I just got an HO GP40 Diesel Loco- DCC Equipped Union Pacific and it runs great. It has lights and will run on DC or DCC. Can Sound be added to these already DCC equipped Locomotives from Bachmann or must the current decoder for DCC be switched out? How if so? I'd love to hear from anyone that has added sound to one of the Bachmann DCC equipped locos since I own three of them now and none of them have sound, only lights. I have the Bachmann EZ Commander DCC system. Can this system be programmed to control turnouts and other things besides locomotives? How if so? It has an I/O port that looks like a telephone jack on it but wouldn't know if this could be connected to a computer somehow. Anyone who has programmed turnouts with this system if possible please post how. On a separate issue I'm building my tabletop layout and was wondering what people are using to wire their DCC layouts...I have 16 gauge and 18 gauge wire at the moment and was thinking of using the 18 to distribute power around the layout with the 16 serving as feeders to track sections. Is DCC wiring a lot different from DC since you don't need power districts? I don't notice much drop in train speeds on my layout...do I even need feeders and a bus? My layout is 4 x 7 and consists of a pasing lane and odd shaped oval with an internal oval running seperately on DC. Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated .
One reason that feeders are used is that over time the rail joiners will corrode and/or work loose, resulting in spotty electrical continuity.
If you don't want to change out your decoders then you need to add a sound-only decoder. In N Scale locos there may not be room for the additional decoder, so people put them in dummy units or other cars. Typically the Diesel sounds are always on and change with the speed of the loco while your function keys are assigned other sounds, ie. F1 - Bell, F2 - Horn, F8 - Mute Here is a review of one sound-only decoder, there are a number of other brands as well. SoundTraxx DSX Sound Only DCC Unit. | Tech News at Tony's Train Exchange. This is an old review. The current prices are about half of what the review says. DCC wiring is much simpler since you don't need power districts. But you do have to power both sides of your switches if you want trains to run regardless of switch position. That is, if the switches route power. I know Kato makes HO switches that can be set to DCC mode where they don't route power, but not in N Scale. Also, if you are doing any kind of reverse loop you will need to isolate it and power it using an auto-reversing unit like the one at Digitrax.com: Digitrax AR1 Auto Reversing Controller Hope this helps.
Are you saying that in order to add sound I would have to take out the DCC decoder in there and replace it with a DCC/with sound decoder? Do the Bachmann DCC equipped locos have simple removeable decoders that I can just unplug take out and replace with a sound enabled decoder? On the wiring I've been reading conflicting posts...do you run a wire following the track under it(called a bus in some posts) and then attach the feeders to it or do you run the wire down the middle of the layout and run feeders from it to the track? Can someone post a picture of wiring done right...like the underside of their layout. thanks in advance...I got my table built now I need to wire...
Mveleza: The bus wire is usually a thicker wire (16 gauge wire is thicker than 18 gauge wire) to carry the power from the power source to whatever area of the layout where it is needed with the least amount of resistance. I run close to 40 feet from my power source to my more distant rails, so I use 10 and 12 gauge bus wires. Most of my shelving is 24 to 30 inches deep, so I run my bus wires down the length of my shelving about 6 to 9 inches in from the fascia. On your layout, the 16 gauge wire will work just fine for a bus wire down the center of your layout. I prefer single strand wire for my bus and feeder wires because it is easier for me to strip and splice single strands than multiple strand/braided wire. But some people prefer multiple strand wire because it is more flexible than the solid/single strand wire. The feeder wires from the bus wire to the rails are usually thinner wire. I use 24 gauge solid/single strand telephone wire from Radio Shack...some people use 20 or 22 gauge, others use smaller wires like 26 or 28 gauge. Feeder wires are typically only 6 to 24 inches long. If your bus wire runs down the center of a 4 foot wide layout, most of your feeders will be less than 24 inches long...and you can just put more feeders in if you are worried too many feeders are at or over 24 inches long. Spacing between pairs of feeders varies from 4 to 8 feet and is affected by: 1. how thick the feeders are (20 gauge wire can easily accomodate 6 to 8 feet between feeders but 28 gauge would probably require shortening up the distance to only 4 or 5 feet between pairs of feeders), especially if you are considering running sound decoders. 2. the length of the individual rail that is being fed (one feeder might be enough for a 3 foot length of rail, but several pieces of flex track soldered into a 20 foot long continuous rail should probably have 2 or 3 feeders (depending on feeder thickness and length), and 3. your own confidence in your soldering abilities. One of my modeling friends soldered pairs of feeders to every single piece of sectional track on his 3 by 10 foot layout and then soldered every rail joiner on the layout except where he needed his reversing loop gaps. He claimed it was "just in case a soldered wire comes loose". On my layout, I've soldered together flex track into 12 to 16 foot long yard tracks. I have feeders about 3 or 4 feet from either end. For your layout, I think putting 3 or 4 pairs of feeders on each loop would be more than enough, and you could probably get away with 2 or 3 pairs if you solder most of your rail joiners. FWIW, to make repairs and adjustments easier, I don't solder any track directly to my turnouts unless I'm having electrical conductivity problems that can't be solved by tightening up the rail joiners, but I solder most of the track to track connections. One of my friends does it just the other way around...he solders all of his turnouts to his track pieces, and only solders track to track connections in hidden areas or on curves. From all I can see, neither one of us has too many electrical problems.
