I have A few DS44’s from Digitrax laying in the bin. These are to control (4) Tortoise type machines. The project question is can the be used to control ligths in a building? (4) floors, (4) different lighting patterns. OR (4) different buildings?
George,
I believe it can. But the question for you is: Do you really want to give up precious amperage from your DCC system just to run/control lights? IMO, it would be better to use a spare power pack and toggle switches to accomplish the same effect.
Tom
Better yet, maybe you could rig those to start your car in the morning on those cold winter days [:)].
Not A problem have a seperate booster just for the Tortoise machines. 126 Turnouts never fire all at once so I have plenty to work with.
Do not think it will fire this one LOL
It could drive a relay, that could start the Ferrari…
Which is directly related to running building lights. The DS54/64 can do momentary pulses with enough power to throw a solenoid machine, but I don’t think they can provide much sustained power. So what you can do is hook relays to each output and use those to control power to building lights. You cn control the outputs in all sorts of patterns, so you can break up the lighting circuits in various ways across buildings so you could do things liek first turn onthe downstairs lights in some houses, then later at night turn on the upstairs lights briefly while the downstairs ones go out, then a little later shut off all lights.
–Randy
What sieze realys and form whom? I have just the DS44’s Using the Ds52’s to handle th (4) darn Atlas machines that I have still in place.
Randay, I am working on letting Panels pro run a train for me. Got the throttle part working fine now I need to get the script writen to run the routes if it can do that. Getting more hooked on this DCC project ideas.
OK this gets a little more complicated because of the way the DS44 works. It just reverses polarity ont he output wires, so it wouldn;t even turn a light bulb on and off - it would always be on. To drive a relay you need a diode in series with it, and a relay with a DC coil rated for 12 volts at 25ma or less. Radio Shack used to sell such things, pobably not anymore. The contacts on small relays like that are usually rated around 1 amp so you could turn a lot of 15 or 30 ma bulbs on and off with one.
I haven’t tried writing scripts yet, I thought I would for my control panel application but Bob showed me how to do it using routes and no real programming. Awesome. But you definitely can run trains with block detection and a script, someone posted a video a while back showing their layout running conpletely automated like that. It was on the JMRI group.
–Randy
Allen Gartner sent me an email about this and also recommend a realy from radio shack 7-9vdc at 15 Ma. to run the lights. Told me the best use for the DS44 is turnong on Signals (red/green) tha was about it.
I am studying the manual from Digitrax on routing using the DCS100. That may be better. I think I will rip out all the DS52’s and go to the latest a greatest to get the feedback I need to loconet.
Since I won the war with the Challenger all is well.
claycts:
Take a look at this thread:
http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/904919/ShowPost.aspx
hope it helps.
Thank you for the link. You see I have a SPARE 8 amp booster (was 5) that all it does is power Tortoise machines (125 of them). The deal with the dcc control of lights is the computer operations of the effects system for the lighting. Cost is no big deal, I just want it that way so if I want the computer to run it can and I can run a train along with it. Doing this now, computer runs the Cleaning train and I run the (2) main lines.
Thank you for the reply.
There’s an old saying that if you only have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail… [;)]
Visit: http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CircuitIndex.html
Take a look at the easy to build 555 timer circuits that can trigger relays, etc. There’s sure to be one or two you can use to do this fairly simple task and save the decoders for more difficult things.
Mike Tennent
I think the challenge will be that the DS44 cannot source a lot of current to drive very many lights. The circuit I designed allows DCC control of lights and doesn’t require power from the rails to drive the lights. It also can source 3 different functions: constant 12VDC for panel lights and such, DCC controlled off/on and variable output for dimming, each with up to 1A with no modifications.
http://www.thebinks.com/trains/decoder%20adapter.html
You could modify this to run off track power farily easily. Another option is just to use mobile decoders, which can source a lot more power for lights and such. Use the motor output for variable brightness and the function or headlight outputs for on/off control.
Now you know why I ask Dumb Questions! I got some great links and information that I can use along with the fact I still have a BOX of DS44’s. That Circuit link is great I will build a few for sure.
If you have never seen what I am building here is a qucik photo of the main line room.
This was built by asking dumb questions and getting good answers.
Thanks Mike and all who have helped over the years.
Not meaning to be churlish, do you have a better picture? This one looks like the inside of a cave without a flash, almost.
LOL it is the CAVE as my wife calls it. That was no flash to get a reading on the lights in the room as far as what you could see. Answer was not much so we are adding mor to the main line room.
I do not think this is any better but:
Room in Sept 6 2005
This is the FAR corner in the picture on 4/5/2006
I need to update the pictures. I am figuring out the new camera so I hope to get better pictures.
The cave shot was taken August 26, 2006