DCC wiring a long crossing with DCC Concepts Cobalt DIP Motors

[deepfat]

I want to know how to connect the frog diamonds on a Peco electrofrog long crossing (SL-E 194) to my Cobalt -SS  motors configured for DCC.  The relevant are of my layout is attached the motors are driving the two SL-E 188 points.

 

Thanks in advance and apologies if this is not the right place to post this - I am new here

@deepfat

Using Hornby e-link and RailMaster for DCC control

 

[66C]

Hi

 

First of all make sure that each rail end on the crossing is fitted with isolating rail joiners so that the crossing is completely isolated from the rest of the trackwork.

 

 

Refer to the user manual for the Cobalt-SS.  Use the terminals marked 7 on page 2 of the user manual to switch the V on each turnout.  Use the terminals marked 6 on page 2 to switch the Vs on the crossings - separate wiring for each V - one from each side of the turnout controller.

 

Connect the left rail (in your diagram) of the crossing to the left rails of the running lines.  Connect the right rail of the crossing to the right rail of the running lines.

 

Please note that this assumes all the trackwork shown is in the same DCC power district.

 

Regards.

[deepfat]

Thanks , I do have the long crossing fully insulated (so all 8 rails) and I do only have one power district so I'll get cracking on that 

Andrew

[deepfat]

Hi I have reread what Bill has posted and my question now is do I have to wire up the blue and red wired from, the controller to the frog switch as well as the green wire.  - It's not clear form the manual whether those diagrams apply to DCC AND DC or just DC.  Does that switch need power to it - and in that case surely I can just connect red and blue to my bus rather than needlessly apply solder to my points (soldering is not my strong suit!).  I am only using these point because I need surface e mounting, For the rest of my layout I am sing Cobalt DigitalP motors. They are super easy to setup and don't see to need these extra wires.

[Nigelcliffe]

- It's not clear form the manual whether those diagrams apply to DCC AND DC or just DC. 

 

Track electrics is just two wires.  Left and right. Or Black and Red.  Or whatever labels you give them.    There is NO difference between a well wired layout for DC and DCC.  It is just two wires  moving the electricity around.

 

About the only place things differ is in the use of electronics devices to switch things.  In DCC-land there are devices which can detect shorts and then reverse the power, they are used by some to switch power to crossings.   But their use is largely unnecessary, as in nearly all case there is a solution which is cheap and works on both DC and DCC. 

[66C]

Hi I have reread what Bill has posted and my question now is do I have to wire up the blue and red wired from, the controller to the frog switch as well as the green wire.  - It's not clear form the manual whether those diagrams apply to DCC AND DC or just DC.  Does that switch need power to it - and in that case surely I can just connect red and blue to my bus rather than needlessly apply solder to my points (soldering is not my strong suit!).  I am only using these point because I need surface e mounting, For the rest of my layout I am sing Cobalt DigitalP motors. They are super easy to setup and don't see to need these extra wires.

 

The advice I gave is based on the layout being wired for DCC with only one power district.  If you wish to run the layout on DC then the wiring as described would mean running on a "one engine in steam" basis.  Conventional wiring for DC with track sectioning would change the connections to the crossing to take account of the two parallel lines being different sections.

 

Regards.

[deepfat]

OK let me try and explain again.  in the DCC concepts instruction sheet for wiring the frog there are three wires running from the point marked 7 which go into the  controller red blue and green. 

 

 

I am not sure why the red and blue are needed given that will be the same as the power feed into the controller . However if I just connect the green frog wire to the middle port the frog is dead.  I am puzzled by this as well because I also have Cobalt DIP switches which do work and only required me to connect one wire from the frog to the motor to control polarity on the frog.

So please reply if you are actually using or have experience of DCC Concepts stuff as I am fine with general DCC wiring - my trains are rolling and my other point motors are all behaving themselves.

thanks in advance

Deepfat - new to trains but not entirely stupid 

[D9521]

Hi I think connection 7 uses the three wires because it gives the option for connection 1 to be fed off a different circuit/ power district to number 7 if desired. I do understand your point about the extra wiring but the unit is designed to give more flexibility for more complex set ups if required.

[newbryford]

OK let me try and explain again.  in the DCC concepts instruction sheet for wiring the frog there are three wires running from the point marked 7 which go into the  controller red blue and green. 

 

dcc concepts controller.PNG

 

I am not sure why the red and blue are needed given that will be the same as the power feed into the controller . However if I just connect the green frog wire to the middle port the frog is dead.  I am puzzled by this as well because I also have Cobalt DIP switches which do work and only required me to connect one wire from the frog to the motor to control polarity on the frog.

So please reply if you are actually using or have experience of DCC Concepts stuff as I am fine with general DCC wiring - my trains are rolling and my other point motors are all behaving themselves.

thanks in advance

Deepfat - new to trains but not entirely stupid 

 

The Cobalt SS uses two relays that switch with the operation. 6 and 7 in the diagram. They are independent SPDT "volt-free" contacts from relays.

They switch either left-centre or right-centre. There is no internal connection within the control board. (unlike a Digital IP - see below)

 

So if you want it to power your frog, then you will need to wire track feeds into the left and right terminals.

 

To wire your double junction, from the left hand point controller, feed two frogs - the point itself and the one furthest away with one relay - let's say no.6 on the diagram. It will require track feeds into the laft and right terminals.

Feed the "near" frog on the diamond from the other relay - no.7 - it will also require track feeds,but switching over the left and right wires compared to the double frog switch.

 

As with any complicated junction, wire and test one frog at a time, making it easier to find faults.

 

 

As an aside:

The "S1 " terminal on a Digital IP is switched directly to the DCC input feed via wipers within the housing, thus making it very easy to wire a frog if the track and accessory feeds are from the same two wires.

 

If they are different feeds - say from a separate system such as an Alpha sniffer, then the S2 L/R/C contacts on the DIP are used for frog switching.

 

Incidentally, the thread heading is DIP motors when you are using SS in this case....

They are two different animals - I know them both quite well.

 

Cheers,

Mick

Edited January 21, 2018 by newbryford

[deepfat]

Thanks all the fog has cleared let the soldering commence!