I am a T-Trak modeler from the PNW area. I just completed a set of modules and for their initial testing I noticed some odd behavior. I will explain my setup, then the behavior I have a 4 track stub ended station "yard" Entrance into the yard from east to west is as follows. Module 1 Kato crossover (1-5 for DS64 Address) then a Kato #6 switch (1-1) Module 2 has 3 Kato #6 switches 2-2, 2-3, 2-4. Both DS64s get their signals from the "RED" line, and our red line is occasionally used for DC operations. While in DC mode power to the DS64s is from a single Digitrax branded PS14. Additionally I have a control box that has momentary pushbuttons to manually activate the switches. The pushbuttons are wired with a common coming from the DS64 into the switch then each channel is routed to the respective DS64, both DS64s share a common common (I'm thinking this may be an issue but couldn't find anything against doing this.) Each leg of the yard has isolated rails that I can control power to through a set of toggle switches, this is to allow train storage when in DC mode. OK so that's the setup. The problem is when I turn power on to any of the tracks the DS64s will start cycling the switches randomly. Not just the switches on Module 2 where the leg tracks are but all of them on both modules. The tracks are physically cut after the switch so the power routing feature of the switch will not interfere with the ability to kill power to the leg. While power is off for any or all of the tracks the DS64s operate normally, they allow control from a throttle, or from the control box. I do not have a Loconet connection in use here, as my modules my be used with an NCE command station from time to time and I wanted to still have the DS64s work. Any Ideas on what to check or how to resolve this. I cannot see any shorts, I have checked for shorts with a meter and even with the PS14 supplying power to the DS64s in DCC mode this happens. This happens in both DCC and DC mode, and ONLY when power is applied to the leg tracks. Power to the leg tracks is fed similar to the pushbuttons with a common input and each switch providing individual power to a section of track. There are jumpers under the layout allowing power to each modules' leg sections so the power drop shouldn't be a cause. Also it does it with the jumpers unplugged as well. Rails are wired WBWB on all modules, my command station is a DCS210 with a locobuffer and JMRI on a Raspberry Pi, I have a PM42 providing power management and when the switches freak out the PM42 is not shorting or even reacting. I cannot see any unusual loconet traffic when this happens either. Also a loconet cable connected to one of the DS64's didn't stop this from happening either.
My local club's HO layout ran into this same issue. As I recall it turned out that the track power was inducing enough current in the wires running to the pushbuttons to register as a button press to the (apparently very sensitive!) DS64. I can't remember what solution they found (I'll ask around at this week's meetup), but I wonder if adding a ferrite bead to the button wiring to block the interference would work?
On the Digitrax group IO I had some one mention using a 1K ohm resistor, but they were not clear on where to use it. Inside the box I made for the controls there is wiring in close proximity to each other so your theory has merit, but it will do it in DC mode too with no power applied, just the switches turned to the on position. I have a ton of resistors, that will be an easy check, and Ferrite beads are cheap enough to get a bag of to try as well.
Ok, the 1k resistors didn’t help, they didn’t make worse, but they didn’t help. The problem seems to get worse with the extension cable installed. I looked inside my box again and separated the power from the switch control and that did nothing, the turnouts keep cycling. I simply cannot see the correlation between the 2 different circuits and why this would be an issue mainly when one of the tracks has power. I say mainly because after I play with power on the leg tracks, the turnouts will occasionally switch a couple more times before they stop. here is the inside of the box and it’s simplicity.
Do you have a schematic and/or wiring diagram for your box/system? It may help us to understand your issues. Properly handling noisy (and noise-sensitive) signals in noisy environments, with diverse signaling levels, is not trivial. DCC can be very noisy, and high-impedance, low voltage inputs can be very susceptible to that noise. The photo shows a lot of discrete, single wires. I would prefer to see twisted-pair wiring (whether manually twisted or commercially provided) both inside and outside the box. This may require more conductors in your connectors.
Massey, I saw what is apparently your post about this on the Digitrax forum on groups.io, by "Dominic" (?) It got me to thinking about your circuit again. The fact that when your control box is completely disconnected, but the wires for it are still connected to the DS64 control input(s), the problem or random switch throwing persists, is telling. Do your manual electrical switches in the control box "drive" the control signal to both states, or let it float to one of the states (usually the high state, but not always, perhaps biased with a high-value resistor.) You could use an SPDT switch to drive the DS64 input to both states (one at a time!) High impedance inputs with floating wires on them (as indicated by the fact that just the wire, without the switch box, is able to generate noise to flip the state of the input) make for very good antennae, picking up noise from the DCC track signal, fluorescent ceiling lights, etc. If you intend to ever use the module without the control box (never say never), you may want to provide a shorting plug in lieu of your switch box, and/or a strong pull-up (or down) resistor in the module.
