People often get confused between layout size and power capacity. The size of your layout impacts the wire size used for the track bus and overall wiring practices used when building your layout. 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.
DCC Systems are selected based on your needs of 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 number of locos being used, not 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 meter specifically designed for DCC. 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
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