Parma Controllers And AFX Track Questions

[dge467]

Has anyone here used Parma controllers on their AFX/ Racemasters track? How would you hook up the brakes? I have been curious, as I have some to try. Thanks in advance.

[vins123]

Hi Jeff
i will go on '' puttin on the brakes '' from HRW, it was originally made for Artin tracks, i guess is the same way for Tomy...but i did not try it, i do use Parma but no brake and works well
Sylvain

[RichD]

This is the standard way to wire an HO track. Most HO cars do not need brakes, if they are running on a track that is wired for brakes many people leave them disconnected.

[dge467]

Ok, thanks! I did not realize that brakes aren't needed with H.O. So I take it you wouldn't even notice if the brakes are hooked up? Thanks for the diagram too.

[Ecbill]

For most cars with traction magnets, brake are unnecessary but for the cars without traction magnets, such as original Tjet or AFX, brakes can be very beneficial.

[RichD]

Only a few HO cars, such as the original T-jets that had weak magnets need brakes. If you run most HO cars with brakes your lap times will probably be higher because it will be difficult to keep from overbraking. High performance cars with very powerful motor and traction magnets benefit from using a controller with a coast feature. In that case the controller is adjusted so that there is some voltage when it is in the off position.

[midmoslts]

I think it is a preference thing. It can also be driven by voltage. If you are using wall warts or equivalent than you wont need them hooked up in most cases. I used them on my Tyco track for almost all of the cars. We used a 24 volt power supply that cranked out 12 amps. Cars with good traction magnets did not need or benefit from them and learning to drive with them can be hard to adjust to. Cars that had lesser magnets can be helped with brakes, but again it is a preference and has a learning curve.

If you do hook them up it is a good idea to install a switch so you can turn them off. I used a rotary switch with diodes so that the amount of braking was adjustable. This is my recommended method, but then again this is all only my opinion.

[RichD]

If you run with an unusually high track voltage it would be more likely that some cars would need brakes. I do not have any cars that need full brakes. All of my controllers have adjustable brakes built in. I do not like having adjustable brakes built into the driver's stations. If you do not have a controller with adjustable brakes it is easy enough to add those. As has been mentioned one way to do that is to put diodes in the brake circuit. I built this brake box with diodes.





It is actually easier to just put a potentiometer or rheostat in the brake circuit. My controller has a 175 ohm rheostat, a potentiometer would be cheaper. Here is a box with a potentiometer inside that is connected between the controller and the track red connection.

[dge467]

I run mostly stock T Jets and AFX. Once in a while the newer cars too.

[ChallengerGuy]

Brakes won't really help tjets...as their magnets are weaker you probably would not notice too big of a difference. For AFX you may start to notice their differences in braking ability of each car. Good luck!