I knew what he meant, I just wanted to make sure that what he was thinking for placement of rail gaps and my interpitation of his rail gaps would be in the same place [:)]
JnJ’s,
The PSX-AR automatically supports travel in either direction through the loop.
Correct, use either the jumpers OR CV49, not both. You need to change the address from the factory default when installing it – unless it’s the only one, in which case you can just use the default address – then you can use the CVs to set things on it. I haven’t bothered with that, just used the jumpers to KISS.
In my own mystery, this thread did give me the motivation to crawl underneath and analyze some more. Come to find out my loop was dead. Checked and had power to the PSX-AR, but nothing on the output. The 3rd LED over near the outputs wasn’t lit, so that’s a confirmation, other two were lit.
Only thing is, I don’t think it’s dead. I didn’t use CV49 or otherwise attempt to program it when installed, just used the jumper. Have I somehow addressed it and turned the power to the tracks off maybe?
Alternatively, how can I tell I really killed it?[%-)]
I don’t remember doing anything that might kill it, so that’s why I’m hoping it’s just me being a doofus somehow.[D)]
Fortunately, I had a spare, so I’m back in business on that loop.
JnJ,
I drew a track diagram similar to yours, and I labeled the seven turnouts by numbering them 1 through 7. The X’s represent my suggested rail gaps.
A lot depends upon how you wire the rails to the bus wires, but in my diagram, the two points of reverse polarity occur where the two tracks leading from turnout 3 connect to the main section at turnouts 1 and 2. By gapping the rails on the divergent tracks at turnouts 1 and 2 and over at the tail end of turnout 4, the resulting reversing section is all of the track in that left hand loop. There is no reversing section between turnouts 1 and 6 as you proposed in your diagram. There also is no reason to place any gaps in the rails between turnouts 5 and 7, because all of that track is part of the main section.
The one thing that I don’t like about my proposed reversing section is that a train can enter the reversing section at turnout 4 headed toward turnout 3 at the same time that a train is entering the reversing section at turnout 1 or turnout 2 headed toward turnout 3. That would cause a short that the PSX-AR could not resolve.
So, a better solution would be to gap the rails at the tail end of turnout 4 and at the tail end of turnout 3 so that the reversing section is between turnouts 3 and 4. This would produce a shorter reversing section where only one train at a time could occupy the reversing section. In this instance, the wiring between turnouts 1 and 3 and between turnouts 2 and 3 would have to be wired in phase with the tracks between turnouts 4 and 6 so that those two portions of track become part of the main section.
Rich
Yes, the reversing section would be wired to the output of a reverser and rest of the feeder wires outside the reversing section would be wired to the main bus wires. Power to the input side of the reverser would come from a pair of feeder wires from the main bus wires. However, as I mentioned in my previous reply, the red and blue sections, as you have drawn them, need to be modified.
Yes, auto reversers work in either direction. So, trains can enter or exit a reversing section in any direction. The whole idea of a reverser, either an auto-reverser like the PSX-AR or the Digitrax AR-1 or a DPDT toggle switch, is to match the polarities of adjoining sections of t
JnJ, where are you?
What’s happening?
Rich
Rich did a lot of work here helping you with this problem. You really should let him know how your doing in it.
Rich, I’m sorry that I didn’t get back to you sooner. I just finished rewiring the lower section so that the reverse section is how you drew it in the diagram. I had an atlas reverser switch laying around so I used that to manually reverse the polarity. Everything worked smoothly! I installed the PSX-AR and it still works smoothly!!! [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
I can’t thank you enough for the help you and everyone else gave me with this issue. Once I saw the diagram you drew, I felt like an idiot. The answer was so simple and so obvious. Again thank you all
JnJ,
That is good news. Congrats. Glad you are up and running.
You and your daughter should have a great time operating that layout.
Rich