Adding more Roco handsets

[Michael Delamar]

Gents, I very rarely read this side of the forum so apologies in advance for some simple questions but I have been searching for an answer without luck.

 

 

For my large exhibiton layout which features a large loco depot and large array of fiddle yard sidings and locos with sound..

 

 

I need a 2 into one (or more) connector that allows extra handsets to be plugged into my basestation but I cant find what the correct term and technical name of them, plus the best place to source,

 

Simple one, Id like to replace the wires with curly ones.

 

And the base station will be installed under one board which has several other boards adjacent and id like to be able to have sockets on these boards to allow operators to move between boards with the minimum of wiring and connections underneath between each board. If anyone could advise please.

 

The booster is for the fiddle yard, the layout is a roundy roundy. If sockets can be installed on the fiddle yard board controlled by the booster that would be great too.

 

 

Thanks and all the best

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

[tractor_37260]

You could use these or similar ? once you change over the connector cables, to curly DIN plug types - the curly cable from an Lenz LH90 is a direct replacement for the Multimaus flat type cable.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenz-80152-LA152-Adapter-incl/dp/B00E3Q2EN8

Edited December 21, 2017 by tractor_37260

[Phil S]

You didn't need to buy the specific booster model as ANY of the amplifiers will do - simply connect the booster connection and DO NOT insert a controller into the MASTER or SLAVE of the 'Booster' - the circuit board inside is the same 8-)   The only difference is which sockets were installed.

Ypou can loop on to another 'booster' beither using a Y-splitting connector for the booster cable, or open the box and fit the missing socket - the loop is a passive one. Both units need their own power supplies and so you will need a SECOND SMPS 18V 3-4A [power supply (only one is shown in your photo)

 

You can have upto 32 handsets INCLUDING the MASTER and any PC interface (which counts as 1 even if the software then adds more controllers on screen).  Distance between controllers is not a problem.  And it is easy to 'take over' a train from one controller to another.   Libraries (not JUST using CV1 short addresses, but long and short addresses) can be copied form one handset to another.

 

Curly cables get tangled, and therefore end up shorter than expected.

 

THE ADAPTERS you want are 'Y' adapters - ie a cable comes in and goes out as 2 others.  You need the RJ12 variety that has 6 pins

although only 4 will be used - only the MASTER uses all 6 pins  ( power,  expressnet data in/out , and a pair for the DCC signal generated inside the Master.    The Y splits are done on the SLAVE output - which only use the power and data in/out pairs.

 

The Booster bus uses only 4 pins. -  so RJ10 4p4c

Edited December 21, 2017 by Phil S

[newbryford]

You can use these for faceplates.

Connect them behind with a RJ12 cable - they also make cables to length. https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/nce-custom-made-flat-cables-rj12-type/

 

Cheers,

Mick

[WIMorrison]

You can use these for faceplates.

Connect them behind with a RJ12 cable - they also make cables to length. https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/nce-custom-made-flat-cables-rj12-type/

 

Cheers,

Mick

They also sell the curly cords that the OP wants for the handsets

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/2m6ft-curly-cord-rj12-with-6-wire-connections/

 

One stop shop for all the bits (and a reasonable price!)

Edited December 21, 2017 by WIMorrison

[Michael Delamar]

Thanks everyone, for across the boards would it be best to hard wire into the plugs that the other wiring such as the bus bar uses, or keep RJ12 male and female connections?

 

And I do have an additional transformer for the booster its just not in shot.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Michael Delamar

[Phil S]

Always best to keep parallel data runs separated - and as far as possible from 50Hz wiring of any voltage. Prevention is better than cure.

I have recently used 'car-type'  AMPtype/clone connectors based on car-click-together shells containing 6mm spade terminals for all my interboard wiring on a portable layout - just cutting off the 'one-time-click-lock' catch so that I can separate the boards to take them home again!

