When do I need a Booster?

People often get confused between layout size and power capacity. The size of your layout affects the wire size for the track bus and the overall wiring practices used when building it.  To read more about proper DCC wiring, go here: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm. 

These examples below are for the 2-amp Power Cab starter set.

A typical N Scale motor draws 0.25A.  Maximum engines = 2A / 0.25A = 8 Engines in motion.

Typical HO, S, On30 Scale motor = 0.5A.  Maximum engines = 2A / 0.50A = 4 Engines in motion.

DCC Systems are selected based on your needs for locomotive capacity and operator capacity. The general rule of thumb for HO-scale locos is to use .5 amps per loco. In N-scale, use .25 amps per loco. You only count the locos in use, not those parked.

If you have a Power Cab, you can enable the built-in meter to see what your power usage is really like: press prog/esc 6 times, look for "set cab params," press enter, and on the "show track current" screen, press 1 to enable. The Powercab has a 2-amp capacity. If you need to upgrade from the Power Cab to a booster, the first booster MUST BE the SB5 smart booster!

If you have a PH-Pro 5 amp system, the only way to get an accurate reading of your power usage is with a DCC-specific meter. For a true DCC meter, go here:  https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/17820512774803-DCC-Meter-and-Packet-Analyzer. 

If you need more capacity, buy a track power booster. For the Power Cab, that would be the SB5. For the PH-Pro, Powerhouse, and PH5, use the PB5. Use the smaller four-wire RJ-H control bus data cables. Take a look at these diagrams: https://ncedcc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/200590789-Booster-Diagrams