I was surprised that USA model locomotive motors are not fitted with spark suppression capacitors (or inductors) to dramatically reduce radio/television interference. European models are fitted with both or at least were when I had them many years ago.
I haven't run trains more than a few minutes at a time during the last 2 years but this last week I have been getting all my lokeys to run nicely and my wife asked if I had been running trains as the tv had "snow" on it while I was running them. I've noticed that lokeys with cast wheels (some Athearn and MDC "Climax") tend to spark on the track sometimes so I was thinking of fitting capacitors at 3ft intervals across the tracks.
I fitted a .01uF ceramic capacitor across the offending motors and that reduced the the noise substantially.
Have other's had to do this?
Can motors are unlikely to have this problem (at least not the ones I have).
Just curious,
Errol
I haven't run trains more than a few minutes at a time during the last 2 years but this last week I have been getting all my lokeys to run nicely and my wife asked if I had been running trains as the tv had "snow" on it while I was running them. I've noticed that lokeys with cast wheels (some Athearn and MDC "Climax") tend to spark on the track sometimes so I was thinking of fitting capacitors at 3ft intervals across the tracks.
I fitted a .01uF ceramic capacitor across the offending motors and that reduced the the noise substantially.
Have other's had to do this?
Can motors are unlikely to have this problem (at least not the ones I have).
Just curious,
Errol