Yes I am Dominic on the Groups IO I think we are on the same track here. I solved most of the issue, but not all of it, and the wires acting like little transmitters and receivers is exactly what is going on. I disconnected everything and double checked my wiring to make sure I wasn't accidentally crossing things. Since my signal and track power wires were the same gauge and coloring this could have been a thing. But it wasn't my wiring work was all good. Next I started hooking things back up again one wire at a time and I found when the switches were in the "on" position and I touched the common input wire to either rail A or B the cycling started up. At this point there were no tracks hooked up so power was only going into the control box then right back out, going through the cable both ways. The problem is in the cable. So I split my extension cable in 2. One is now just track power going from the box to the tracks, and the other side is common power, switch common, and the 5 switch lines going to the DS64s. This doesn't fix the issue, but it does make things better. I can now power 2 lines at the same time with no issue, but adding the 3rd or 4th will cause the switches to cycle again. This is at a far lower rate than before but it still happens. I tried a simple RF filter using a 104 ceramic cap and a 1K ohm resistor between the switch inputs and common, but no dice. I think this is because the problem is in stray RF in the cable and not at the DS64. I have some ferrite beads and a magnetic choke on the way, they should be here soon. I am going to put the beads on the output wires inside the box for both the push buttons and the track switches. and the magnetic choke on the power input under the module. I'm hoping this suppresses the RF enough to prevent this from continuing.
You want the filter between the electrical switches and the DS64, at the DS64. I would also use a ground/return wire for each control wire to the DS-64, twisted with the corresponding control line. The idea is that if both lines (signal and return) pick up the same noise, they cancel each other. You want those return wires grounded at both ends. Twisting signal and return (insulated) wires together helps ensure they both pick up the same noise.
Making a new cable with twisted pair wiring will have to come at a later date, I do not have that much wire or power poles in my possession right now. Digitrax has not been much help, Rich B pretty quickly blew off my request for a phone call and completely misunderstood my issue and setup. I have some issues that make expressing myself in type difficult. It has been a problem here on these forums and many others, but the guys here are a bit more understanding so I have stayed here over other train forums out there. I will post the conversations with Digitrax here in a few.
Here is the convo. Yes I get frustrated but as you see Rich B isn't reading what I write, and I don't think my descriptions are off. What's your take? Good morning. I would like a phone call to explain this a little easier, my number is 253-###-####, but let me try to explain what's going on here. I have 2 DS64s in a T-Trak module set of 4 modules. A double with 1 DS64 controlling a Kato crossover and a #6 switch. The second DS64 is in a triple and controls 3 Kato #6 switches. I can provide pictures if needed. The DS64s are using rail power when being used for DCC but they are set up to control the switches in DC mode via a control box and a PS14 for a power supply. The common connection is shared between the 2 DS64s and the problem doesn't go away when I separate them. The switches in the box are just momentary pushbuttons with the black wire tied to the commons on the DS64s and the red goes to the switch inputs on the DS64s. There is an extension cable between the box and the triple module, there is a jumper between the triple and the double to give the double it's inputs for the DS64. Also in the switch box there are 4 toggle switches that control the power to the legs tracks of the station. I physically cut the rails after the KATO switches so the power routing features of the switches would not effect the power to the legs. Power to the legs is routed through the switch box, via the same cable as the DS64s push buttons, and tie in to the toggles in a similar fashion with the black wires being tied together as a common input and the reds being output power to each of the legs. The extension cable is made of 16g (for track power and commons) and 20g silicone wire with a tinned copper core. I have used this type of wire to make many cables for my T-Track modules. So there's the set up, here is the issue. When ever I apply power to the leg tracks (DC or DCC Power), all 5 switches on the DS64s will randomly cycle over and over again until I switch the leg to off. After that there may be a couple more cycles of the switches then everything gets calm. Sometimes randomly this will happen when the extension cable is used, I have not noticed the random behavior when the box is connected directly to the module. Removing the box and extension cable will remedy the random switching but then I lose the ability to apply power to the stations legs. The problem is diffidently worse when the cable is in use. I have looked into the model railroad community for a solution and none of the ideas proposed have worked so far. Here is what was tried. Adding a 1K ohm resistor to the switch inputs at the DS64s. No joy. Adding a 1uF capacitor between the switch and common. I have a ceramic 104 capacitor that didn't seem to help. Separating the wiring in the box, no joy Moving the cable away from the DCC cables, no joy. Powering the DS64s even on DCC, no joy. (Yes the DS64s