Jump to content
 

Emergency stop!


Recommended Posts

my layout is broken down into 5 sub sections each "protected" by a globe and I use a short circuit warning & by installing a largie toggle switch in series, I can also isolate that sub-section.

 

The large globe can be underneath the layout & the bezel hold a small 12 volt globe, on the facia with the toggle switch.

 

Short Circut Warning.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
10 hours ago, Yardman said:

The NCE system has an emergency stop button on the Pro and Power Cabs. Press once to stop your loco or three times to stop the whole layout.

 

The layout is around 40ft x 20ft and we often leave a couple of train "circling" whilst we do other things in the room so we don't always have someone near a throttle to thump the red button. We have six power districts, 3 of which are parallel with each other. Add to that a reasonably large section of the layout where there isn't a (need for a) throttle - i.e. just plain line so no need for throttles (of which we have 8).

 

A couple of panic (stop) buttons would be useful in the areas where there are no throttles. Alas that area is about as far as it can be from the power and control source.  Perhaps we should have a few short circuiting devices hooked onto the side of the layout which can be grabbed and placed across the rails to stop a train. However, this wouldn't work where we needed to stop trains on two tracks simultaneously unless they were in pairs.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I guess it is a difference in how trains are run.

On the many layouts I operate on, the rule is one train one driver always in control so if only one other person turns up at a layout, only two trains are run at the same time, one by the owner & the other by the visitor. One layout is approx 60 x 25 feet and takes 12 minutes to run a train around the layout & one actually follows it.

 

On my layout if by myself, then only one train is run at a time. Yes, if I  had automation as well, I could still stop the entire layout by pressing the emergency stop button on my hand controller 3 times.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
9 minutes ago, colin penfold said:

Can I ask how emergency stop can be achieved with stay alives in locos. Even if you turn the power off the stay alive will keep the loco heading towards the disaster, wont it?

 

1 - many, but not all, systems have a way of sending an "E-stop" signal to the track.  This tells every decoder "stop now, regardless", and any decent decoder will just stop instantly, ignoring deceleration settings or any other factors.   This is a DCC emergency stop instruction, rather than removing track power.

 

2 - assuming your decoders are of reasonable quality, then there will be a CV setting to limit the run time of the decoder on stay-alive without a DCC track signal.  Set this to a sensibly short time - say 1 second or so.   That's enough for any loco to sail over a pickup problem, but should be enough to cause it to stop if it actually looses track signal from either a derailment or because the track power has been turned off.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Thank you Nigel, that's really helpful.

 

Does anybody know the relevant CV for Zimo decoders?

 

My system is a Digitrax Zephyr which doesn't seem to have emergency stop, but I am currently experimenting with using my phone on loconet with JMRI. Would there be an emergency stop in there that would work "through" the zephyr?

Link to post
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, colin penfold said:

Thank you Nigel, that's really helpful.

 

Does anybody know the relevant CV for Zimo decoders?

 

My system is a Digitrax Zephyr which doesn't seem to have emergency stop, but I am currently experimenting with using my phone on loconet with JMRI. Would there be an emergency stop in there that would work "through" the zephyr?

 

In Zimo, CV153, values in tenths of second.  Thus 20 = 2 seconds.

 

Yes, JMRI throttles will issue an E-Stop for a single loco, which will be passed to the layout via a Zephyr.  

What is on your phone depends on Android vs Apple, and choice of App to connect.    The Android EngineDriver App has settings in the preferences (may be in the "advanced preferences") to place an E-stop button at the top of the screen which will E-stop all throttles under EngineDriver control on that phone. 

 

 

 

 

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
22 minutes ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

In Zimo, CV153, values in tenths of second.  Thus 20 = 2 seconds.

 

Yes, JMRI throttles will issue an E-Stop for a single loco, which will be passed to the layout via a Zephyr.  

What is on your phone depends on Android vs Apple, and choice of App to connect.    The Android EngineDriver App has settings in the preferences (may be in the "advanced preferences") to place an E-stop button at the top of the screen which will E-stop all throttles under EngineDriver control on that phone. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Nigel it's engine driver that I have installed so I will activate that option.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...