jamesed

If it's a loco with an 8-pin socket then it's default mode would only require 2 function hard wired outputs. To use more wired functions it would require soldering wires onto the decoder solder pads which you'd probably only do if you wanted individual control of lights which may even require a bit of rewiring. Depending on if it's available on the decoder you use you may want to use one of the spare functions for Active Braking on F2. So, if your loco spec says 8-pin you can safely assume that a 4 function decoder will be fine. Where the loco has a 21-pin socket it may well be making use of more function outputs so this would be where you use your 6 function decoders. If you have some 21 pin 4 function decoders you'll need to read the loco manual to see whether this will be enough for what is wired to the decoder socket.

I use Block Signalling IR sensors on my N gauge layout and they are very good. You can adjust the sensitivity of the sensor. They are available with fixed or wired sensors and have modules with relay outputs as well as led signal outputs. You should find something in their range which ticks all your boxes.

We have the same issue with our Club layout using modular portable boards. The 4mm ply is just too thin to screw anything to it even with cork underlay. In fact, we are using Cobalt IP Digital motors so have simply cut out 40mmx40mm squares of 9mm ply, screwed the motor to the ply and then hot glued the whole thing in place under the board. The hot glue fix is rock solid and doesn't move once aligned but if we ever need to remove the motor it can simply be unscrewed. I did just that with one of them last night!

Good advice from @Gordon A Use a small piece of 9mm ply and hot glue it in position. Hot glue is perfect for that sort of job and will stick firm very quickly. Just make sure you get it in the right place first time.

You can run them, as many do, from a separate dcc accessory bus if you prefer. You can then still use the relay outputs to provide the switching live frog feed. However the current draw is only 40mA when running and 5mA when dormant so they don't really cause any great draw upon your dcc power.

Only if you buy them singularly and at the full list price. Shop around for discounted prices and buy multipacks then it is much cheaper. Last week I bought a box of 12 for £249.96 which works out at £20.79 each.

Another Z21 fan here but my suggestion is that you consider Cobalt IP Digital point motors which only work out at about £21 per set of points and include extra benefits such as relay outputs (that can drive your coloured light signals) as well as live frog powering. An all in one solution that doesn't need separate accessory decoders or CDUs. With a Z21 easy to control through the track layout schematic mimic screen on a tablet, including setting up routes.

The best way would be to remove the two 6-pin decoders and fit 6-pin blanking plates in their place. Then you can sell the decoders which, if you are lucky might be worth a bit if they are a decent make. You may find that if you put it on a dc track it works providing the previous owner hasn't changed the default cv29 value to prevent dc running. If that's the case, and it doesn't run, then the decoder will need to have a dcc reset or cv29 reprogrammed (which probably won't be any help if you don't have a dcc controller). However, if you only ever want to run it on dcc then replacing the decoders with blanking plates is the best option and it will run better that way. You can pick up 6 pin blanking plates on ebay fairly cheap or if you know anyone who has a dcc N gauge layout they might have some that they will give you for free.

I'm thinking of investing in a Silhouette Portrait 3 intially to cut out card pieces from Scalescenes N kits. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has successfully used Silhouette for this task. I assume the answers would be the same for a Cameo as essentially the Portrait appears to just be a smaller version of the Cameo. Having done some research, I have some specific questions: 1) Does the Pixscan method work for N scale Scalescene sheets or would I get better results importing the pdf into Silhouette Studio (with Designer edition upgrade) and using the print and cut method? 2) Does the Silhouette cope ok with sheets of paper glued onto card? 3) Working in N gauge the thickesf card used is 1mm. I use 1mm greyboard but obviously by the time the sheet of 80gsm paper is glued onto the board it is fractionally thicker than 1mm. Will the standard 1mm auto cutting blade cut through this or would I need to buy a 2mm blade? If so, which of the apparent two types of 2mm, "Ratchet Blade" or "Kraft Blade" would be best 4) Do I need to make all the cut outs from a sheet in one go or can I keep feeding the same sheet through the machine several times cutting a different bit out as needed. 4) So, if I go ahead with this I think this is what need to buy: i) Portrait 3 ii) Silhouette Studio "Designer" upgrade (to enable pdf import) iii) Pixscan mat - depending on the answer to '1' above iv) 2mm Auto Blade - depending on the answer to '3' above. Does this sound like the correct shopping list? Does this all make sense? Is this a good way to go or is it going to take me longer to set up and cut out pieces each time than cutting all pieces out by hand, albeit that I accept it will initially take longer until I get used to what I'm doing?

