2-pin or 4-pin connectors

Model Railroader Electronics and DCC
1

My layout is currently built in sections. Each section has a pair of 14-gauge wires for the DCC bus lines, and another pair of 14-gauge wires for the Tortoise switch machine 12-volt power lines. The ends of the wires have ring connectors crimped on, and they slip over bolts that face down and are secured with wing nuts. It works well. However, between each section are four more wires with ring connectors on each end, and it is somewhat annoying to disconnect the wing wires every time I want to separate the sections.

I am hoping to find some 4-pin connectors that I can secure to the ends of the modules and just connect together. They need to be strong enough to carry the current of the DCC bus line, and not requiring soldering to the pins of the connector itself. Also, I need 8 joints so that means 8 male and 8 female parts… so I would prefer them to not be expensive.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

2

Look (search ) Ebay for Chinch Jones connectors They are listed seperately so you willneed to search for the male and female plugs.

3

Cinch not Chinch

Power pole connectors would be my suggestion, which can be mated side by side and/or top to bottom

https://powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpole-colored-housings

Red and green can be found cheaper on Ebay. Not so the other colors, but I didn’t search extensively for those. I would choose 4 colors because Parkinson and his law never sleep.

4

Free-mo is a system for building modules that can interconnect–very much like. As such, there have to be standards.

Free-mo used to use Cinch Jones and trailer plugs to interconnect between modules. They both worked well for years.

The standards have been changed to use Anderson Powerpoles instead.

Henry has provided good entre to the concept.

I will add that they come in 3 electrical sizes (amperages), and that it is HIGHLY recommended that you buy and use the special crimp tool.

Ed

5

I did not mention that, but the choices are 15, 30 and 45 amps. Don’t know why you would need more than 15.

Those that do crimping for important stuff, like heliocopter wiring, use ratcheting crimpers, not the stamped sheet metal tools you get at the auto store.

6

Free-mo uses the 30 amp size. I suspect it’s because it will accept up to 12 ga wire, which is typical for their modular interconnect wire size.

On the off-chance that one wanted to match up to the way Free-mo does modular interconnect, here’s the standards:

http://www.free-mo.org/standard#4

In summary, for power it uses two two-conductor connectors: one for track power and one for accessory power. Sound familiar?

In addition to the above, there is also a jumper for DCC cab transmission (6 wire phone jacks) and signaling (8 wire phone jacks).

Ed

7

The Cinch-Jones connectors are long out of date. Our club modular layout uses Anderson Power Poles in various combinations - there are usually 2 or 3 DCC bus lines and in some cases a 4th line that is the DCC booster line to a power manager located on that particular module, as well as other bus runs for structure lighting and turnout power. Since the layout is actually only semi modular, the conenctions are arrange in such a way that the circuits found on every module line up and then the extras are stacked on teh ends, so if a mdule with a lot of extras is connected next to a simpler one, those extra pins won;t be used. In the case where the extras are needed but the adjoiningmodule does not supply them, we have various jumper cords that are used with some fo the smaller setups.

–Randy