are powered via PS14 when in DC mode, I get the same symptoms in DC mode as in DCC, even when there is no power applied to the rails) Please help guru's of the Digitrax world. This if it matters is in N scale. I would appreciate a phone call if at all possible to 253-###-####, and I am on the west coast to please take that into account in the mornings. I am usually available from 7 am on. Thank you for your time. Mike Created by Mike 3/2/23 9:32 AM Mike posted 3/4/23 6:24 PM Since I have not heard anything from you guys yet, I decided to experiment. First off I double checked that all my connections were correct and they were. Second I removed all the wires from my terminal strip to eliminate any possible problems as I try to diagnose the problem. I started by moving the signal into the DS64 to the yellow line, as that one will always be DCC and who cares if it gets a DCC signal while in DC mode. No joy on fixing the issue. Second I reinstalled each connection one at a time to see if the issue returns. I fount that it will return when I put the common power to the track power switches on to the DCC line from the command station that things start going crazy. It doesn't matter if it is rail A or B, same result. None of the track input wires are connected at this point but the switches on the panel are all 4 on. Also the I am only working on the second module (the one with the input cable) but the first module is connected via track bus, and it is reacting as well. Right now the jumper for the switches is removed but DS64 #1 is still reacting. This tells me the command station is seeing something when the track power wire is connected. There are no push button connections to DS64 #1 at this moment, yet it reacts. Mike posted 3/4/23 9:53 PM I did some further experimenting tonight and decided to break my harness into 2 harnesses. The first harness has 4 wires which are the outputs for track power. The second harness has the track power in, switch common, and 5 control lines for the DS64s switch inputs. This greatly reduced the errant cycling of the switches but it didn't cure it. Now I can power 2 lines and it will not cycle, but add a 3rd or 4th and the cycling starts up again. Granted much slower than before, but not cured. I would still like some help on this matter to solve all of the cycling issues. Rich B. posted 3/6/23 6:11 AM Reset the DS64 to defaults. Disconnect all your extra wiring and connect the DS64 per the Quick Start section on Page 2. Do the two DS64s operate as expected? Tech Support 2443 Transmitter Road Panama City, FL 32404 Office Hours 8-12pm /1- 5pm Central Standard Time PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TICKETS ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED AFTER A RESPONSE IS MADE. IF FURTHER COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED, PLEASE REOPEN THE TICKET INSTEAD OF CREATING A NEW ONE. Closed by Rich B. with status of Closed 3/6/23 6:11 AM Mike posted 3/6/23 10:08 AM I have to wonder if you guys actually read what is being said in the messages. Yes I disconnected everything and started over. All connections are good, no shorts, no mis routed wires. The DS64s operate as expected when track power is off for the leg tracks of the station. There are 4 of them, and after making the one cable into 2 I only get the issue when there are 3 or 4 of the legs powered. With all 4 of the tracks disconnected I started reconnecting the switch box to the terminal strip under the module. As soon as I connected the common power for the tracks to the Rail A or Rail B from the command station the switches started acting up. With each activation of the switch the "stat" light blinked just as if you issued the command from the pushbutton or the throttle. Again this is very difficult for me to explain in typing and would be much easier via phone call 253-###-####. Reopened by Mike 3/6/23 10:08 AM Rich B. posted 3/6/23 10:34 AM We do read what you say. I have to lay out a baseline because believe it or not, things are not always what they seem when information is provided. When you disconnected everything do the DS643 operate as expected? Tech Support 2443 Transmitter Road Panama City, FL 32404 Office Hours 8-12pm /1- 5pm Central Standard Time PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TICKETS ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED AFTER A RESPONSE IS MADE. IF FURTHER COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED, PLEASE REOPEN THE TICKET INSTEAD OF CREATING A NEW ONE. Closed by Rich B. with status of Closed 3/6/23 10:34 AM Mike posted 3/6/23 10:38 AM Yes, it did. And it would operate as expected UNTIL track power was turned on to the legs of the station. This was partially remedied when I took the 4 wires that fed the power to the station tracks out of the cable. Unfortunately I cannot remove all the power wires from the cable, I can reduce it to one. Thus I still have an issue when 3 or 4 of the tracks are powered. Reopened by Mike 3/6/23 10:38 AM Rich B. posted 3/6/23 11:42 AM You need to remove the box you made and connect track power directly to the DS64. I believe your box has one or more issues with the way it is connected. What you are attempting to do with your box is beyond the scope of Tech Support. Tech Support 2443 Transmitter Road Panama City, FL 32404 Office Hours 8-12pm /1- 5pm Central Standard Time PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TICKETS ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED AFTER A RESPONSE IS MADE. IF FURTHER COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED, PLEASE REOPEN THE TICKET INSTEAD OF CREATING A NEW ONE. Closed by Rich B. with status of Closed 3/6/23 11:42 AM To Be Continued.