You can still connect your Android phone or, better still, tablet to your Z21 router by wired ethernet lan connection. All you need is a usb-c to ethernet adaptor (for about a tenner on Amazon) plus any old ethernet cable. Remember to switch wifi off on your device first before plugging in.

I agree with Suzie, Speakon connectors are the gold standard and even better if you solder the bus wires into the connector. For belt and braces, parallel up two poles on the 4-pin connector then if one contact gets dirty the other will hopefully still be fine. If you want something a bit cheaper but still practical for a portable layout then Greenbank lighting connectors are a reasonable second choice.

Try these from DCC Concepts which will do the job perfectly well and also sort out your live frog switching.

Zimo Next18 and Plux22 decoders are now available from stock at UK suppliers but hurry as limited stocks are going fast.

What you describe about smooth operation is probably more about the setting up of CV values when programming your decoders, and also in your choice of decoders, as it is in the dcc controller that you use. For that reason I would recommend making sure that you have a system which makes CV programming easy. There will be a number of options which are worth considering but my recommendation would be a Z21 system with two or more Multimaus wifi controllers plus a 10" tablet or iPad for CV programming. Switching of sections ceases to be something you need to bother with in dcc but you might want to consider building in abc sections for smooth auto stopping (in which case choose Zimo or Lenz decoders for your locos). You also may want to think about block detection if you might want to go down the route of automated control in the future. You may also need to think about power zones and the use of boosters if you plan to run a lot of trains on your layout simultaneously.

There are a lot of parallels between DCC and the protocol used in the entertainment industry to control lighting and effects, DMX512. DMX512 was first introduced in 1986, originally just to provide digital control of stage lighting dimmers. Over the years and decades that followed stage lighting became far more complex and there was repeated speculation that a new digital protocol was needed to meet new demands. However, much had been invested by the industry into the use of DMX512 and essentially it did the job that was demanded of it. Over the years there have been enhancements to the protocol (which is overseen by USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology) and this is ongoing but 37 years later it's still the accepted standard digital protocol used for entertainment lighting across the globe. DCC will be with us for many years yet. It may develop but essentially it will be the same and backwards compatibility will be maintained.

YES, absolutely fine, and normal practice, to have the same address for both decoders. YES, program them together, at the same time on the program track. Once you have set the address then check to see if the directional lighting works ok (if it's a Dapol HST it probably will but if it's a Farish it may not). If you need to change the directional lighting for one can then follow these steps: Place both powered and non-powered car on the program track. Run a decoder reset cv8=8 Program the address to both units. Read cv29 and make a note of the value (it should be an even number) add one to the value and re-program cv29 Remove the non powered car from the program track re-program cv29 in the powered car back to the original value. Make any other adjustments you want to make i.e. CVs 2,5,6 etc. That's it - all done.

I have marked where the droppers are soldered on my Code-55 points. The plastic to cut away the underside of the rail support is tougher than on the flex track sections but it cuts away cleanly with a sharp scalpel. Just make sure you offset between sleepers but it doesn't matter whether left or right is top or bottom.

Your track arrangement and your use of Uniftog poinrs makes this very simple. You don't need to do anything at all. As long as your bus wiring discipline is good i.e. all inside tracks same polarity and all outside tracks same polarity (regardless of whether it is inner or outer loop) then it will work perfectly. Because you are using Unifrog points there's no need for insulated rail joiners. You'll need some means of power with polarity changeover for the frog wires on your points. [I assume your track plan is wrongly annotated or just shown as an example because ST241 points are SetTrack Insulfrog points. The Streamline Unifrog points will be slightly different.]

