model-trains

Hi guys Sorry not got back to reply on here, I downloaded JMRI as Nigel mentioned, but wasn't sure what I was doing, then I remembered Rob I have Hornby RailMaster, not the best of software, bu not bad for the money, lack of Loco detection and promise after promise did it for me. That said the CV reading from within RailMaster is brilliant, read all CV's, CV Name, Value and Result string in a table I could print out so that seemed a good idea. First I was going to set up RailMaster along side DR5000 DIGICentral, but it meant me changing and re-configuring com ports so I left it, until today, I set it up on the laptop in no time at all, and have read 4 of my 10 loco CV's already and have print outs of each. I started the new layout with good intentions, 2019 to Easter, then a little more end of year. I got back to it January this year, but we had a new kitchen installed February/March so one thing after another, covid as well there was no progress with the trains/layout. I am now ready to start building the layout again board 1 of 4 is ready, board 2 of 4 has track laid but needs 18 point motors installing and two reverse loops completing. Board 3 and 4 has track mostly laid so once I get past board 2 I should be able to make progress. I am looking forward to starting and keeping going this time. Back to CV's, I can read and write them now, I have printed list of some to start with, I will just have to suss out what what to alter to lower the sound on some locos to get a balance between them. Paul

Thank you Nigel I will come back to the JMRI part tomorrow. I have managed to get the new/second hand loco sorted, will check sounds tomorrow. Once I get the one complete I will work through the others with sound. Its good to be back in the engine shed. Thank you for your help. Paul

I have managed to set up a program track from the terminal on the DR5000 I have also managed to open the programming properties. So that I do not cock things up I refer to the programming options Top line Address: Read the Loco address or write the loco address (Straight forward) Next is CV > Number > Value I am not sure what to add here? Is it possible to bring up a list of all CV's settings for each loco?

Hi guys I have Digikeijs DR5000 for the new layout I am building. I have just purchased a new/secondhand loco and want to read/possibly write the CV's, I have never done this before. Any help would be very appreciated Thanks in advance Paul

All good advise guys, thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions. I have a couple which I have soldered but to me look a little messy, taking all the advise I have decided to leave the two soldered ones as heating them up to remove the solder could further softened the plastic sleepers. The other points, untouched. - I have removed the small wire links using the point end of a Stanley blade, they came off quite easy. - I have removed all fishplates from every piece of track and replaced with IRJ's where necessary and brand new Peco fishplates which solder very easily, not everyone's choice I am aware but by droppers are from fishplates. - As for the electrofrog turn outs I an adding droppers at the toes end of the point, and dropping the frog wire at the other end, taking each to the point motors. I don't think soldering the wires to link the middle turn out rails will be an issue as the Cobalt IP Slow Action Point motors are very good, the piano type wire that changes the point direction, I feel is very positive. Thanks again everyone for your help and suggestions it is really appreciated.

This for me would be the hard bit, my eyesight is not good looking down, I have double vision and have prisms in my glasses. I manage to solder onto Peco new fish plates, bt struggle on existing fishplates and to track. When I solder between track I end up with a dry joint or melting plastic sleepers. I take it this is not essential but is an addition to ensure the current runs on the moving rails. Thanks for your help and image

Hi guys Peco ElectroFrog points. On the rear of the packet it says... DCC Compatibility - There is no need to modify any PECO turn out for use with DCC. It thern says... Switchable frog option - ElectroFrog turnouts have the OPTION of having the frog switched independently... There is then a diagram showing wires from fishplates at the toes of the point to a point motor, and the single wire at the other end also going to the point motor. The only other item shown is to cut the wires where they are currently bridged. have Cobalt IP Digital slow action motors, is it better to install using the second option? I ask due to the first statement, that there is no need to alter any PECO turnouts.

