Duette Transformer/Controller

"Vernon" wrote
Always use full wave - half wave can generate heat and cause motor failure. I can't remember the resitance setting but the resistance switch on each controller should be in the opposite position to the wave switch.
John.

Half-wave = chops the wave form in half, so makes your motors buzz. Good way of frying small modern motors. Full-wave = kinder to motors, but they tend to race away too fast as the control gives you "off - fast - faster still".
Probably high. Experiment to find which is least bad.
Serious suggestion time: The Duette was a design of the 1950's which lasted in production to around 1980. It was meant to run big open-framed Hornby Double-O motors of the period. Its not too bad with those. Its really crappy on modern motors. So, treat it as a 16V transformer. Plug in a decent modern controller and look after your locos motors properly. Gaugemaster are one supplier of decent controllers, though there are others.
Or, bite the bullet and go to DCC.
I have a Duette, had it from new. Its a good transformer, but not a lot more use. I use a Pentroller for control.
- Nigel

Are Pentrollers still available?

Officially yes.
Unofficially, I know of people who've been waiting two years for delivery and I would now advise looking elsewhere.
Alternative; Ulhenbrock "Daisy system"; does excellent analogue control of small coreless motors (if you use the correct settings), and plug it into its base unit another way and its an excellent DCC unit (probably add a "Sprog" to program locos from a computer for the complete DCC setup). I'm not aware of other controllers which do conventional analogue and DCC (not the same as the "guest analogue loco" mode of DCC).
- Nigel

Oh, well...
That's a new one on me.
Thanks.

Snip The ZTC 511 can be configured by pressing a few buttons for pure DC, pulse width modulated DC, Hornby Zero 1, and of course standard NMRA spec. DCC.
No doubt these features are required by a mere handful of users and account for the high price tag!
Dave W.