As you are starting from scratch, and presumably intending your layout to be dcc (as this is posted in the dcc section) then most definitely you want to use Unifrog where you can (as JohnP pointed out) and Electrofrog for everything else. The Unifrog points make life easy but Electrofrog will work just as well but may need a bit more wiring. Avoid Insulfrog on dcc if you have the option. Personally, I'm not a fan of frog juicers on a dcc system. The idea of introducing a short circuit which could create spikes that can corrupt the dcc signal seems a bit counterintuitive to me. However, many people use them, presumably without issues, or at least without being aware of any issues. I use Cobalt IP Digital point motors which incorporate frog switching and that makes it all very simple (remember to remove the spring in the points if using these). There are point motor accessory decoders available that also incorporate frog switching. Remember when designing your baseboard and track layout to ensure you don't have batten supports running underneath your points where you may want to fit a motor. That doesn't apply of course if you will be using surface motors. For gradients, stick to no more than 2% on curves and 3% on straight runs and you'll be fine.

You are on the right track with your thinking and if this is how you want to be able to run your railway then you are right to be thinking about it now, at the design stage. So, just to unpack this a bit, ABC is generally triggered by an asymmetric wave pattern in the dcc signal. This is switched in or bypassed as needed within an isolated section of track. You can build simple abc modules using diodes much as you describe or you can buy them ready made and ready to use. There are different types of abc available depending on the dcc decoders that you use. In basic terms, there is one system that DCC Concepts have adopted with their Zen decoders and then there's another system that works with Zimo, ESU, Lenz and several others. However the Lenz system allows you to go a bit further than the others with slow approach breaking. The Zen system is a bit of an odd one out but might work for you. In basic breaking to stop you can't set a fixed distance for break to stop. However if you can guarantee entering the abc stop section at a constant speed then you can achieve an accurate stopping point. To achieve this you use their breaking slow down to a fixed speed option from a previous abc zone. That might work well for what you want to do. You'd need to use their abc modules and their Zen decoders to make it work but it should do exactly what you have described. The more standard abc option allows you to set fixed distance to stop breaking or breaking over a fixed time and this is commonly used with the very popular Zimo decoders but will work with a number of other types - but be careful as not all decoders have this functionality. You could set up what you have described using this system and it would still work. If the distant signal is at amber then the abc zone is triggered and the loco starts to break. If the home signal is red then it continues to break to a stop. If the home signal changes to green when the train is half way through the abc zone then the abc module can be switched into bypass mode and the train will start to accelerate back up to its previous set speed. The third option is the Lenz system which works the same as described above but can also be triggered into a predefined slow approach speed without stopping. If you then want it to stop you just use an abc stop module in the next section of track. It's worth doing your research on all these options before you start committing to one method or another. You also need to think about stopping distances and consider whether you will have the space on your layout to incorporate the abc zone track sections. If you will be running DMUs on your layout think about whether they might sometimes be running non-powered car first because that will affect the position where the abc is triggered (I get around this using IR sensors which switch in the abc module when the front of the train passes over the sensor). If you intend to work towards full automation with block sensors then this may change the way you approach this. Good luck.

It will work fine Gray. I assume you have a multiple unit. As JohnP said put both the powered and unpowered car on the program track at the same time. Just to avoid any issues, do a decoder reset for both units. That will mean writing cv8=8 (for the Zimo) and CV8=3 (for the Lais) Program the address (either long or short is fine) which will write to both decoders. Then try operating the directional lights by turning F0 on. If you get one end red and one end white then just make sure they flip when you change direction. If that's all good then you are done. If you get white at both ends or red at both ends then, still with both cars on track, read CV29 which should return an odd number value. Whatever that number is add one to it and reprogram with the new value. Then, remove the non-powered car from the track and reprogram CV29 back to the original value (-1 from the new value). At this point make any other changes you want to the CVs on the powered car. Pop both cars back onto the main track and they should work as anticipated with directional lighting on F0. If it isn't a multiple unit but some other combination then the same method would apply. Program with a loco on the program track at the same time and then reprogram the loco on its own once done.

