Hello! I've been lurking here awhile as I've gotten into trains (following my 3 year old son's interest--now Daddy has his own train set). I have an AZL Mikado that I put a TCS Z2 into that for now I'm running on a figure eight under the Christmas tree (which is in the octagon in the photo). I'm running with an NCE PowerCab, and for now intend to use Rokuhan switches to activate the turnouts (I may get stationary decoders for that later). I have the Rokuhan turnouts and other track shown in the photo as well but wanted to check about wiring before putting them in. So... as I understand DCC and turnouts, I need to have breaks in the track corresponding to the lines in red on the photo, is that right? And I'll need a reverser, as shown? (I'm thinking of the OG-AR reverser for this.) Does this all look right? Is there anything else I need to do wiring-wise (other than having my track bus)? Thanks very, very much! -Tito
It always helps to label a track diagram with + and - signs to try to assist in this type of problem as though the track was under analogue control even if digital control is being used. A simple figure-8 does not need any breaks or reverse controller, whether using digital or analogue control. However, joining the figure-8 as you have illustrated means that there are now two places where shorting will occur. One solution would be to isolate a central section of each of the two straight pieces so that would require two breaks on each straight section of track. Then the central sections of the straights would be wired to reverse controllers, so would require two reverse controllers. That is one solution. However, if you consider that your track is a simple oval with the X section added in the middle then the shorting can be considered to occur in this X section. It should be possible to isolate the X section with four breaks. This should only require one reverse controller wired to the central X. I have not done either of these things but I have wired up a single reversing loop using Rokuhan track and a Digitrax AR1 Automatic Reverse Controller. The Digitrax AR1 has an adjustment screw as it is intended to be used with different scales. My track is a digital test track so I have mounted this controller on the top side of the board as I found that it often requires a small adjustment from one day to the next. Like you, I am using a NCE PowerCab. I am also taking small steps in DCC having only started this year, so if this is incorrect or incomplete the more experienced forum members will be able to supply more detailed information. Robert Pearce (aka ViperBugloss)
there is another way if you use power routing on all turnouts and wire all four turnouts to operate at once then with no isolation with turnouts set for straight through you would have an operating oval and with turnouts set the other way an operating figure eight. your track feed would be in one of the long curves opposite the 90 degree crossing and would have to stop the engine on the curve between the two turnouts to switch between running the loop or the figure 8.
Thanks Robert. So this should work? And Garth, thank you too. That's surely the simplest idea. What I didn't say originally is that I'll be making the track more complex, and adding at least one more loco, so it's important to me that the turnouts (and future ones) can be activated independently. Best regards, Tito
Tito I believe that what you have illustrated will work. I had another look at the relevant section in the Digitrax Big Book of DCC. This time I made a rough sketch of your layout with the preferred option being the oval route. This time the plus and minus signs show the potential shorting would occur in the X section, and your revision should have eliminated that problem. If you run locomotives continuously on the figure-8, the reverse controller will be activated on every loop. I do not know if this would be a problem, so it is a question that I would ask of Garth or others with more experience, or with the supplier of the reverse controller. Garth's solution was simpler and better than mine as it eliminated the need for a reveres controller and made use of the fact that on there own, a simple oval and a figure-8 have no shorting problems. (I though that wiser heads than mine would come up with a better solution). The problem arises when trying to combine the two. Personally, if I were to implement Garth's suggestion, I would avoid trying to solder track feeds onto a curved section of track, as my soldering skills are very basic. I would attach two track feeds using Rokuhan connectors, one to the X section and one to the oval section, and connect them to a double throw double pole (DPDT) switch, with the input connected to the DCC bus lines. This way I could use the switch to turn off the power to the track while changing from an oval to a figure-8 circuit or vice-versa. I would be a lot more comfortable soldering wires to a DPDT switch than to the track. Robert Pearce (aka ViperBugloss)
