Author Topic: World's simpest electric train  (Read 1998 times)

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nkalanaga

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Re: World's simpest electric train
« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2015, 01:42:01 AM »
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GimpLizard: Also a real possibility.  They built a proper coil gun at Sandia Labs years ago, which one report claimed could put small satellites in orbit, if they didn't burn up on the way up.  Unfortunately, it was powered by a very large capacitor bank, driving multiple sequential coils, think of oversized capacitor-discharge switch machine power supplies.  They forgot to install a current limiter in the charging circuit.  The first time they tried to charge it they blew breakers across the facility, and damaged a lot of equipment with the spikes and surges.

Coil guns themselves don't blow up, but the power supplies certainly can!  Of course, the one this topic is about won't hurt anyone, but a larger version might do some damage.
N Kalanaga
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Jeff AKA St0rm

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Re: World's simpest electric train
« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2015, 12:44:01 PM »
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Funny thing is that we gripe about how unrealistically fast our N scale trains run and yet we now want to incorporate a technology designed to go very fast into our tiny trains. Switching speeds? Neah, we could go 5000 SMILES per hour!  ;)

so you're saying we can make Lionel Trains go faster??? :facepalm: :scared: :facepalm:

tom mann

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Re: World's simpest electric train
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2015, 12:53:46 PM »
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If you hook up a solar panel so the battery charges as it moves, it would run forever!! :trollface: