My layout currently uses blocks in order to operate 2 trains at the same time on the same track. I am switching to a DCC system. What wiring is needed to accomplish this task? Do I need to wire just one section of track or at various sections?
Just disconnect your DC supply and connect the DCC system. Turn all your blocks on. That’s it.
When I switched to DCC, I figured I needed a larger feed to all the layout. I wish now that I had done just what Jeffery suggested. With all your blocks on switchs that can be turned off, finding a bad short or problem can easily be traced to one block. Sure saves a lot of time!
Cliff
I would do as suggested, and then do the “quarter test”. Turn the DCC system on, and place a quarter across the rails at various places around the layout. If the system detects the short, and shuts down, your wiring is sufficient. If not, you’ll have to beef it up a bit.
There’s not much need to do a quarter test on a layout that is running okay on DC block control when you switch to DCC, because nothing in the wiring is being changed. The quarter test proves nothing except that your DCC system’s internal circuit breaker is functioning properly. If there was a problem with the wiring, trains would’t have run properly on DC block control, either.
I disagree. The quarter test verifies that the wiring to every part of the layout is sufficient to allow a short circuit to be detected. Wiring that works perfectly well on DC may not be adequate for this. Usually it will be, but it doesn’t hurt to be sure.
The quarter test is very important. There are a lot of old DC block controlled layouts that are wired with 18 to 20 Ga wire out there. Do you really want 5 amps of current going through 20 feet of 20 Ga. wire? Shutting down the booster in a blink of an eye is important not only for your decoders but also for your wiring and track. The less important reason for a quarter test is if the wiring is not solid enough than your digital signal would be corrupted and you will have control problems. The control packets being sent to the decoder would be ignored and the decoder will follow its last known good packet. Just what you want not to happen when backing down that siding or running behind the first section of a train.
Pete
Thank you all that responded to my question. Perhaps I should have prefaced my question with the following statement - I had to redo my layeout do to a flooded basement. I am using the same plan with the exception that I want to use DCC instaed off DC. Therefore do I need blocks and if not how many electrical connections do I need to make with the track and my DCC system?
All of the above answers assumed that you were using your existing control panels and their associated block toggle switches. Have all of these been removed during the redo?
Yes. I don’t want to use the blocks if I can help it.
Well, that’s different then!
You don’t need to use blocks, though having several sections that you can isolate can be useful for debugging. In general the plan is to run a fairly heavy bus (14 or 16 gauge) from the command station around the layout. From that drop short feeders (18 or 20 gauge, or even smaller, as long as they are short) to the rails at six foot intervals, or so. One “rule of thumb” is to have a feeder on every section of track that isn’t soldered to a track that has a feeder on it. There are about as many opinions on how many feeders should be run as there are people running feeders.
Okay, can we assume that you still have the track gapped as it originally was?
If this is the case, what are the approximate block lengths? Just the longer ones, not the little short ones that you might have used in an engine terminal. If you’re talking about the long ones being in the 6 to 10 foot range, and all the joints are soldered, you can probably get away with one feeder in the middle. If your existing block power feeder locations were located this way, you can just connect from your DCC bus to these points.
With a few blocks this might not be an issue.
Our club with fourteen blocks and a couple reversing loops has been an issue as are some passing sidings so we are completely re-wiring all the block drops to a buss system with heavier wire than was originally used with the DC blocks when the layout was wired nearly thirty years ago. We run DCC and sound with lighted passenger cars and sometimes a couple three sound engine consists.
The layout is still common rail with the handlaid tracks sections soldered within the blocks.
Rich
Here is a couple links for you.
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn2/DCC.htm
Both are very good with a lot of information.
Pete
What if I don’t use the blocks? My original layout got wet therefore I am starting from scratch and rebuilding the same layout and would like to eliminate the blocks. Any wise words of wisdom as to how to wire the system? Electricity isn’t my cup of tea.
Run two 14 gauge wires (red for the right rail and black for the left other rail) under the layout so they follow the general direction of the track. These are your buss wires. Every 6 - 8 feet drill a hole beside the outside edge of each rail that big enough to allow a 20 gauge wire to through. Again, red and black. Solder the 20 gauge feeders to the outside edge of the rails and to the 14 gauge buss lines.
I have an Atlas track layout I would like to convert to DCC. Do I need to solder all the track sections together? Can I use Atlas Terminal Rail Joiners as the feeder wires? I understand that similar to the original author I have a DC block system, I will like need to revise some wiring (heavier gauge) and update the one common wire I had too. Also should one DCC connection work to power two 4x8 oval tracks and couple of short sidings?
Thanks,
David
David.
You do not half to solder all the sections together. If you solder them together in 3 to 4 foot sections and leave the rest unsoldered for expansion and contraction would be fine.
Do NOT use terminal joiners unless you plan to solder them to the rails.
One DCC buss would be fine. I posted a couple links earlier in this thread that is really helpful to new DCC people. The one from Allan Gartner is super and pretty much like the bible of DCC wiring. Just remember to do a quarter test. That is the determining factor if your wiring is OK.
Pete
Pete:
I would really like to avoid solder … not experienced at doing this … don’t owe a solder. Why can’t I just use the terminal rail joiners as feeder wires? Do I really need to solder track joints?
Thanks,
David
You can use wired terminal joiners but the connections on them are not robust and can be pulled off easily. Don’t be scared of soldering. It’s easy to learn and is a snap once you get the hang of it. On soldering track joints, it’s not really necessary that you do so but it makes a much better electrical joint and you won’t have to worry about corrosion corrupting the connection later. The easiest way to solder two pieces of track together with joiners is to put a little flux into each joiner, put the sections together, touch the soldering tool to one joiner and apply the solder at the joint. The flux will pull the solder into the joint. Repeat with the next joiner. If you don’t want to solder wires to the sides of the track you can solder them to the bottoms of the joiners.