I think I see an error the wires to the DR5013 are the wrong way round To make it clearer I have changed the magenta wire to dark green, the red and magenta on screen looked similar. The DCC Bus if from the Digikeijs DR5000 Controller Hopefully it will be nearer, does this seem right? Or have I got something else wrong? Or missed something? Thanks in advance

Hi guys I am just seeking a little help/guidance with installing the DR5013 Digikeijs DigiReverseLoop module I have two loops in parallel, but will naturally be separate, each with it's own DR5013, so here I just ask is the following correct for one loop? The first image I have taken from the manual This image is based on part of my layout with DR4088LN and DR5013 included Please ignore the coloured track other than, everything left of the IRJ's is wired as brown, everything right of the IRJ's is wired as blue. There is power from the DCC Bus to the DR54088's which has not been shown on here Would you say the suggestion is correct or have I missed something?

The reason I added 2 sidings was to divert trains down over the 4 way points, but as I am sat probably about 8 feet away and looking at it left to right I cannot see the benefit I would if I was looking down the lines as in this image, so my thoughts were a couple of sidings with coaches or goods wagons sat there would show interest in themselves, but also help me see the trains winding there way past them. Just me trying to visualise how it will look add trying to create interesting layout rather then just straight tracks. I have a long way to go yet.

Hi Harlequin As you are from Australia I understand your thinking, I am from the UK myself and my layout is being created because I love trains (as we all do), but I don't run to an set era, I like all trains, so I have a mixture of passenger and goods, steam and diesel, for different eras. As for the N-S-W the layout is in my garage, insulated and carpet down the N-S-W stand for North, South and West, the 3 sides of the garage used. The board being shown here is the West side, linking the North on my right (next board to be made) and the South side on my left which has been done and will be connected once the West one is finalised. I was aware of NSW, but decided after playing with the 3 letters that it was the best option, for me, and that the layout was not for a specific era or specific rail network it was Ok for me. Sorry for any confusion, now which way am I facing.

The image is just a small section of the proposed layout From the left comes a double loop with station and siding From the right comes two hidden sidings and a number of platforms for a station, this section runs a good length before joining another two track loop with small station and sidings. (4 reverse loops in all) I have included another image to help confirm the up down lines as they cross over to bye-pass to additional siding, which may be considered as up down lines had I not clarified this. I appreciate there is a lot of work in this section of the layout, but it is done to allow lots of flexibility for the trains and interest for myself. Thanks for all your comments they are really appreciated.

Thanks guys I always view the points as the heel being the single end and the toes being the two alternate exits, as rocking on the heel of our feet. I have added red dots for each IRJ in the image attached. I will have to re-check I think I may have missed some.

Hi guys I am seeking guidance please. Looking at this section of the track as a left to right, right/left layout... wiring every section with blue wire droppers farthest away rail and red wire droppers the nearest rail of the two as we look at them here, do I need IRJ's on the toe ends of points and inner 'V' of 4 ways? I appreciate I need them for designed in blocks but with every track wired the same, blue/red - blue/red - blue/red, I am wondering if I actually need them. Electrofrog points probably being the only exception to this. (sleepers will be made right as I finish laying each part) I look forward to your comments, thanks in advance.

UPDATE All working, many thanks for all your help. Hopefully get ready to start board 2/4 from tomorrow.

Hi Iain Before finishing, with just 4 feedbacks in a single outer loops, everything else is stripped out, wires, codes the lot, I gave it a try. They all worked! I wish I had asked about the settings first but as you said to many things going on, also time has dragged on somewhat. Anyway that initial test was encouraging, hopefully now I can get this first board pulled together and get started on board two in a weeks time. I will add a final update, hopefully no more issues, 27 feedbacks to code, wire and test. Many thanks for your help

Thanks Iain I will come back to this tomorrow.

I have stripped out all wires to all feedback modules, run a live to the first DR4088LN The settings were as follows, but it didn't work, same issue as before? I include all these to at least make sure settings are correct before replacing and adding another DR4088LN I went into DR5000 and to ext88N IN, in this section have I set the following... SETTINGS Number of 16 input modules 1 Number of 8 input modules 0 Number of contacts 16 First contact in feedback space 0 Report all contacts after power on 1000 ext88 modules Number of control modules 1 Type Dr4088 Channels 1 - Pair - Throw Ticked - 1 2 - Pair - Throw Not Ticked - 1 3 - Pair - Throw Ticked - 2 4 - Pair - Throw Not Ticked - 2 up to 16 (1 ticked 8, one not ticked 8) LOCONET 'T' Programming Left as no DR4088 in options Module address 1 CV number values 0 Settings purge time 0 Fast clock rate 0 Enable slow module timing not ticked Baudrate tuning 110 Comparator tuning 1.80 RailCom Sense direction OFF Thanks for any help

