Chopped sine wave and smooth sine wave

Bob, I have an old ZW running accessories and new stuff such as a Z1000 running the train loops.  No issues - Each runs its own block so to speak.  Since you are operating, it appears you have the phasing thing done.

One disclaimer,  I am not sure what output comes from the powerhouse but hard to imagine it is an issue?  

The PW-ZW and the PH180 are both pure sine wave transformers.

It's also not an issue to use multiple types of transformers on a layout, the trick is how they're used.

That's what I was wondering...are you using a PowerMaster also? In that case, the PowerMaster does change the PowerHouse to chopped sine wave and I would not use that and the ZW on adjacent blocks for example. I would, in that case, just use the ZW for accessories in places that the two sources could never get connected together such as two pickup rollers on a car.

I do not use a power master at this time, however may in the future. The way I was planning to use them was use the power house for the main line and the ZW for the sidings. This way the sidings could be turned off by the handles without buying anything else since my train budget is tapped out now. Last but not least GRJ is how should they be used. Would there be a problem if they were connected by rollers on the same time 

I'll answer too. It's best to use the same source for your blocks and track. A 180 sounds like an adequate source. I feel that you want to utilize the ZW, but to do so will require you to match the voltage levels as well as making sure they are in sync phase wise.

As to the cost, you only need simple toggle switches for power switches. I use the Caltron switches from the auto section of the local farm store. They have LED pilot lights in them that are perfect at 12 vdc since the 18 volts gets rectified by the LED and it only sees one half the waveform. In this way, the effective RMS value of the voltage on the LED circuit inside the switch is only 12 volts. Also to protect the LED, connect all the GROUND terminals of the switches to the anode of a simple 1N4003 diode and connect the diode cathode to the common U terminal of your 180.

I'll provide you a schematic if you decide to use that type of switch.

Thanks for your reply. Yes I agree either source is adequate power wise. One reason that I want to use the ZW is for accessories however I guess the ZW will have to be isolated from the track. Also the schematic will be useful not just for myself but for others 

You can have a common ground throughout the layout, no matter what power you use.  Just don't let two dissimilar transformers get paralleled and you'll be fine.

I assume you mean have the two transformers in phase. Also I should add is that next year I plan to add legacy block controllers and then can use the power master for all track 

trainbob posted:

Thanks for your reply. Yes I agree either source is adequate power wise. One reason that I want to use the ZW is for accessories however I guess the ZW will have to be isolated from the track. Also the schematic will be useful not just for myself but for others 

Yes I know, I just wasn't in the same place as the schematic. Here it is...

This is a schematic of the actual internals of those switches, and it is a bit confusing. Just consider where the terminals go.

The switch terminals look like this...

EARTH is the Com in the drawing and goes to the U terminal on the transformer which is also the common ground which GRJ mentions.

LOAD is the terminal going to the block center rail,

SUPPLY is Supply which goes to the A terminal on the transformer

You don't have to have the transformers phased since they are never going to be in parallel, connected together that is, buy why not do it anyway. GRJ just meant that you will have the U terminals connected together on the layout which is also the outside rails of the track.

Thanks for your help I really appreciate your help. It can sometimes be really confusing. For now I will just go with the power house and next year look into the LCS system for block control and accessories.