Mike posted 3/6/23 11:52 AM I really wish you guys would simply call me. This would solve about 99% of the confusion. The DS64s are attached to the modules, I say that in the first message. I also mention that the track power is supplied directly from the "yellow" line to the DS64s. My box is nothing more than 9 switches, 4 of them are SPST toggles and 5 are SPST momentary push buttons. Again this is mentioned in the first message. I am getting frustrated here as I feel you are pushing the issues away from a solution to "it's not our device, not our problem" and telling me I'm on my own. What I did with the control box is no different than these same switches being located on a control panel of a home layout, only I don't have that luxury as this is a T-Trak module set and I needed to put the switches in a box rather than a sheet of plywood. Reopened by Mike 3/6/23 11:52 AM Mike posted 3/6/23 11:58 AM If the image attaches, this is the inside of my box. image0.jpeg2.1 woo woo woo Rich B. posted 3/6/23 12:03 PM Here's your problem: 1. You have connected the Commons together (even with the commons disconnected it doesn't work). 2. The DS64 is meant for DCC operation not straight DC. 3. You are using 4 on/off toggle switches. 4. I have no information on how everything is wired together in your box. Please read and understand that what you are doing is beyond the scope of Tech Support. Tech Support 2443 Transmitter Road Panama City, FL 32404 Office Hours 8-12pm /1- 5pm Central Standard Time PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL TICKETS ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED AFTER A RESPONSE IS MADE. IF FURTHER COMMUNICATION IS REQUIRED, PLEASE REOPEN THE TICKET INSTEAD OF CREATING A NEW ONE. Closed by Rich B. with status of Closed 3/6/23 12:03 PM Mike posted 3/6/23 12:06 PM Well I feel it isn’t beyond your scope but I guess I am not going to get any more help in the matter. Thanks for nothing, and not listening. I am not good at typing out the proper descriptions and thus requested a phone call, but I have not received one so I guess just not helping is the better choice for you. Thanks. Reopened by Mike 3/6/23 12:06 PM Closed by Rich B. with status of Closed 3/6/23 12:12 PM Reopened by Niki S. 3/6/23 12:21 PM Mike posted 3/6/23 1:47 PM Here are the DS64s as they sit inside the modules. They are powered with DCC track power via the "Yellow" line (look up T-Trak standards if you dont' know what the Yellow line is) Switch inputs are momentary push buttons to the "S#" terminals and the "Common" as per the Digitrax instructions. There are 5 of these. These are wired with the "Common" from the DS64s going to a plug made of Anderson Power Poles, which is fed into a cable (see below for cable details) the cable then plugs into the control box (Using Anderson Power Poles again). The S# wires also go to the Anderson Power Pole plug which is also feeds into the cable and are attached to each individual push button switch inside the control box. This is wired EXACTLY how Digitrax recommends. The Cable, Old Version. The old version of the cable had 2 plugs (All in Anderson Power Poles) a 2x2 that supplied track power to each individual leg of the station. This was 20g wire. And a 2x4 plug with 7 conductors that had the common power (for the tracks taken from the "Red" line of the modules) Common for the DS64s (both commons on one wire) this is 16g as well. Then the 5 switch inputs which are 20g conductors. With this configuration I had the most issues with the DS64s, but only when the track power was applied. The Cables, New versions. I disassembled the old cable and made it into 2 cables. The 2x2 is now it's own separate cable with the same track power lines, these are still 16g cable. The 2x4 connection is still the same as before. With this configuration I have far less problems, but they still exist, now when 3 or 4 tracks have power applied. My cables are wrapped in a protective wrap, so the wires are bundled close together. If the "Red" line is to be used as DC powered the DS64s would still operate as desired due to the DS64s being powered by the "Yellow" line. (Yellow line will not be used for DC) I can also supply power via a PS14 as needed. Adding the PS14 doesn't effect the issue I am having. The DS64s control Kato Switch machines which are 2 wires, again there are 5, one double crossover and 4 #6 standard switches. The control wires for the switches are 20g silicone sheathed wire, I have used ferrules for each place where there is a screw terminal to prevent broken wires causing an issue. I have given each DS64 a unique number as well as given each port of the DS64 a unique number. I am able to control the DS64s perfectly via my throttle (UT6D and DT602D) and via JMRI. My Command station is a DCS210, and I am using a PM42 as a power manager, I have a "Locobuffer" as a PC interface for JMRI. Through my experimentation over the weekend I have discovered a couple of things. First it seems the issue is RF related, and the RF is from the command station. Follow my troubleshooting sequence below to see how I came up with this. The Symptoms 1. The issue would only appear when track power was applied to any of the legs to the station. This happened before and after I cut the rails. 