Steve Williams Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 You just beat me to it! :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRealistic Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Not being electrically-minded, what is the preferred wire for droppers... and the bus it's going to be attached to. The wire on peco points (to the frog) is single core. Is this what to go for, or is multi-strand a 'better' alternative? I really don't have a clue! I'm still thinking the Antex XS25 (watt) is the iron I'm going for... or should I 'step up' to the TC50 (watt) And, by the way, thanks you guys for the help you're giving me. Very much appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Hi Alan, I am also a user of Fluxite, which I find quite user friendly. I also believe that 'in & out quick' is the best way, so I use a 100w solder-gun [bosch], although I have to be more careful due to the size of the tip! I work in 4mm, but this method works for 7mm just as well. Good luck, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Fear of ruining track is quite common as part of fear of soldering. The best tip really is practice - using the great advice already in this thread - but pick up some second hand tatty track from your local model shop or a show, and use that instead of brand new track, for practising. If you ruin that, then it's far less of a problem than your carefully laid and cut track on the board. Most of us have an old piece of half inch chipboard or something that we use for testing things, whether it's soldering track, scenic techniques or whatever, that we can lay a length of track to and experiment on things we haven't tried before. In the thread about the O gauge Shaftesbury layout, there's some pictures of some experiments with spraying track which have produced excellent results and having a go myself is on my "to do" list - despite not having done anything with my O gauge project just yet, obviously I want to try before I do so on the 'live layout'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Not being electrically-minded, what is the preferred wire for droppers... and the bus it's going to be attached to. The wire on peco points (to the frog) is single core. Is this what to go for, or is multi-strand a 'better' alternative? I really don't have a clue! I'm still thinking the Antex XS25 (watt) is the iron I'm going for... or should I 'step up' to the TC50 (watt) And, by the way, thanks you guys for the help you're giving me. Very much appreciated. Oddly enough, I was doing this on my depot diorama rails last night - C&: Flexi mind you - so all sleepers can be well slid back. I used single core copper wire, tinned before soldering and dropped through 1mm dia holes to terminate in blocks underneat for bussing. I used Carrs green flux and multi core (rather than the usual non-flux low melt solder that I'd usually use)... so, flux applied to joint to focus on where solder will flow to... and heat and solder applied simultaneously - worked well. All flux cleaned off with white spirit on a cotton bud prior to gluing track to board. I must admit that I didn't solder them to the undersides - wish I had, but with Bullhead, this isn't as easy as with flat bottom. I'll be blogging this shortly, as I've had a few issues with what I've been building, set back after set back, with this diorama... Goodluck with yours Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roddy Angus Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Alan I used 3 amp equipment wire for the droppers on the basis that this would be more than enough current for 2 or 3 trains running at the same time. The actual current in each dropper will be significantly less that the total requirement as the current will take a number of paths to reach the train. The 3 amp wire is made up of 16 strands of 0.2mm copper wire and has an overall diameter, including the sheath, of 1.6 mm. This is a convenient size to work with as it is relatively easy to strip the insulation without cutting the copper stands. It is also a relatively cheap wire to buy and comes in a number of colours. One suggestion would be to try and keep the same side of the rail in the same colour as it will make it easier when connecting up to the bus. For the bus, a heavier guage of wire would be better, some people use the solid core wire from either 5 or 13 amp household wiring stripped of insulation and solder the droppers straight to it. As long as the wire is kept apart, or insulated if it crosses another wire then it is prefectly safe with either 12v Dc or 16v Ac. I actually used the same wire as I used for the droppers as I knew I would only be runnng 2 or 3 trains at a time and that the rating of the wire would be sufficient for my needs, it really depends on how big your layout will be. I hope that this is helpful. Roddy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I went overboard with them and ended up with 5 droppers on each but then realised it would have been easier to simply connect the relevant rails directly rather than via droppers to the bus wires.  I am trying to understand why 5 wires were thought to be needed on a point? Three for every point is all that is required. But they are the very last wires I would sacrifice and ever have any hope of electrical integrity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon020 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I am trying to understand why 5 wires were thought to be needed on a point? Three for every point is all that is required. But they are the very last wires I would sacrifice and ever have any hope of electrical integrity. Surely it depends on the "point" ... I think the ones I made had at least 5 isolated rails... so yes, it's either 5 droppers or (as suggested) join some togther. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Surely it depends on the "point" ... I think the ones I made had at least 5 isolated rails... so yes, it's either 5 droppers or (as suggested) join some togther. Sorry, I had made the assumption, as we were talking about melting plastic sleepers here, that the points in question were of the RTR type. Of course you are right for hand-built points there are more than the standard 3 rails to add droppers from (2 stock rails and the frog). However even with hand-built (and even modded RTR with bonded switch rails) I would still only have 3 droppers all other connections are simple electrical jump leads within the structure of the point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRealistic Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Thanks again all. I think I may have to do a bit more researching before I'm able to make my mind up on... 1. Rating of iron... I was going to buy the Antex 25W, but now not so sure 2. Whether to use flux... I wasn't going to, rather 'simply' use the 60/40 multi-core resin solder 3. Wire to use for droppers and bus... thought this would be 'straigntforward', but quite a few alternatives, it seems. (Your 'recipe' was really helpful, Roddy) Hope you won't mind me asking, Kenton, (and you don't mind telling!), what do you use in regards to 1 and 3? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 ...1. Rating of iron... I was going to buy the Antex 25W, but now not so sure An Antex 25W is fine for this sort of work. The key, as I've said a few times before, is heat capacity. A larger tip retains more heat and can be used on larger jobs. For this sort of work, I use a 2mm screwdriver bit. 2. Whether to use flux... I wasn't going to, rather 'simply' use the 60/40 multi-core resin solder Multicore 60/40 (not lead free) is fine. Despite what several others have said, extra flux is quite unnecessary, messy, potentially corrosive and will require extra cleaning. Just make sure the base of your rails is clean (rub over with fine emery/wet or dry and tin both the rail and wire first). Cleanliness is one of the keys to good quick soldering. 3. Wire to use for droppers and bus... I use 7/0.2 (7 cores each 0.2mm) which is a good fit on the botton of code 75 bullhead. 16/0.2 is a bit on the fat side to easily hide in the ballast. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRealistic Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 That's brilliant Nick. Thanks a million!. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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