Agreed! There's an oval with a crossover that are the cornerstones of my layout. They were set in place with great precision and lightly glued in place. That's all that I'm running now, with only stub ends to identify eventual connections to raised track and my yard just loosely set in place. I wish I'd have had the space to slightly rotate the track as you did. That's a nice touch.
I didn't prefer roundy round either. Made me dizzy. Wandering tracks, paved and dirt, are much more interesting. And can use different vehicles. Just like trains, they are meant for something different.
Slight rotation of the track plan in its space has its detractions too... It makes less efficient use of a rectangular space, but it can also provide opportunities (e.g. larger corner spaces in two opposite corners.) I probably should clarify my earlier comment regarding oval/circular base track plans. I do prefer the ability to run continuously. But I like to disguise it a little, and make it less "predictable" to the casual observer, where the train goes next. I really like folded dog-bone style layouts, which introduces terrain and the appearance of reverse-running (i.e. not always counter/clockwise running), but also provides for fly-over crossings, in a relatively compact space. The dog-bone (folded or not) also provides for a convenient implementation of a reverse loop, by simply inserting a crossover or two somewhere in the double track "shank of the bone". So while I like to watch a through freight go 'round & round' (especially while I'm working a local freight, switching industries, dodging the through freight, all while desperately trying to avoid hitting the emergency stop button,) I like to disguise things a little more than is possible with an oval. I suppose Woodland Scenics' Scenic Ridge layout kit, introduced a compact, folded dog-bone layout style to me (and perhaps others.) Though I never purchased or built one, it had a major impact on me. Please note that in no way do I "frown upon" others' choice of any layout style. We all have our own 'druthers, as well as space, budget, and other constraints, within which we try to enjoy this great hobby!
I'm powering my Kato Unitrack switches with capacitive discharge circuits. I stupidly downsized my control panel too much and can't fit the capacitors in there. I'll instead have to mount them under the layout adjacent to the switches. I wanted to make this as easy as possible, so as to not spend hours under the layout with arms getting weary and solder dripping on my legs. Enter this foolproof little module I built with a barrier strip, capacitor and Tamiya Male Miniconnector to plug into the Kato switch's female connector. I'll need a bunch of these and can comfortably build them at the bench, making installation much easier. A few #6 x 5/8" screws and they're in place. The empty screw terminals will be wired to the toggle switch on my control panel.
So what's the capacitor for? Is this because it is a Kato switch? I'm confused, again Time for a NEW control panel, NOT
Kato's turnouts are two-wire DC powered, with polarity determining individual turnout position. Unfortunately, this makes a single layout-wide circuit impossible, as can be done with AC powered turnouts. @in2tech , capacitive discharge circuits are used to send a quick burst of current* to a turnout to throw it. This allows a small power supply to reliably work a great many turnouts. In my application, it also allows use of LEDs to show turnout position. * To be accurate, @BigJake defines it as Technically, capacitors store electrical charge (Coulombs). Current (Amperes) is defined as the change or flow of electrical charge per unit time (Ampere = Coulombs per second). As charge in the capacitor increases (delivered by current flow through the capacitor), the voltage across the capacitor increases, and vice versa. The unit of capacitance (Farad) is defined as Coulombs per Volt, which can be re-written as Amp-seconds per Volt. So you can get current from a capacitor by allowing the charge to either fill or drain the capacitor with/of charge.
Using one capacitor per switch (or set of switches always thrown together) works because the act of throwing the switch one way charges/discharges the capacitor in preparation for throwing the switch the other way (and discharging/charging, respectively, the capacitor.) The capacitor automatically limits the time duration of the current pulse, rather than depending on momentarily pressing and releasing an electrical switch, or having some other circuit to limit the duration of the switch-throwing current pulse. The switch machines' coils will burn out if continuously supplied with current. If you had a capacitor large enough (to store enough charge) to throw every switch you needed to throw at the same time, it would not properly limit the current or duration when throwing just one switch. The capacitor allows the use of a non-momentary electrical switch, the position of which can also visually indicate the status of the track switch, either directly or by illuminating led(s).