ppuinn's covered the DCC wiring question quite nicely, so I'll chirp up on the sound-equipped engine instead: If you've already got DCC on the loco, you've got two options: add a "sound only" decoder. This has a speaker but no motor connections (and probably no lights either), and sits beside the existing decoder. replace the existing decoder with one that will do sound and also control the motor Which works better for you probably depends on Time and Money, and how happy you are trying to fit small fragile electronics inside the loco. At least with HO you've got space for a sound decoder Okay, I wanna comment on the bus wires too You don't have to follow the layout, a single "bus" of low-number wire down the centre of your board should be fine. Then lead off "feeders" to the rails... Imagine it as a skeleton, with the spine as the bus and the ribs leading off to the tracks (or maybe if you prefer, a centipede with all those little legs..) One thing you definitely should not do is wire your bus in a loop. A single line or even a T with the controller wired to the middle will work Just Fine. A quick google suggests with a standard entry-level DCC set, you could have 16 gauge wires for a bus about 25' long and still get <1V of droop, so that's good.
Great info thanks! Since my layout is only 4 by 7 I'm going to go for the "T" bus in 14 gauge wire and 16 or 18 gauge feeders. I guess I really only need about 4 pairs of feeders for my layout or so since it is so small compared to what everyone else has going. Do you run the wires under your tabletop layout with holes through it or do you run them under the tracks...I have the EZ Track which has the plastic roadbed so I thought maybe I could just run the wires down there...is that a bad idea? On the sound decoder...I have all Bachmann DCC Equipped locos...the standard starter ones with lights. What sound decoder would fit in one of these? Are they plug and play or will I need to know how to wire and solder them? If anyone has a good source for info on adding the sound decoder to one of these Bachmann locos that would really be great! I looked at the link posted earlier but its so old that it seems really outdated. How expensive is a sound decoder that would work...btw my locos are diesels so I'd be looking for diesel sounds...I have a Santa Fe like the one in ATSF Admirer's signature, A Union Pacific and a Red and Grey Santa Fe Diesel that looks more modern. Thanks again for all the info...to wiring I go...
Bachmann DCC This depends on the loco itself. If it came DCC equipped, then it is unlikely that you will need to hardwire (solder) them. I am not familiar with Bachmann's products, except the Acela... the first DCC train I bought, and a huge disappointment to me. The power car died after a few minutes of operation and Bachmann had to replace it, and the pantograms won't stay clipped down and snag on an overpass when they pop up. After one got bent I finally took them off. Here is a link that discusses some Bachmann DCC issues: Revisiting Bachmann Spectrum DCC Ready Locos | Tech News at Tony's Train Exchange. This article seems to indicate that some Bachmann locos use the standard 8 pin MNRA connector. If your locos have that connector then you can choose a sound controller from several manufacturers. The article also talks about locos that use a "plug and play" decoder. These locos often ship with a simple dc circuit board to power the lights (referred to as a light board). "Plug and play" locos use DCC circuit boards made to replace the light board; these are unique to the type of loco, as frame lengths, position of contacts, and other factors vary. Here are a couple places to look for sound decoders. Email or call them for info on your specific locos... Digitrax.com: DCC Products for all Scales and all sizes of Model Railroad Layouts! Train Controls, DCC Decoders, Digital Command Control As was indicated above, an important issue in DCC sound is finding a space in the shell to mount the speaker. In HO scale this is not as big an issue as in N so you're probably ok there. If you are adding sound to a steamer, frequently you have to put the speaker in the tender and paint or sleeve the wires to look like a hose from the loco... but you didn't mention having a steam loco.
