what guage wire do i use from the buss to the track
I use either 22 or 24 (whatever I have on hand at the time). For soldering to rails, solid is easier than stranded, although either works okay. I’ve bought rolls at Home Depot, Lowes and Radio Shack. Things like alarm wire work fine. Try to keep the length of the feeders as short as possible.
iceman24333, there is a lot of good information out here on the web that can be of help to you. Here are a couple of places you can get the information you need:
- Alan Gartners website on DCC. This a wealth if information for everyone from beginners to techies! I still go there and check out things if I have a question. (I do not personally agree with the idea of using the “lightbulb” trick. It could end up burning down your house…???) http://www.wiringfordcc.com/wirefordcc_toc.htm
- Loys Toys is another good place to find information about wireing for DCC. http://www.loystoys.com/ (click on DCC topics)
I used 12 guage romex cable with the outside sheathing removed for the main bus. Then used 16 guage stranded wire for a sub bus system (to get power near all the tracks) and then used 18 and 22 guage solid wire (depending on where is was to go) for the track feeders. Here is a photo of some of the wireing on the layout. This is one of the few spots that I used heavy duty Barrior Terminal Strips (Radidio Shanty was out of theirs at the time.) The Black and White wires are the Main Bus system and the red and yellow wires are going to sub-bus terminal strips.
Happy reading and good luck with DCC.