Iain I only included the image because you said... diagrams would make your posts much easier to read - whilst in your minds eye you understand what you describe, for those of us at a distance the words are difficult to comprehend. I agree with what you said and am going to remove all others and start from board-1, the second or bottom picture above. I will have a look at this later... look in your dr5000 program and set all the S88 to zero Thanks for your guidance Paul

I appreciate what you are saying and plan to do it that way, the reason I did the way I have was to keep cables between DR4088LN's as short as possible over all. I have included images to show the cables and why I did it the way I did, it makes things much longer going round the perimeter of the room. Refresh my memory what is the S88? The rvised wa will allow me to add the DR4088LN's one by one.

Thanks Iain That did pass through my mind as I finished today. I also thought of getting a linger cable to go from the DR5000 (Board-3), round the bottom and connecting to the first module at board-1, so rather than going the way it is now and adding from modules 5 to 1, I will be going to module 1, then 2 etc up to 5. To do that I will need to get a longer cable first, then maybe change the current #1 and start afresh. It will probably then work as follows... DR5000 to Feedback Module-1, Feedback Module-2, Reverse Loop Module-1, Reverse Loop Module-2, Feedback Module-3, Feedback Module-4, Feedback Module-5, Reverse loop module-3, reverse loop module-4 [End] It just seems strange the first module it reeds from now, #4, works, but the last one, #5 doesn't. Maybe it doesn't like numbers in reverse order from DR5000? If my cables are long enough, tomorrow I will by-pass module 4 make the 5th the first with feedback wires and see if that works, if it does it will answer the issue. I will leave feedback.

Sorry for the delay in replying First I had the bug, then my wife, then myself. Since that I had virgin 200bbp installed and followed that with BT Mesh WholeHome system, every device had to be reset up. Back to the trains, at last. Still on the first board, one frustration after another. First question. I will have 5 DR4088 feedbacks on the whole layout (when done) At present they are connected from the DR5000 as follows 5th----4th----3rd----2nd----1st----DR5000 Because board one is the farthest distance from the DR5000 line, I have started with the 5th as 1-16 the 4th as 17-32, and will continue until #1 is 65-80. Could this cause an error? I ask this now as I have mapped the working feedback and the none working ones 7 feedbacks on the 4th work, the 16 feedbacks on the 5th are giving all the issues, as there are none on 1st,2nd,3rd the 4th is the first with feedbacks connected. I hope I am making sense. Would they be better starting with the 5th DR4088 setting feedbacks as 80-65 and work backwards so that when finished they will all be in order. Or should it not matter? I have changed the cable from the 4th to the 5th module, it made on difference. I will wait your kind replies before doing anymore. The only other option would be to strip the 5th module out and put one of the previous free ones in it's place and see if it is the module causing the problems. Some of the feedbacks on the 5th module appear to want to work but flash on then off, I have changed wires around but get the same result. Very frustrating, I am getting so close the striping the feedbacks out and forgetting them, just run everything manually.

Hi all I am looking at changing my Broadband package, I currently have Sky. Has anyone used Sky Fibre, what are the speeds like Has anyone used Virgin Fibre 108Mbp, are the speeds as good as they state? I currently use Sky 40Mbp, on extenders I get 10Mbp, how would these increase if I got a faster broadband? Any help is greatly appreciated.

With the voltage change now set at 19v there is no difference, the errors are still the same. With some feedbacks working and some not I think the best bet is to check all wires into the feedback, either by stripping back to use new wire or tinning with a thin solder layer. It will have to wait till I shrug the bug. Had to cancel meal out tonight for daughters birthday, hopefully back in a day or so. Thanks for your help and patience.

Sorry Iain I meant to say, 15v and set to 19v no difference. Sorry for delay getting back to you, got the head flu back, everything streaming not just wifi