DCC bus - is this a good idea?

[chaz]

Part of my layout is 4ft from the front edge, although my power bus runs along the front installing it round the end was a no go.

I have done exactly what you have done works fine. I used stripped house hold lighting wire, and used plastic terminal blocks to secure it.

32g wire was used to connect to the main bus.

Yes I use this space to store items out of the way, its no trouble to make sure nothing fouls the wires.

 

Thanks for that useful posting. I haven't done mine yet! I thought I would ask people's opinions before I go ahead. I have had a number of comments, some pro, some anti. No great suprise there. I think that those who have used the method  (including yourself) are sufficiently encouraging for me to proceed for as you say "its no trouble to make sure nothing fouls the wires".

 

Chaz

[ZiderHead]

Thanks. Do you have a supplier or a link for scotchlock connectors?

 

Hi chaz, I got mine from an ebay store. They also make some that you can plug a spade connector into, very handy if you need to easily disconnect the droppers for any reason:

 

 

 

edit: If you haven't used these before they take seconds to install - no stripping just crimp with pliers (adjustable preferably, or even mole grips), current limited only by the cable you're using, and at 10-15p each an easy choice for applications like this

[Junctionmad]

I certainly won't have uninsulated wires under the layout. Too easy to cause trouble later on , and in reality using connectors like the scotch bloc makes it simple to use insulated anyway

[melmerby]

I've used scrap 2.5mm Twin & Earth (removed from a house re-wire) for the man bus which runs under the track with choc blocks at regular intervals.

I have used quality ones like these:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/30a-terminal-strips-pack-of-10/30134

 

Cheaper than scotch bloc and IMHO superior as you can make more than one connexion to each.

 

As I am using block detection the wire to/from the block detectors is T&E lighting cable and the droppers are flexible wire soldered to the underside of the track (so it isn't readily visible.)

All wiring is insulated.

 

Keith

 

EDIT

I wouldn't buy terminal blocks from market stalls and such places as they get the "seconds" with the crap/stripped threads etc.!

I found this out by experience.

[Crosland]

I've used scrap 2.5mm Twin & Earth (removed from a house re-wire) for the man bus which runs under the track with choc blocks at regular intervals.

I have used quality ones like these:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/30a-terminal-strips-pack-of-10/30134

 

Cheaper than scotch bloc and IMHO superior as you can make more than one connexion to each.

 

WIth the larger ones you can thread spare sections of choc block onto the insulated bus wires for later use around the layout. When you need a new connection, strip a small section, slide the block into place and make the connection. They also help as cable tidies.

 

Andrew

[melmerby]

WIth the larger ones you can thread spare sections of choc block onto the insulated bus wires for later use around the layout. When you need a new connection, strip a small section, slide the block into place and make the connection. They also help as cable tidies.

 

Andrew

Yes.

You can screw them down which you can't do with the scotchlock and if you have 4 connexions you don't end up with 4 connectors in a row!

 

Keith

[BlueWotsit]

Could something like this be used, with multiple droppers being wired into all but one of the holes, and the respective bus wire going through the outer hole, chaining onto the next adaptor  ? 

 

Obviously keeping positive and negative droppers in separate units

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331627135210?euid=26759b83d446411fb6dc10c72bf1d9a6&cp=1

[chaz]

Could something like this be used, with multiple droppers being wired into all but one of the holes, and the respective bus wire going through the outer hole, chaining onto the next adaptor  ? 

 

Obviously keeping positive and negative droppers in separate units

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331627135210?euid=26759b83d446411fb6dc10c72bf1d9a6&cp=1

 

Yes it could. However I prefer to keep as many joints as possible soldered, limiting screw terminals to joins that must be undone from time to time. Indeed as I have just decided to fix the baseboards together permanently on my FVRR layout, making track laying, scenery etc seamless, there should be no need for any screw terminals. Of course this makes an easily accessible DCC bus more necessary....

[BlueWotsit]

Good point about limiting joins - how far apart on track should droppers be installed ?

[smokebox]

Could something like this be used, with multiple droppers being wired into all but one of the holes, and the respective bus wire going through the outer hole, chaining onto the next adaptor  ? 

 

Obviously keeping positive and negative droppers in separate units

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331627135210?euid=26759b83d446411fb6dc10c72bf1d9a6&cp=1

Less expensive connectors are available eg http://www.screwfix.com/search?search=earth+block#_=p

[Mick Bonwick]

As a rule of thumb, I use one dropper for every length of rail, whether it's 1cm or 1m long.

[Andy Reichert]

Yes it could. However I prefer to keep as many joints as possible soldered, limiting screw terminals to joins that must be undone from time to time. Indeed as I have just decided to fix the baseboards together permanently on my FVRR layout, making track laying, scenery etc seamless, there should be no need for any screw terminals. Of course this makes an easily accessible DCC bus more necessary....

 

I'm not sure what you use as a max length for rail with all soldered joints. But watch out for rail bending expansion issues if you go over 36" - or much less in my type of hot environment.

 

Andy

 

Speaking from experience as well as theory.

[chaz]

Good point about limiting joins - how far apart on track should droppers be installed ?

 

I put a dropper on every separate rail. On the FVRR I solder a joiner to one end of each piece of rail and a dropper to the underside of this. I don't solder the joiner to both rails as this would cause problems with expansion.