2. It didn't matter what track was powered, any of the 4 would do. 3. The problem didn't happen in DC mode. 4. Moving the DCC input to the yellow line didn't fix the problem. 5. The new cables were better but not fixed, now I need to power 3 or 4 of the legs before the DS64s act up. 6. Both DS64s act up at the same time. Troubleshooting. 1. I opened the control box and separated the track power wires from the switch control wires. No Joy 2. Unplugging the track power plug but leaving the 2x4 plug would remedy the issue, but prevent the tracks from being powered. Not acceptable but telling. 3. Disconnected the track power leads from the tracks to the terminal strips (see images). No joy, the DS64s still acted up when track power is applied but no tracks hooked up. (leading me to believe the cable is playing a part) 4. Tried using rail B for the common track power line. No joy, same exact symptoms. 5. Unwrapped cable from protective wrap and moved the 5 conductors for the track power away from the control lines for the DS64s. Joy, problem seems mostly go away, except I can only power 2 of the lines at a time, tho the errant behavior is much slower now. 6. Moved the common power line back into the 2x4 cable, no difference to the errant behavior. 7. Rebuilt the cables to be 2 distinct cables as described above. 8. Attempted to build a basic RF filter using a 104 ceramic capacitor and a 1K ohm resistor, I mounted this between the switch inputs S# and the common. Switches still functioned with the buttons and throttles but no help in the errant behavior. Here is where I stand now. I believe the issue is RF from the command station, and the track wires being in close proximity. I cannot move them really and maintain functionality I need, like I said these are T-Trak modules. I am going to try and apply a ferrite core to each of the switch inputs and a magnetic core to the track power line into the cable to attempt to suppress the RF. I feel a filter at the DS64s could help as well, but as I do not know the frequency I am trying to suppress I do not know what capacitor or resistor I would need. This was difficult for me to write, and explain, and I hope it is understandable to you. This is what I wanted to discuss, rather than take well over and hour to write and edit and try to explain via text, when I could have said all of this in a matter of minutes and you could have also asked any questions on things you didn't understand. By the earlier messages I can see there is a lot going on here that is not understood. Remember some people cannot express what is needed in text form and for them it is much easier to speak. I am one of those people.
It is hard for me to visualize without a schematic drawing and I have no experience with Digitrax products but wonder if for any reason the different tracks that I think are isolated from each other have the DCC signal reversed from each other and are then connected? Don't know if that makes sense or could even be a cause of the problem. For example I do know that if you have say two isolated tracks that are on the same circuit breaker using Tam Valley stuff you need to make sure that as the train crosses the isolation gap it doesn't hit track where the DCC wires have been reversed. They, or at least I think I've read it in their instructions, say to take a VOM meter and check voltage on one rail at a time across the isolation gap. It should be zero. If there is voltage then the wires to the rails have probably been reversed. I only suggest this as it seems as you apply power to the individual tracks the problem is created although I'm probably not understanding the totality of the situation/problem. I'm surprised that Digitrax didn't ask for a schematic. Sumner
To be fair, it's also difficult for us to tell what's going on without a schematic, or better, a wiring diagram. "A picture is worth a thousand words" is most often an understatement. Incidentally, the kind of thing you're trying to do is what the Layout Command & Control (LCC) standard was designed for. Your switch box could just be a node on the LCC bus. Better yet, the switch-throwing node could even send confirmation events back to the switch box node, which could light (or extinguish) an LED in response, for the operator's confirmation. While JMRI is very useful for configuring the nodes, it is not required for the nodes to operate, once configured. In fact, the LCC system can run itself without the aide of an external computer. Of course, JMRI could also be used to implement the controls & status indicators on a GUI panel too. Isn't this hobby FUN?!