Available, polarised, with any number of connectors from 2 to 10 and easy to make up (Crimp or solder) Adequate current rating too.

(That said, any handsets /expressnet would still use the RJ plugs/sockets of course - it is a good standard reliable connector - but I do now use the wireless versions - Multimaus Pro (for MultiCentralePro) or new  WLAN Multimaus for Z21  .... but there is still a basic Roco Amp on the layout as a separate system, and always at least one cabled handset.

[John K]

Roco runs Expressnet so the Lenz LA152 will do the job perfectly.

http://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/lenz/la152-fascia-panel

John

Edited for spelling

Edited December 22, 2017 by John K

[Ron Ron Ron]

Roco runs Expressnet so the Lenz LA152 will do the job perfectly.

http://www.coastaldcc.co.uk/products/lenz/la152-fascia-panel

John

Edited for spelling

 

 

Mentioned in post no. 2 higher up the page John.

 

...and to be a boring pedant, it's "XpressNet".

 

Cheers

Ron

 

 

 

p.s. Without looking it up for myself, is there a limit to the number of socket panels that can be used, before additional power is required for the cab bus (in this case XpressNet)?

I'm reminded that the NCE cab bus requires a powered socket panel, after every so many panels in the chain.

I note that Michael has 10 such sockets panels marked on his diagram.

 

 

 

.

[John K]

There are 31 available addresses in Lenz Xpressnet so plenty for the OP to use. I am not aware of, nor can I find, any published limitations related to power consumption of devices on the network.

John

[melmerby]

There are 31 available addresses in Lenz Xpressnet so plenty for the OP to use. I am not aware of, nor can I find, any published limitations related to power consumption of devices on the network.

John

20mA per device, if any device uses more than 20mA a separate supply should be used for it:

 

http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/Manuals/xpressnet.pdf

 

Keith

[Michael Delamar]

Thanks again gents.

 

I set it all out on the layout tonight and to be honest I dont think it really needs sockets on all boards. I think ill have sockets either end of the centre board, its not far to stretch.

 

If I have the socket panel on the layout side, does one socket have to be for a master and the others for slave or can it work that you can plug any of the handsets into any socket on the side panel?

Edited December 23, 2017 by Michael Delamar

[Michael Delamar]

You can use these for faceplates.

Connect them behind with a RJ12 cable - they also make cables to length. https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/nce-custom-made-flat-cables-rj12-type/

 

Cheers,

Mick

I quite like the idea of a couple of those baseplates. Do they require Y cables or a RJ12 box which splits one to several outlets or will one wire in the back connect to the adjacent socket?

[Michael Delamar]

And ive just realised that I dont have to split the layout in 2 in the places i marked on the plan, I could do the split from the centre scenic board and centre fiddle yard board, that way I could mount the 2 power units together under the centre scenic board making wiring tidier and run the outlet from the booster to the connecting plug to the adjacent scenic board.

[newbryford]

I quite like the idea of a couple of those baseplates. Do they require Y cables or a RJ12 box which splits one to several outlets or will one wire in the back connect to the adjacent socket?

 

Just daisy chain from one panel to the next with RJ12 leads.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Ron Ron Ron]

For guidance on wiring the LA152's .......

 

http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/Manuals/la152adaptor.pdf

 

 

.

Edited December 24, 2017 by Ron Ron Ron

[WIMorrison]

Personally I would avoid the Lenz face plate as they provide 2 useless DIN sockets on the front - very useful for lenz that uses DIN, but no good for anything that uses RJ12 like the Roco kit used by the OP

Edited December 24, 2017 by WIMorrison

[Ron Ron Ron]

Personally I would avoid the Lenz face plate as they provide 2 useless DIN sockets on the front - very useful for lenz that uses DIN, but no good for anything that uses RJ12 like the Roco kit used by the OP

 

 

Agreed.

The DCC Concepts Alpha Panel (product code: DCD-DAP) is suitable and only costs 17 notes, from a well known Merseyside emporium.

