I think i have found a location for finally starting a HO layout, using my version of DCC++, but it is in an outside "shed", that i don't have heat installed yet. Has anybody had issues with cold-soaked DCC++, or any other hardware (loco decoders, etc)? as some may, or may not know, i live in Maine, USA. most winters have at least one or more days of bitter -40degF. the ATmega2560 (Arduino MEGA 2560 chipset) datasheet states minimum temp range of -40degF, but i was wondering about stability at that temp? anybody use other components in the extreme cold? I have seen YouTube videos of outdoor model trains pushing through light snow, but no environmental temp info was stated. also, layout reactions to the cold/heat changes... am i looking at issues with track and layout framework expanding and contracting much? thought i would raise the questions before i got everything setup, to find money wasted from the cold/heat tearing the layout apart. This could have been posted elsewhere, but i am mostly concerned with if my DCC++ hardware will still work. ~Travis
once it gets past zero, it won't be comfortable for you, but the DCC hardware will be fine to -20 anyways ... proven with nano, and others like that anyways, led displays don't do well past -20 themselves ..
I'd be more worried about water/condensation build up than the cold temps. If you have the various components inside an enclosure it should be reasonably well protected from the elements. I would recommend that you periodically check it to ensure there is no water/condensation build up.
why not just heat the room and keep it heated . that solves 2 problems at once. #1 you can go play with trains at any time # 2 you wont have to worry about cold affecting your dcc at all. if the building is insulated well enough including the floors, it wont cost the much to keep it heated all the time. I don't know if solar heat would work in your area but if it did that would help in heat cost as well during day light hrs anyway.
i wasn't going to run it at sub-zero temps. i was more concerned about the frequent temperature changes, though i will have to take into consideration of items dormant in sub-zero temps, and what happens when i wake them up when i turn on the hopefully-to-be-installed heat. ahh yes, something i didn't take into consideration, condensation. makes a difference on what i have for heat, as for instance, propane seems to put humidity into the air. perhaps i will look into some sort of inexpensive oil heat, or wood heat. but to be on the safe side, a water-tight enclosure may be necessary. it is an out-building, not a room, that has no existing heat source. actually, it is an old re-worked camper trailer that i use as a sort-of "man cave". as far as insulation, it has the standard (for it's time) 1.5 inches of insulation in the floor, walls, and roof. not particularly efficient. anyway, i didn't want to stray too far from DCC++ with this thread. but i think if i enclose the electronics as best as i can, things should fair through the winter pretty good. i will look into better insulation, and a good heat source that warms without adding moisture to the air. i will have to do a little more demolition and cleaning of that portion of the camper, but now i have some ideas. next trick will be cramming my hopes and dreams into an 8 foot wide space. ~Travis
Keep in mind that the h-bridge will generate some heat so it needs to be a large enough enclosure to dissipate that heat. If you insulate the building it may not need any sort of enclosure at all even. Any sort of heat source should be fine, even propane which is what I have in my office with my layout (though I don't plan on using it much more than keep the room temp in the mid 60s when winter finally gets here). You could even go with the old standby room heater, an older PC tower
Hmm, forgot the H-bridge heat dissipation (i tend to think impulsively, and short-sighted ). but yeah, i may go with thicker insulation, and hope for the best. as for heat, i thought about a small electric heater, but i am limited by 30A of AC power to the out-building. (also runs my large CNC Router) I know about PCs generating heat. i have 3 large rack-mount servers in my bedroom, and have the room heat turned off. I thought about moving them out there, but i don't want the sound of 3 "jet-planes" out there. ~Travis
