Just wasn't thinking past the excitement of finally putting some track down. I've got about 80 ft. down including 2 sidings. I forgot about blocks etc. Now I've suddenly realized I've got to do this. DUHH! Ultimately looking at signalling the layout also, where are the blocks located in relation to switches. By that I mean do insulated joiners go on the point end of the switch, the frog end, or both?
Gap the frogs The two rails that come out of the frog have to be gapped, insulated, plastic rail-joinered, etc. for DCC if your frog is metal or "hot." I can't help with signals; hopefully some other knowledgeable DCC person will answer. You might want to do a DCC "search" as I think this is a common issue. Insulating Switches for DCC
Depending on the type of switches you are using, this page will answer your questions about insulated joiners. http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm For all of your block detection questions you can find them here: http://www.wiringfordcc.com/blockdet.htm I hope this helps.
DCC block detection work in progress DCC block detection adds a tremendous amount of complexity to your system. I currently have capability to have 16 concurrent blocks using Lenz components, LR101 and LB101 (if I recall correctly). Each block must have a home run wire to the current detector which must be connected to the DCC network (4 wires). This means for each 2 blocks, you must have 6 wires between the track and the location of your block detection circuitry. After much reading and thinking, I decided to locate all of my DCC cicuit boards in a centralized drawer and use category 5 24 gauge wire to do all the interconnects. I put a 48 port patch panel on the back of the drawer and use 1 cat 5 cable to run from the drawer to 2 blocks. I use 4 wires per block in parallel which would give me ~ 2 amps capacity per block, more than adequate for my HO locomotives. It greatly simplified the under the bench wiring and has all of the electronics in a single location. On my first railroad layout last fall, I had all 16 block detectors working perfectly. I then decided to move to an around the wall layout in a different room to correct foundational problems. Because of the strategy I used for wiring my DCC, moving the hardware was about an hour's work, I unplugged the cat 5 wires from the back of the drawer, disconnected AC and my common wire, unbolted the drawer from layout 1 and moved it to the next layout. As I build each new block, I simply wire the hot rail to its own block and presto, block detection works on the new layout. My staging yard now has 7 working blocks and my simple loop testing mainline is on a second block giving me a total of 8 working blocks with 8 more planned. Ultimately I will probably have 24 blocks. Here is the picture of my drawer. I used the same wiring strategy for my switch machines too, everything plugs into the back of the drawer. The 8 block detectors are the circuit cards on the left, the two feedback modules are at the top left and my two LS150 switch motor drivers are in the top center. The Patch panel is across the top of the picture. Purchasing a new 48 port patch panel new is about 150 bucks, but I buy them on EBAY all the time for 10-20 used. By the way, I am using KAM engine commander for pc throttles and Railroad Commander for the PC CTC panel. Let us know how you progress. Joe Daddy!