Wiring not going so well So I started trying to solder feeders to EZ track, the Nickle Silver type with gray roadbed...it's not going so well :tb-confused:. I made a whole outside the track on either side and then tried to solder the wires. I had stripped them and heated them up but the solder just melts and falls off. I was finally able to attach both wires but it looks like my track has two big balls on either side of the track and looks awful. Is there an easier way to do this...my soldering instrument is a metal pencil looking thing I got at radio shack :tb-ooh:. You would think that they would make these EZ Tracks with a place to solder wires underneath the track where you can't see it but then that would make toooo much sense I guess. Good think my layout is only 4 x 7 and from what I've read so far I only need maybe 4 feeder sets for the whole layout....:tb-wink:
First off, I would suggest practising on a scrap piece of track, so you don't break anything vital while you're getting the hang of soldering and not melting / burning things. If solder is just balling up and not "sticking" to the metal, odds are the metal is cold, dirty, or coated with something (paint/oil) which is blocking the solder. I would wash the track with a damp cloth, and then rub the area you want to solder to with a needle file; all you're looking to do is create a "rough" surface for the solder to attach to; as well as scratching past any sort of protective layer. Secondly you need lots of heat. Heat the rail and then add the solder; it should flow smoothly and be shiny, and stay shiny as it cools when you remove the iron. Don't bump it, or it may turn a dull grey - which doesn't conduct very well (a "dry" joint) Also, you need flux - if white smoke comes off the solder when you touch it with the iron, then it's flux-cored solder (don't breath the fumes!). If it doesn't smoke, you need a separate flux product. Stay away from Plumbing flux; it's horrible and bad for layouts. Try for Electronics / Electrical flux. ("acid" flux is bad, "rosin" flux is good) My last tip is to try and add solder to the wire tip separate from the rail; add solder to the rail where you've scratched it, separate from the wire. Let each cool and then bring the two "tinned" pieces together with the soldering iron and a bit more solder / some flux. The solder on each piece should melt and flow together and be wonderful.
The soldering notes by [FONT=Trebuchet MS, Georgia, Verdana]Another ATSF Admirer[/FONT] are great. I would also add that, even if you are using rosin core solder (*never* use acid core in electrical applications) you might still brush the *cleaned* area with a liquid flux. After soldering there will be hardened flux on and around your connection. Clean this off with isopropyl alcohol. The old addage, "the bigger the blob, the better the job" is entirely false. Your connection should have nice concave fillets where the wire meets the track, but not so concave as to curve under the wire. Learned these things in NASA soldering school back in the 80s... not that we soldered track at work.
As in the two posts above Another thing that can help, especially when you are new to soldering track, is to tin both parts first. This means cleaning the side of the rail as said above, applying flux if using it, heating it with the iron and adding a little solder so the area is just coated with a film of it (as in the inside of 'tin' cans). Do similar with the wire end. Then put the two parts together, heat with the iron and apply a little more solder to get to the state Lownen describes. I suspect EZ track is like Kato Unitrack. It isn't meant to be soldered - Kato make feeder track sections to get the power onto the line. (Doesn't mean you can't, just don't expect the maker to be helping any ) Oh, I also suspect your iron may not be powerful enough. There is a thread elswhere that discussed this recently, but the bottom line is that it takes a bit more oomph to solder wire to track than component legs onto a PCB.
Kato also makes "Terminal UniJoiner Leads" (part no. 24-818) that can be put between any two pieces of track, so you never have to solder Unitrack if you don't want to. Perhaps Bachmann makes a similar product for EZ-Track. I'd be afraid to solder plastic roadbed track; I'd probably melt the roadbed and have to touch it up too many places. Note on this product: sometimes you have to enlarge the opening under the track for the crimped end of the wire to pass through the mounting socket.
