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I have been using a MG 0-20v 10amp power supply for my mdf track and plan to continue. My friend who is doing the reconstruction has suggested that I use a 12v auto battery instead. I'm not sure whether the 1/32 motors are suitable for using a car battery. Any comments?

Yes Bob, the little motors can handle a car battery with no stress. In the old days I think most tracks relied on a car battery for power with a little trickle charger. I have been told that modern batteries release gases that you might not want in your home. I know the battery in my Mini has a gas release hose.

Suit yourself, but the newer power supplies we use today are just fine. No muss, no fuss, and BUILT IN voltage adjustment ability.

I would keep using the supply you have. It is a very good unit. It has worked just fine all this time...so as a smart guy once said: "If it ain't broke...."

Another thing to remember about Automotive type batteries, is that once electrolyte has been added, the battery starts to deteriorate from there. its a normal, and will fail eventually. Gel batteries are better as far as fume and harmful vapors, but they are still batteries and of course cost over $100.
The variable units on the market today are very reasonably priced ( I just bought another one for the hill climb) and for $49 and free shipping, there is no comparison in my mind. Plus you have the ability to reduce voltage for kids or certain classes of cars.
Just my two cents.

Bob

What was his logic in suggesting a car battery? I doubt you would need all those amps a battery can supply, especially for 1/32 type motors. You then need to buy a charger to keep the battery topped up. See the other thread regards a cheap power supply that is absolutely bullet proof. Get the 10A version, which is what I have. Cant fault it. Auto short circuit protection, variable 0-20V. Its a killer unit for under $100.

All that I have ever used on my tracks over the last 10 years are car batteries. I don't pay anything for them because I use the take outs when I replace a battery in my car. A little solar trickle charger hanging out the attic window of my shop keeps them topped off. Even though they may no longer crank out good amps to start a car, those old batteries will run slot cars for a long long time. They haven't hurt any of my motors or controllers though I definitely do run a a fuse. DO NOT use any kind of lead acid battery in an enclosed area or living space due to the off gassing that has been mentioned. I tell this story not because I am advocating using batteries for slot racing. I tell it only to show that it can be done. If I had to dig into my pocket to go out and buy something to power my track, I would buy an adjustable, regulated power supply over a battery.

Since I already have the variable power supply and it was donated to the cause by my good friend Ken Brown who has since passed I will continue to use it.

I started out in 84 running my 3 lane routed track with a car battery and small charger. Years later, I took the battery out of the equation and just ran with a 30 amp battery charger. Never had issues with either and I too run lots of 60's motors that take a lot of amps. A few years ago I switched to this power supply from Ebay. specifically because it had over amps and was under $60.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-Power-Supply ... 25a7911fda
This has worked fine on a 4 lane track running anything I have.

[quote="mattb"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-Power-Supply ... 25a7911fda
This has worked fine on a 4 lane track running anything I have.[/quote]

I've used the same power supply running Super 16D's on my four lane track without any problems. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles like meters and such, but it does the job.

And theprice beats all the fsancy units I see talked about. Doesn't adjust down to a really low voltage, but I bet that could be done with some pretty cheap hardware. I have often wondered if I could run the output thru an old dc train power pack and use the train supply to adjust the out voltage. Anybody know about this. DC train transformers are throw away items. All you would need is the resistor, what the heck could you use an old Parma controller?

I own and have installed a few of the MG units you refer to, and have had zero problems with compatibility regardless of scale. We've run everything from stock Aurora HO Thunderjet 500 pancake motor cars to Parma 16D can motors in 180-200 gram 1/24 cars. And they're reasonably priced for what they provide -- Amp and Volt VU type meters, fine and coarse power adjustments, and 110 volt AC fuse protection. I add a 10 amp fuse to the positive output terminal, and one on each lane just for extra protection. -- Ernie

For a start in most areas fire codes forbid charging lead/acid batteries indoors. Some of the commercial tracks that I ran on in the '90s used towmotor batteries, but those were on shop creepers so they could be rolled outside for charging, at least that would satisfy the fire marshal should he drop in for an inspection. Batteries in good shape do not gas off or drool acid on the carpet. Older batteries get so they do not take a full charge and can fail without warning. Years ago good regulated and filtered power supplies were hard to find. Today switching supplies are common and are fairly inexpensive. I have measured how much power modern 1/32nd cars actually use. I found peaks of about 2 amps per car with Slot.it 21.5K motors, but most of the time they used about 0.5 amps. Cars with traction magnets use more power and you would need a lot more power for regular 16D type motors.
Adjustable voltage is a real bonus if you run without magnets, especially on a tight track. You can add adjustability to a battery or any power supply that lacks that feature using diodes or a voltage regulator, but many regulated power supplies are adjustable. Adjustable amperage is not desirable for slot racing applications.
If you already have a good 10 amp power supply and do not run unusually powerful motors there would be no advantage to switching to battery power.