Lancs_fus

This time we set up a BD4 with a Digitrax DCS50 Zephyr command station and compare resistor values for occupancy detection.

This time I used the DCS100 Super Chief to program the TF4 which is a four function transponding decoder. May be interesting for those who have the DCS100 instead of a DCS51.

No worries Rich, I equally have had some positive and some less positive experiences. Mostly comes down to planning and then execution. I hope you will find the blog entries useful. I will be videoing a lot of detection and transponding tests soon too. Paul Hamilton Perth, Western Australia

There's been a lot of conversation over the years of programming and utilising Digitrax transponding. For what it is worth I was curious to try and program a new out of the bag TL1 and set up a new address and function control CVs. I have made a short how to video on it here and let me know if any questions or ideas for others too. Hope it helps someone.

The second part of this project focuses more on the electronics and resistors for getting the right light level in the lamps and interior lights plus getting the pick ups installed and electrically connected. In this part I play with a stay alive capacitor by DCC Concepts called a FlickerFree which I will then attach to the output of the Digitrax transponder function only decoder TL1. Once addressed the TL1 function on will turn on the lamps on the van as well as send out transponding signals to RX1 transponder detectors connected to a BDL168 block detector board.

Several folks have asked where the video is so I have cobbled together a suite of snap shots and videos plus time lapse actions on pulling together the primary stages of this modification. Video two covers off the electronics and wiring aspects and number three brings it all together in a finished package. Hope this is useful to someone and please let me know if there are any questions at all.

Something a little bit different from wiring DCC control boards this long weekend here in Perth. Recently obtained two of the latest range of Bachmann 4mm scale LMS brake vans in grey with duckets and brown without duckets. Have decided to fit working lamps and interior lights plus transponding decoders from Digitrax that will broadcast the DCC address of the transponding decoder via Loconet. Have started by removing wheels, couplings and coupling pockets plus the plastic brake gear from the underside of the model. The wheels need be separated from the axle at one end, cleaned up and made to work as live pickup axles. Once cleaned up to remove the blackening I use a conductive paint to make an electrical connection between the wheel and the axle bypassing the insulated bush between the axle and wheel. While the paint dries I chose some LEDs and corresponding resistors to come up with a light intestity that would look good for the interior lights. I settled on DCC Concepts prototype white LEDs with 20k ohm resistor and soldered it to a PCB strip. Preparing the van for external lamps, I used a sharp blade to scrape off the moulded lamp irons. Then the lamps were glued using CA and a kicker to the rear and each side of the verandah. The lamps are also by DCC Concepts and are red for the rear lamp and red and white for the side lamps. Next will be wiring the resistors up and connecting a stay alive and decoder into the van itself.

A great easy way to snap connect and splice wires together with no soldering or crimping required! I picked up these samples at a trade show and they are great for making under layout connections of wire sizes from AWG 24 to 12.

Hello all, I took a little time to plan out some of the topics I will be covering this year as part of my layout construction and test track builds and have put together a short preview video of some of the Digitrax and DCCConcepts products that I will be using and covering off in my how to videos on YouTube.

Tony, your post #127 mentions future compatibility with LocoNet. While I take it this is primarily to ensure your former CML boards can function seemlessly with th ACE can you expand on this development as it may present a nicer interface for us established Digitrax users.

What are the lottery cards you refer to as planked flooring? I am in Australia so perhaps we have a different term?

Does your decoder for DCC use have a firebox flicker function output? Most do and that will help create the flicker. Also, try an orange LED instead of red. They look the business I reckon. DCC Concepts do a range of these LEDs I have used before and they are most satisfactory.

So the second bracket signal is underway plus wiring up the first to the Digitrax TSMK plus I made a 10 wire ribbon cable using IDCs which are insulation displacement connectors. I have put a short video together on how the signals and ribbon cable are built that hopefully explains it better than a lot of words!

Well even though we are on a family holiday there is still time to do some modelling and in this case it is the wiring up of the coloured light signals that I have been looking forward too. I have extended the wires of the LEDs so that they will be long enough to penetrate the layout board using Kynar wire soldered to the LED wire ends and covered with heat shrink tubing to prevent shorting. Each LED had its own wire soldered to its respective cathode so I have made one common cathod for the whole signal and all six LEDs by soldering a single black wire to the six white wires which will simplify wiring. While I am currently not planning to use the Digitrax SE8C signal board I have adopted the Digitrax Terminal Strip Mounting Kit (TSMK) which per the photo you can see offers screw terminals for the signal wires plus a set of surface mount SMD resistors of 100 ohms each per LED and a 10 pin (2 x 5) IDC male connection. This IDC along with some rainbow ribbon cable will be used to run the wires from the signal to the Signatrak CML SIGM20 control board.