Sorry, I'm a bit late to the party but maybe this will help: First of all start with the Zimo decoders. These will be the easiest to get running well and that will give you a benchmark to try and replicate with the others. 1) first of all, if you aren't using Railcom and you don't want to run your locos on dc then set cv29 to 2 or if you are using long loco addresses (3 or 4 digits) to 34. 2) As AMJ said, now is a good time to set the maximum speed for the loco which, with a Zimo decoder, is best done with cv57. The value range is 0-255 but start with something like a value of 80, try that and adjust up or down until you get the max speed you want. To calibrate to a scale speed there is a good caclulator at https://www.modelbuildings.org/scale-speed-calculator/ 3) The default for your start up voltage at cv2 will be 1 which you'll probably find ok but you can increase this if you need to. If you set a very slow acceleration rate (cv3 see below) then you may find it better to set cv2 to a slightly higher value. 4) The acceleration rate on cv3 has a default of 2 but you'll probably find it better to set this a bit higher. I'd suggest starting with a value of 8 and adjust up or down to suit how you like it. 5) The deceleration rate on cv4 has a default of 1. Personally I like to have good control of stopping exactly when I want so usually I set cv4 at a value of 2 or sometimes up to 4 but it's a personal preference. Zimo chips also usually give you the option of setting up active breaking which opens up a lot of additional possibilities and is especially good for sound. Read the manual if you want to learn more about that. 6) If you've set up the max speed using cv57 then you can leave cv5 alone. When you come to the other chips you may need to use cv5 to set the maximum speed but remember that as you reduce the value of cv5 you are also reducing the number of speed steps in the curve. 7) The mid point speed on cv6 is probably the most helpful setting. On a Zimo you may find you don't need to adjust it. The default value is 1 which is a shortcut value to make it a third of the maximum speed value, in other words on a scale of up to 255 it will be a value of approx 85. If you find you want to adjust it then try a litlle higher at, say, 100, or perhaps lower at 70 until you find a value that suits how you want it to operate. With other decoders you will probably find you need to play around with cv6 a bit more and that will also then be dependent upon what you have set cv5 to. Get your Zimo decoder locos working how you want them first before you start on the others. When you do move on you'll find out why so many of us prefer Zimos (when we can get them!) but by then you'll have a better idea of what you are doing which will help.

The important thing to note here is that this will be an ios problem and not a problem with the Z21 or the TP Link router. The most likely cause is that your iphone connects and then when, after about 20 seconds or so, it realises that there isn't an internet connection then it disconnects and looks for a better network. To stop that happening you need to set your iphone wifi settings to "ask" before joining networks. You may also need to switch "auto join" off on all your saved wifi networks saved in your phone. Check your Z21 app. If the blue bar appears in the top right corner of the screen then you are connected. If it isn't blue (or red if there's a short) then you aren't connected. The other thing that might be worth trying is to set a reserved ip address for your iphone within the TP Link router settings. Then go into your iphone wifi settings and enter that ip address as a static ip for that particular connection.

Well, the motor needs to be reasonably well alligned anyway but it doesn't need to be spot on. As long as the blade has moved far enough away from the stock rail to break contact before the motor reaches its half way run point it will be fine. If it hasn't done that then it probably won't throw all the way anyway. I've fitted 22 of these in the last few months exactly on that basis and they all work a treat. However, it is important to remove the spring in the point first. It's also important to check the polarity as you go along, after you've turned off self-centering.

Yes I mean track bus, thanks. I'll correct that. I repeat there is no need to modify the Electrofrog points when using Cobalts. You can still power the frog, the frog rails and the switch blades but, unlike with other types of frog switchers, the Cobalts don't switch over until the mid point of travel so at that point the switch blades aren't in physical contact with the stock rails. The Peco points are well enough designed for this to work fine but you do need to remove the springs.