Decided to unbox some power just to see some wheels turn, Atlas LV C-628s and CNJ SD-35s. These have been stored away for some years now, but seem to run okay. I think some more run time will help. Front end handrails on the C-628s are loose and bent because of hurried boxing up on my part. I need to look at them to see what can be done. Pardon the loose tracks everywhere! Still thinking things through.
No pardon required! That's the best part about Unitrack: You don't have to glue/nail it down to be able to reliably run some trains on it, or just see it in its actual size! The incorporated roadbed and Unijoiners support and hold the track together just fine, while allowing easily disconnecting and re-organizing the layout on the fly. Within some limitations, Unitrack Viaducts even let you experiment with grades and elevated trackage. And when you get the terrain in place to support the elevated trackage, you can simply remove the Unitrack ground level pieces from their Viaduct housings, and reuse them on your terrain. Unitrack is the ultimate prototyping system that can be carried forward to the final layout. All that said, I still believe layout planning software is necessary to ensure that the track pieces are fit together properly (especially when "closing a loop") to ensure long lasting, reliable operation over the layout. I myself have had track assembled (and ran trains on) on a layout, that did not fit properly when I tried to put the plan in the computer. The track planning SW packages keep you honest, and help ensure a reliable layout can be enjoyed for years. When Unitrack pieces do not fit together properly, they can pry the Unijoiner blades apart, resulting in unreliable electrical connections and inconsistent operation, especially over time.
Speaking of Unitrack viaducts, I like that truss bridges and deck bridges are available. I've chosen low profile deck bridges over an end of my yard so that I don't accidentally smack them with my hand, as I might with a taller truss bridges. In another area where I'd planned three truss bridges, I replaced one with a deck bridge so as to keep a nice view of an interlocking open. Being taller, one of the truss bridges blocked my sightline. That's the sort of thing that isn't apparent to me until a layout build is underway.
Yes, the Unitrack crossover contains four turnouts, so a larger cap is needed as seen here at the lower right. The closest value I could find to the 4400uf value needed was 4700. Do you think I'll be okay with it? Could have instead wired two 2200uf caps in series?
So I am still confused as I have seen Kato switches/turnouts used with those Blue Kato switch things and they don't need capacitors right, or are built in to those big Blue switch throwing thing's. Sorry for all the questions. Is it because this is all going to your home made panel? I have a feeling I am gonna get more information, that I might not understand So it must be because they are also DC thrown switches as opposed to my Atlas AC thrown switches? Just curious, I will stop now I feel the same why about this as I did wiring my track for DCC, until one day it clicked, and then I actually wired it, and the surprising thing is it worked
Since a Unitrack double crossover changes 2 turnouts at a time...in one crossover move...couldnt you use just 2 of those capacitors. One cap throwing two turnouts as in / or \ ?? Or is that your plan all along... .
There are no capacitors inside the kato turnout control switches. One of the big plusses in capacitive discharge is reducing the surge of current needed from the power supply when a huge load is connected for short instantaneous demands of power. When the double crossover is thrown, a significantly larger demand for current is needed from its source of power. The demand is noticeable running under DC with the Kato power pack and turnout controls. On my layout and with a given Dig Voltmeter, a decrease in power supply voltage of over a 1.5 Vdc was observed under DC as compared to DCC and using the Digitrax DS DS64 (with capacitive discharge) with a reading of 200mV. Capacitors oppose a change in voltage, inductors oppose a change in current. In power supply design, using full wave rectification and after the conversion from AC to pulsating DC (approx. .636 of the peak value), the distance between the peaks is about 8.3mS. It is the capacitors job (or filtering circuit) to discharge during the peaks and smooth out the voltage peaks (reducing to acceptable amount) and convert to "pure" DC (1 x peak value less the dc voltage drops across each forward biased diode in the rectifier circuit). With C = PlateArea x Dielectric / dist between the plates.... Capacitors in parallel add up like resistors in series and conversely Capacitors in series add up like resistors in parallel. With parallel capacitors, one is effectively increasing the area of the plates whereby in series, the distance between the plates. Generally speaking your usually ok going higher sometimes upto 2x but not 20% lower of needed value, If a 3600ufd cap needed, I'd be ok using a 4000 but definitely not 3000ufd. This excludes eg. timing circuits.
