I need help finding the article that appeared in MR within the last year that showed how to wire a programming track on the layout using a DPDT switch. I seen it several times but now that I’m ready for it, I can’t find it. Go figure!
Thanks, Dan
I don’t remember the article, but I believe I know what your looking for.
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Make sure you isolate both rails of the track you are designating as the program track from the rest of the layout.
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The only two wires going to the rails of the program track should come from the two terminals in the center of the DPDT switch.
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The feeder wires from the ‘normal’ track should run to one set (top set or bottom set) of terminals of the DPDT switch.
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The ‘program’ feeder wires should connect to the remaining set of terminals on the DPDT switch.
I drew a quick diagram that I hope makes sense of things.
Here’s a little more on the DPDT. Note that the switch pivots in the middle, so when you have the switch (UP) you are acctually connecting the LOWER terminals to the middle terminals.
Also, some people like to add an extra piece of track between the main and program. This middle piece would be powered when the track is not in program mode, and NOT powered when you are programing. That way, you lessen the chance of runing your locomotive accross the two different tracks and causing problems. In that case you would want to go with a 4PDT switch and control the middle track in the same way with the remaining terminals. The difference being that the ‘program’ wires would not run to the set of terminals on the switch devoted to the middle track.
I hope this helps, and doesn’t confuse you more. [:D]
Quick question,
If you have an NCE, which shuts off main line power when programming, you should not need an extra “dead” section or no?
Brian
Brian,
Yes, even with an NCE system you need to isolate the programming track from the rest of your layout. If you don’t, your entire layout will become the programming track and every train on the layout will be programmed.
If you have an NCE system, look at the connection diagram in the manual and it will show you how to connect a programming track, either directly or through a DPDT toggle switch.
You don’t even need a DPDT…an SPDT will do. You take the current from the DCC output and place it at the input posts of the SPDT. However, your feeders to your gapped programming section, part of your yard, maybe (mine is a stretch of the lead to the turntable) also go to those posts. The bus to the rest of your layout comes off the other set of posts. When you only want to power the programming section, flip the toggle, and the rest of the layout goes dead.
Warning-make sure all axles that can contribute to energizing the item you are programming are within the gapped section of programming track…no axles on the other side, or you will programme everything else on your layout. If you have sound locomotives, you will know what is happening because when you fip the toggle to isolate the programming track, the rest of the layout will stay active…your loco is providing power to the rest of the layout through its axles and circuitry!
If it’s the same article I jotted down in my notes to use, it’s the February 2006 issue, page 59.
Hope that’s it!
Keep in mind if your system does not have a dedicated programt rack utput, it gets wired a little differently. In such a case you want the power rmoved from the layout as a whole and only applied to the isolated section for program mode, and in ‘run’ mode the rest of the layotu gets the power. In such a case the power from the comand station would go to the center terminals of the DPDT switch, the program section would connect to one set of side terminals, and the rest of the layout would connect to the other side.
–Randy
Hey, thanks Shaun, yes that was the one I was looking for.
Dan