Let us know how you get on Ray following your use with the ZTC it should make an really interesting comparison.

Once again not about wiring up the signals but who can resist a bargain at the hardware store when they are out with the lovely wife and can justify it for increased productivity and wiring integrity on their layout?

I agree with everything you have sent. I buy the 166 five at a time when a good deal presents as they are a good decoder. The Digitrax sound part though is less than exciting on many fronts including my patience and ability to remain focussed.

Now the track is laid in the yard it is on to the main scenic boards for High Tor proper which will be mainly plastic chairs MEK fixed to ply sleepers but I also like the copper clad soldered type track laying too so had a go at some DCC Concepts Legacy range of stainless steel BH rail on their copper clad sleepers that are precursors and etched with solder pads suitable for the size of turnout you are building. This one is a B7. I used my 50 Watt Antex soldering station at full temperature along with DCC Concepts no wash flux plus their 178 degree solder and the joints came up quite easily. Used a fibre glass pen to clean the solder pads on the PCB sleepers first before applying flux and prettiness them a little to aid the joint. I used some really fin 600 grit wet and dry to abrade the bottom of the BH section rail too before soldering. Just make sure you solder random sleepers all over the points not each sleeper in a row or you will heat buckle the track!

Thanks Dave, try to keep it neat but there is an awful lot of wires to go under this 300mm deep board so we will see how neat it looks at the end hey!

Oh yes, what the wires are for and what colours they are. sorry about that! The red and black are from the left and right rail of the DCC track sub buses. Because I use occupancy detection via a BDL168 board, each turnout is actually part of an occupancy detection section, either linked to some plain track or a small block itself. The red and black is switched one way or the other by the internal SPDT contacts inside the tortoise and powers the frog of the turnout via the green wire depending on whetaher the motor moves to the left or the right. The power to move the motor comes from the brown and blue wires which come from the accessory decoders or stationary decoders which in my case are Digitrax DS64s and are capable of switching four differently address turnout motors or pairs of motors in the case of cross overs. In my instance on this particular board I have six Tortoise motors all powered from the one accessory decoder DS64. Hope this all makes sense. Let me know if doesn't or if you are interested in any details specifically and I will post a picture of video to try and help clear up any queries.

Yes, I pushed on with under layout wiring while the board is tipped up on its side to make access easy and didn't get on with the fiddle parts of wiring up my signal which I must do tomorrow. Anyway, I am using the old Tortoise turnout motor by Circuitron because I have preinvested in them many years ago and had a play with the initial generation of Cobalts back in the day and wasn't happy with their power sensitivity (short video on my bench top comparison of the Cobalt to Tortoise plus how I set up my Tortoise out of the box). I use the internal Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switch contacts of the Tortoise to change the polarity of my frog or common crossing of my points or turnout. That way it keeps wiring relatively minimised and compact. Not that you could really say it looks like any wiring on my layout has been minimised now could you?

Have been building my own cantilevered Pratt Truss gantry style bracket signals using the ratio kit and some Eckon signal masts. Will be lighting these up in the next day or so once I extend the wires to reach below the board level. I have come up with a test jig that I think you will enjoy...

Divided my 12' x 10' layout into three boards and to make planning and executing the installation of the electronics a bit more managmenble I did up a drawing so I knew what needed to go where. This also helps when actually wiring it up as well as planning purchases too. Used the program called Visio which we have at work for doing flowcharts and the like but PowerPoint is just as effective I've found for this sort of thing. Failing that a pencil and ruler still works too!

Thanks Andrew. Hopefully it helps if and when...

This is heavy Gauge 12 AWG or so common or earth wire that is used to assist in establishing a common zero voltage across several Digitrax items. In this particular case I have a BDL168 block detector by Digitrax along with their power manager PM42 all requiring common wiring to the booster and command station via a common wire. I use earthing cable not dissimilar to household wiring cable for this purpose as it bends to shape and stays in shape and will have no problem transmitting current given it's high cross sectional area and relatively low resistativity.