 

 

.

[Phil S]

Don't forget that the MASTER handset should be on the short 6-pin 6 wire lead and NEVER unplugged during use - IT IS THE SOURCE of your DCC signal (in the extra 2 wires not used by the SLAVE handsets)  this is why they say do not extend the MASTER lead.   The slave-extension sockets  are all in series and with any other expressnet devices like PC interfaces or Paco key encoders (or the version from Digi-CZ)

As each connection point offers 1 free connector (if using the passive Y adapter)  a Slave handset can be inserted or removed as you wish at these places.   Trains can be passed from one controller to another (actually #taken# by the new controller - simply by calling up the same loco number/name  (symbol flashes) and then turning the speed knob to take control  (best to get it in the same direction first - before calling up the number, but not a problem if the knob is corrected quickly 8-) .

The lead separating the Master-Amplifier and the 'booster' can be a long lead - they expect it to be reaching a distant area.  Upto 4 boosters can be added without adding a buffer to the booster signal.     I use 3 'boosters' ie 3 amplifiers from Digital Start Sets used as boosters for convenience.

Even with lots of LED coach lighting, my storage area is only taking 1.25A without trains moving. 

 

WHICHEVER handset you plug into the MASTER is the one whose memory is used to know what the last setting of each point was.  Individual handsets will remember their last loco selections,  and each handset can have its own 64-loco library of 5-character names (now 10 with the Z21 LANmultimaus) 

[Michael Delamar]

Gents, happy new year.

 

I purchased 2alpha panels and for the last few days ive been struggling to get everything to work.

 

I cant seem to make head nor tail of the instructions for the panels, the panels have switches I have them switched as normal.

 

It seems fine until the 3rd handset is connected then the handsets start to flash up STOP.

 

I take it I just use the master socket on the black box and the slave socket isnt used?

 

Then its a wire from the master socket to one of the sockets on the rear of the panel? The other socket on the rear is then used to connect to the rear of the second panel?

 

Id appreciate any help but go steady please.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2018 by Michael Delamar

[markw]

You need to plug one multimaus into the master socket using a 6-wire cable, I guess this is the flat cable in your photo.

Then you plug any additional multimaus into the slave socket via the panels as required.

The panels seem to have a power input socket so I would guess the switch is to choose between power from the slave socket or from an additional power supply, normal is probably correct in your case.

[Michael Delamar]

So the master handset cant be plugged into the panels on the side of the layout? Not really what id like having to have the master controller’s wire dangling from under the layout, is there any other way around this?

[Phil S]

So the master handset cant be plugged into the panels on the side of the layout? Not really what id like having to have the master controller’s wire dangling from under the layout, is there any other way around this?

Read again my posting in which I said why the master handset must be plugged in with the 6 way lead into the master socket and not unplugged at any time because IT is the source of your DCC signal as well as the Xpressnet to all other (slave) handsets.

Also how easy it is to take over Any train at Any controller.... No need to unplug and replug. ... Just select the loco and turn the knob to take over.

 

Whether you dangle your master lead is another matter up to you... But it is fairly short, and you can attach the controller with Velcro to any convenient service.

[Michael Delamar]

I suppose I could get or make a panel for the master. ie just a simple rj12 socket.

 

With it being a busy exhibition layout Im trying to keep the operators from tripping over each other.

[Phil S]

A Maypole-like  set of tangled wires is why we stopped using multiple cabled controllers on our portable exhibition layouts (too much co-location) - in favour of the wireless MultimausPro (with MultiCentrale Pro) and now (at last) the wireless LANmultimaus for the Z21 ... BUT with 1 cabled handset for backup use in every case, (and a second system with a cabled multimaus - normally used for programming** and a totally separate loop which could be switched across if ever needed.

** A totally separate spare system for programming to avoid having to stop the entire layout if anything need programming !