Dcc busbar wiring

[DCB]

I think you mis-understand how simple this idea is. There is no AC involved.

The idea is to connect the battery & bell instead of the controller/command station. The layout then acts like a big switch which should remain open. A short-circuit closes the switch which rings the bell.

I do it the other way round with power applied and the bell/ light/ buzzer checking for continuity, both ways equally valid.

[newbryford]

I do it the other way round with power applied and the bell/ light/ buzzer checking for continuity, both ways equally valid.

 

It makes huge sense to test the wiring with a meter or buzzer/battery tester before applying power.

The worst case will be a short, not an open circuit/dead section. 

Although your controller will probably have short circuit protection, they are not designed to be continually tripping and then resetting - which is what will probably happen if you use it to check the wiring.

 

£15 on a basic mutimeter or £100 plus on a controller repair? Your choice.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Crosland]

I do it the other way round with power applied and the bell/ light/ buzzer checking for continuity, both ways equally valid.

 

No, your way is less valid in every possible way.

 

You should not be wiring, especially if using a soldering iron, with an energised controller connected to the track. This applies especially with DCC (this is a DCC thread).

 

One day you will use a soldering iron with an earthed tip. A DCC booster may not escape unscathed (shorting a rail to earth is very different to shorting the two rails).

 

One day you will drop a high resistance item across the track, or create a high resistance path through the wiring, that will not trip the booster but allow near maximum current to flow indefinitely.