Digitrax Zephyr programming track set up...

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I bought 50 feet of red and 50 of black 14 gauge wire to use as the bus under may layout. I used all but a foot of each.

My question - for wiring the programming track for a Zephyr - does it matter that much what gauge wire you use when powering the programming track?

Ive got a lot of extra 22 gauge wire and would like to avoid buying more 14 guage. Can you use 22 gauge wire to power the programming track?

Thanks

Ken

2

Hi,

I would say “Yep, go ahead” - unless your prog track is 50’ away from the Zephyr! [And upon further thought, even that should be OK IMCO.]

The prog track output is already current limited, and you shouldn’t have more than one loco on it at any one time, ie, minimal current draw so I’d go for it.

HTH,
Ian

3

#14 is PLENTY big enough. Especially for only a foot or two. Until I fini***he control panel witht he toggle switch to isolate one of my sidings, I am using a temporary programming track which is two pieces of Atlas snap-track with terminal joiners int he middle - homemade ones using the same #20 wire I use for my track feeders, about 2 feet of it. A total electical path of 4 feet. No problems. The current on the program track is very low and so there is not a lot of loss in the wires connecting it to the Zephyr. For an example look to the Loconet cabling - it’s just telephone wire, but you can run hundreds, if not thousands, of feet. Granted if you have 1000 feet of Loconet between the command station and the last jack you probably will need external power to the UP5 even if you only have one throttle, but you can certainly run 50 feet of Loconet with no extra power - the extra power is really only needed to support multiple throttles plugged in, when the COMBINED current draw causes voltage drops.

–Randy

4

Randy - Read the question again!..

5

Ken, #22 is fine for the programming track. Chances are it will be within arms reach of the Zephyr, and like the others said, the programming current is minimal. I use my Zephyr to program decoders at our modular group’s shows and connect to a piece of flextrack with #22 test jumpers, no problems.
J. Fallon, Tidewater & Albemarle Railroad

6

Thanks, everybody for the help.