One thought is that, IIRC, the DS64 is never supposed to be connected to both a power supply and to the track rails at the same time. If this was ever done, the DS64s may be damaged (hence Rich's suggestion to test the DS64s (3/6/23 6:11 AM), to see if they are still functional.) You could use a DPDT toggle switch to connect the DS64 to either the power supply or the track (but not both), thus allowing you to use it on both DCC layouts and DC layouts by simply flipping the toggle switch.
The schematics would be fairly simple, they were taken right out of the Digitrax manual. I will see if I can draw something up. As for the reverse polarity, well I can assure you that is not the issue. First I have tested this over and over again with my DMM and on top of that if it were an issue the PM42 would react and it doesn't.
What I am trying to do is fairly simple to me. It is something I have seen on many layouts but instead of a little black box with switches, the switches are mounted to a panel on the side of the layout. I don't have that luxury with T-Trak. I did use JMRI to configure the DS64s and that worked perfectly once I figured out that you have to set the initial address with a throttle. DS64 #1 has switch number 1 and 5 in use and 8/9 not in use. DS64 #2 has switches 2,3,and 4 in use and #6 not. Easy to do with JMRI. As for making the switch box a node, I was going with the KISS principal here. It's just simple SPST switches in a box 4 are toggles and 5 push buttons that are momentary. I thought about putting LEDs above the track switches to show which ones were on and which were off, but that would have required a bit more complexity which is not a big deal to me, but I have people in my club that have difficulty operating a light switch so KISS principal it was. As for the power supply the manual says you can use power from a PS14 and track power at the same time, and this may be necessary when using stall motor type switch machines. The DS64s both operate just fine and now that I have moved them to the Yellow line I really don't need to power them with the PS14 at all. I may use that power input to run my lighting when I get the station built. (working on that now BTW). I did find out that the DS64's errant operation while in DC mode was due to them not getting enough power and the units were freaking out over it. This wasn't an issue when I had the PS14 plugged in and on DC, but when I had just DC going and enough throttle to move a loco the switches freaked out. I know I didn't mention that in my letters to Digitrax, I just forgot to mention it after the first message as I discovered that issue and corrected it by moving the control lines to the yellow line.
Sorry, I was thinking the DS64 docs said not to use both track and PS14 power, but it's been a while since I looked, now that they're discontinued. The LCC thing was just a thought experiment, not really a suggestion for you to follow. It is relatively expensive, but it provides some unique possibilities.
Yes! A picture IS worth a thousand words!!! So, I assume the DS64 Sx inputs have internal pullups on them. Do you know how strong the pullups are? Letting the cable wires float on one end (while the switchbox switches are open,) with a decent antenna (the cable) on the lines is a pretty good recipe for noise tripping the Sx inputs. Do you have access to the logic supply voltage for the Sx inputs? If so, I would run that to your switch box too (twisted with the common wire), and change out the box's SPST switches with SPDTs, so the DS64 inputs are never floating, but always connected to a high or low source. Add a good size cap between the logic supply and common in your switch box too. If you don't have access to the logic supply voltage for the DS64 inputs, then we'll have to do something different... But let's not run off that bridge just yet.
I couldn’t ever get basic help from Digitrax, let alone technical information to know if there are pull-ups or not on those lines. You read the conversation. I do not know where to find the logic supply voltage, but I agree that a resistor across the switches to the supply could help. Again, I don’t have the ability right now to make a twisted pair of anything so I am going to have to shelve that idea for now. What I do have tho are 5mm ferrite cores, and some magnetic cores that I can do some basic suppression with. I’m not sure the DS64s would like a SPDT to be used, the instructions are pretty clear about it being momentary. That would lead me to believe there is a debounce circuit in there somewhere and when I look at loconet traffic I only see one loconet command per button push. I was checking that to see if the errant commands were being seen on the loconet and they are not, the command station has no clue … but the “stat” light does blink when it happens. I don’t think I’m going to get time to wire in the cores tonight, I will prolly try tomorrow and see what there is to see. I will let you all know.
