Tam Valley Dual Frog Juicer as Auto Reverser tripping Circuit breaker

Ok here’s another why is this happening electronics post.

I have a Tam Valley Dual Frog Juicer set up (per their instructions) as an Auto Reverser. The “Pair Outputs” jumper is on.

The DCC Track bus connection is spliced into the mainline bus wires and the “frog Outputs” are wired to a terminal strip and then to 3 pairs of feeders that go to the reverse loop at 3 foot intervals.

When a loco crosses the gap between the mainline and the reversing loop it shorts out the Mainline PSX Circuit breaker.The loco runs fine on the main or the reverse loop until it hits the gap.

Ideas?

Another “You’re going to have to get a PSX-AR” because the trip speed of the PSX is not adjustable. The PSX is acting faster than the Frog Juicer does, not much you can do about it.

–Randy

Lovely. Thanks Randy. at least I don’t need to re-wire anything.

Welll…

The PSX-AR shouldn;t be fed with the output of one of the PSX’s, it should get power right from the booster/command station, same as the PSX’s. Because the PSX-AR is both an autoreverser AND a circuit breaker.

–Randy

Does that apply to the current AR? Mine is powered after the CB. Would it work if I powered it directly?

It would work for autoreversing but the Frog Juicer is not a circuit breaker so it wouldn’t cut power if say a train derailed in the loop and shorted the track. In that case, your whole layout would shut down like it was with the EB-1s.

–Randy

Purchased the PSX-AR.

Hopefully last question.

I need to create 3 direct runs from the booster. right now I have the wiresfed directly into the mainline PSX CB and then daisy chained to the other two.

It seems to me the best approach would be to use a terminal strip. Feed the strip from the booster and then take the three buses and two AR’s off the strip.

The objective is to feed the AR’s directly.

Sound ok?

Gary, that will work just fine.

Rich

Thanks Rich