I have thought that the UP-5 panel was a passive device. Yet when perusing the Litchfield Station website, I get the feeling that a 12V supply is required or else it draws power from the rails or command station. What’s up with that?
Also I was wanting some loconet cables to connect them together but they have no such animals. Could it be that I can go to the local telephone company store and buy them ready made?
OK no response. How can I repost this in the “layout” section? Do I ned to delete this one and retype in the new area?
Loconet cables are just 6-wire telephone cords. You can get them at Radio Shack in 25 foot lengths.
You can also get a crimper and end plugs (or whatever they are called ) at Radio Shack so you can make your Loconet cables the exact length you want.
It’s very easy to do.
Possibly you got no reponse because of the thread title. A “UT” is a Utility Throttle (as in, UT-1, UT-2, & UT-4). Therefore a “UT-5” would make folks think that Digitrax has a new throttle out…which is not the case.
Instead, I think you meant “UP-5”. This is one of their “Universal Panels” (or something like that). It’s one of the throttle sockets that they use (there have been others). I use a half dozen UP-5’s on my layout, and my club has around 20 on the layout.
The only way they draw power is if you hook it up to the track buss (see instructions). This makes the little orangey/yellow LED light up between the sockets, and tells you if your track power is on. Otherwise, they are merely a simple link in the LocoNet chain, and no worse than a terminal strip in drawing power (IOW, they can’t).
The extra 12v jack is so that one can leave a battery in one’s radio or IR throttle without worrying about draining it (as long as the throttle is plugged into an active power supply, it won’t draw an juice off the battery). Also, in a large system with a lot of throttles or other LocoNet devices plugged in, LocoNet voltage can become an issue. Using the aux. power supply in the UP-5’s at least keeps the Throttles from drawing down the voltage for power. BTW, I also believe that a single 12VDC power supply can daisy chain several UP-5’s without issue (see instructions).
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
I have to admit that I am “old school” here running an (antique) Digitrax BigBoy…But.
I do not have any of my UP 5’s powered, just daisy-chained with the Loco Net cables. They indeed draw some power, but it has to be so very little. OTOH I do have a power supply for my UR 91 , but this is because of the radio capability.
Regarding making your own cables: Yes, you can do this, but you may have to go to a computer store or a well stocked Radio Shack. My local phone store (actually a Farm & Fleet) didn’t have what I needed.
Just remember that when you are crimping the ends on, that all the wires are in the same order, in the plug, at both ends.
Good luck.
the power supply for the ur91 will supply power for the up5’s. if you buy the 6 wire telephone cord from radio shack one of the modular plugs will have to be changed as digitrax loconet cables require that the white wire be always on the right side of the plug.
I don’t have any of my UP5 panels wired either with power. I was going to but I thought what would be the scence in doing it, I already know if the power is on or off because I have to turn it on or off. Any good computer store will make you up the cables you need.
In other words Straight through wiring.
Dont forget the loconet tester for the wiring to have continious signal without failure.
As others have mentioned -You do not have to power them, but you may run into some Loconet signal issues if you have a fair number of them(our club layout has over 25 for sure). My home layout has 3 UP5’s and a UR91 - I have power supplies on all of them. As others have mentioned, you can share the power from a common power suppy as well.
As far as the cables; You can make them out of 6 conductor flat communications cable and RJ45 connectors. You WILL need that special crimping tool to get good connections on the connectors. You can also the cables custom made to any length from Tony’s Train Exchange. The prices are quite reasonable.
Jim
colvinbackshop,
You said that the UP-5’s “indeed draw some power” when daisy chained via LocoNet. How? There’s no lights, there’s no signal being generated…
FYI: you don’t actually need the external power supply for the UR91…it will actually work straight off the LocoNet. I don’t recommend it, but in case of emergency (if the power supply goes bad or something), the LocoNet will operate the UR91 at a reduced range. I had to do this at my club just before an Operation Session.
As for finding 6-conductor flat TELCO wire supplies (crimps, crimpers, wire), don’t forget www.mouser.com or www.alliedelec.com.
retsignalmtr,
I’m not quite sure what you mean about LocoNet plugs always having the white wire on the right. The following is what Digitrax recommends:
http://www.digitrax.com/kb/index.php?a=365
TA462,
At our club, the idea of hooking the track power into the UP-5’s is a quick way to identify which circuit breakers have tripped, if the layout is shut off with the throttle, etc. On my home layout, I haven’t done so because it’s all one block.
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
When buying already built cables from your local Electronics store (Radio Shack, et al…), ensure that they have all the wires installed. Many of them only have two wires. I think the little connectors on the end are called a RJ-14 with six contacts, and RJ-12 with four contacts. I could be wrong on the numbers, so look them up in the Digitrax manual if you are concerned with correct terminolgy. They will both fit into the receptical so be sure the cable you buy has all the wires installed.
I would think that the UP-5 does use some power off the loco net as it has active componants. I would assume this power comsumption to be negligable in most circumstances.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
just to clarify the plugs used on the ends of the cables. digitrax use RJ12’s, these are 6 pole plugs with 6 wires conducting. they are also refered to as FCC68’s, but this is for all the varient’s in that plug type range. RJ12’s are as stated 6pole 6 conductors, RJ11’s are 6 pole plugs, but there are only contacts on the 4 centre poles for 4 wire connections ( no use for digitrax ) so check what you order, and RJ45’s are the 8 pole computer networking type.
The Home Depot stores around here also carry the 6 conductor modular cables. They are a bit cheaper than Radio Shack. There is always the option of getting the plugs and a crimper tool. I have done that for many of mine. The other thing on the UP panels is wiring up the track voltage indicator. I find it a big help to remnd me whether I turned the power on or not (of course the sound locomotives tend to help). I have the UP panels monitor different bocks, that way I can tell if a particular block is not powered (i.e. I hit the toggle switch for a block etc…)
RJ-45s are larger plugs than the others. I don’t believe they will work.
You are correct - RJ12 is the smaller type. Just used to talking about the larger RJ45’s(must be work related…). And do not buy that thinner pre-made phone cable stuff.
Jim
Paul, my club has all of ours powered as well. It is a good way to pin point where there is a problem. On my home layout it is all one block as well, besides I’m to lazy to run power to them, lol. When I start to wire my expansion I intend to power all of them.
Paul 3 when you look at the modular plug with the spring clip up the white wire is supposed to be on the right side of the clip on both ends of the cable. the digitrax diagram of the loconet wire that you posted is correct. when you buy preassembled six wire cables from radio shack and you layout the entire wire on a flat surface you will see that the springclips are both on the same side of the cable and the white wires are on opposite sides of the spring clip. this does not only affect the white wire but all the wires in that cable.
I found a bunch of RJ11 6-position plugs are they the same as the RJ12?
This is from Digitrax wiring manual:
Wiring Your Layout with LocoNet
LocoNet Wiring
There are no real restrictions on LocoNet wiring with respect to wire pairs. Most Digitrax customers choose to use 6 wire Telco type flat ribbon cables because they are cost effective, simple to wire and give superior network performance. We engineered LocoNet to use 6 wires because of several advantages outlined below. LocoNet can actually run on just 2 or 3 wires. For general information about LocoNet click here.
As you can see, the side the white wire is on is irrelevant.
The plugs are all the same. The difference is in the number of holes in the plug that actually have contacts. They are available in 2, 4, and 6 contacts. RJ-12 contains 6 contacts.