Below is strictly about turn on and not derailment but may be of interest anyway.
I do not work with the DZ2500 but have done quite a bit with the DZ1000. The specs on this machine say 25 volts max. I blew up quite a few machines before I figured out the ACC post of a CW80 I was using spiked at 31 volts at turn on before settling down to 18 volts (it took a smart Navy tech and a big oscilloscope to figure this out). Dan actually tested two CW80's I had and both acted the same.
It would be a good idea to find out the max volt rating of the DZ2500 - should be in the paperwork that came with the machine. I would also ask John for a good solution to protect from voltage over-spiking. In my case I switched power to a handle on the transformer. The voltage is set to zero on turn on and raised to the proper voltage.
Side note - the DZ machines work fine at voltages as low as 12+ but I also have Atlas O switch machines plus their 200 relays. These require a higher voltage for proper functioning - about 18 volts.
Dennis sent me an email:
1. it is ok to power the DZ2500 with either AC or DC. - 14-16V. 18V will over heat the machine
2. For DZ1000 - AC only - 14-16VAC - 18VAC will present long term problem
I am going to have to remove all the Atlas O switch machines. The 200 snap relays seem to work ok at 13VAC so I will keep them but these relays are no good if you want to connect non-derail to the DZ1000. They will keep 'buzzing' as the entire train consist goes over the isolated track and will over heat.
