64 scale 1/4 mile drag strip (20' 7.5") has four power taps.
so, you can see there are a lot of thoughts on getting sufficient voltage and amperage to every point on the powered race surface.
it then becomes a personal choice decision and should also be affected by the cars you are running.
really low ohm arms with very powerful motor magnets and traction magnets are going to want a lot more power taps than high ohm arms and ceramic motor magnets.
remember, to carry amperage easily a fine strand wire is required like Monster Speaker wire.
voltage isn't as picky or restricted by coarser strand.


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## waylow (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. For now I'm just planning on running box stock afx cars. That might change down the track as my kids get older ( they are only 2 and 3 1/2 at the moment) and their skill increases. I keep telling my wife it's for them!


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

a 10 or 20 amp power supply should be good
10 or 12guage feeder wire from the PS to the track
I do not think you will need any extra jumpers.


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