Side one says If you start at the booster the RED WIRE is on the right rail and black is on the left PERIOD.
THe problem is that we have a reverse loop that is 18 ft long and it runs past the booster TWICE once in ecah direction.
Pass one is RED on the RIGHT RAIL as it goes around the loop the BLACK is on the right when it coms past the 2nd time. We HAVE double gapped the loop. To wire this would you IGNORE the rails and let the AR-1 worry about it or KEEP the wires RED ON THE SAME RAIL NO MATTER WHAT?
Has cost us 2 cases of beer talking about this one.
The auto-reversing module will take care of it. The A/R module will feed the loop. There should be no feeders from your main bus to the loop. That is, the A/R is between the bus and the loop.
That only applies when there are no reversing loops.
Yes
That would be impossible. For reversing sections (loops, wyes, turntables, etc.) I usually use two neutral colors like two yellow wires to the track from the AR unit.
Thank you, AR_1 between the Bus and track, Not going to use RED, BLACK in the Reverse Loop for rails
I have 3 turntabels, a wye plus this monster loop.
What has me going crazy is that this loops forms a DOG BONE with a #6 Double Crossover connecting the legs. I am going 4 ft each way of this Crossover and double gap and let the AR-1 worry about it. The wye has no tail all thru track so I am picking the connecting leg between main as the AR-1 Problem for that mess.
The Turn Tabels are going to be AR-1 on the 98 ft and the 90ft with the DB 150 taking the 130 ft.
Running 2 DB 150 and 1 DCS 100 for boosters feeding 28 sub districts. FUN? I feel like I am in school taking electronics AGAIN! The last class was 1964!
Thanks folks.
I just kept it simple - red wire is on the outside edge of the benchwork, white wire is on the inside edge (since with a two-track main, if I kept the red on the right with respect to direction of travel it would be on the opposite side for each track). So depending on which direction you face, red is on the right or left. But it’s ALWAYS on the same side of the benchwork.
Got it, KISS! Are you running any of the Digitrax PM 42? If so how do you connect #12 awg to those solder lugs? Do they make an edge connector?
I am using one as a Reverse control and the other 3 for the power district CB.
Thank YOu
The KISS method is to look at the 1st track by the booster declare that the MASTER TRACK what ever you wire the rails at that point make it the same SIDE of the track as you travel around the table and such. To understand it with a Visual Aid Take an old truck and paing one side RED and put it on the track and push it around it is KISS for sure using that eye catcher. This is from one of the kids in the club, he is ONLY 84. Yes OLD AGE A TRECHERY will ALWAYS BEAT YOUTH AN enthusiasm!
No PM42’s, when I get around to it I will use Tony’s PowerShields. I guess I’m too young to appreciate relays - actually, I wired enough at the club I used to belong to, all out block selector rotary switches actually drove relays which connected the approriate cab to the block rather than trying to pump several amps through rotaries not meant to handle it.
The Powershield can handle a fairly large wire, but not a #12. The same thing applies to a PM42 but the max wire size is a bit smaller - #18 can be soldered to the 44-pin connector if you are careful - solid conductor wire is a plus here, as a short to an adjancent pin can be fatal (to the PM42). Mount the connector on a board along with a terminal strip. Use #18 to run short jumprs from the PM42’s socket to the terminal strip - we’re talking maybe 6 inches of wire tops here, which will make no difference in the voltage drop of the PM42 sections - keep in mind the max possible current flowing in each power district is whatever the PM42 is set to, NOT the booster’s setting, ie if the PM42 is set to trip at 2 amps, calculate voltage drop based on a max of 2 amps, because uness the PM42 fries the relays closed, there can never be 5 amps flowing in that section.
Why can’t Digitrax tell you that in their instructions? The information they give for a $79.95 piece of equipment does make you wonder. I guess I will change over to Tony;s stuff for the balance. Digitrax Rep wants to use this as advertisement for Digitrax products in this area but I did not ecpect to need a 2nd mortgage for all the syuff he is saying I need. He is at $4,500.00 and STILL GOING!
OUCH! I don;t think I have $4500 in my entire layout yet - well, after that $300 T-1, maybe I do. Powershields won’t save you anything except a bit on a reverse loop - I think they are $79 for the 4-section ones. Tony’s auto-reverse is also a breaker, so you don’t have to have both, or use 2 sections of a PM42 just for a reverse loop. Oh, now you need more PM42’s, right? [:D]
Actually I thought it mentioned somewhere about using short sections of thin wire - or maybe that was in the Big Book.
Yes you did on the other thread. The size of this PROJECT is out-of sight.
1150 ft of track, 265 turnouts ALL DCC, TORTISE driven by Digitrax Decoders. (6) boosters with 8 subs off each, FULL signal and auto routing PLUS everything is radio and running off a JMRI panel pro with 8 color remote cameras feeding back to the control room on (2) 42" plasma displays. When and IF this is done it will take up 1800 sq feet of basement. Heck it takes 30 sheets of paper to print a 1"=12" plot from 3rd planet.
Should have bought the Prowler would have been cheaper!
BUT my blood pressure is down 10% since starting this QUEST!
We fixed the frogs by using an 00-90 tap into a brass strip with 00-90 screws, works great. Atlas is at a 5% trash rate as far as points and frog heights. WE test EVERY ONE after they are set up on the test bench and when this batch is done we are going pure Walthers IF we can get them. Gave (20) # 4 Atlas to a group trying to get started in Augusta. We are using #5 or larger in this phase. In phase 2 SMALLEST is #8 almost everything is #10.
I just can not wait to buy all the push buttons and switches for the 6 local control panels for when the computer is not running the thing.
Thanks for your help as always.