Part 2: Getting Power to Track Feeders
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.พ. 2015
- NOTE: This model railroad video is not intended for anyone under 14 years of age due to the use of small parts, dangerous tools, electrical items, glues, and paints.
This is the second part of "How I Install DCC Power Bus Wiring." This part shows how I get power from the main DCC power bus and my method of distributing it to the various track feeders. In the previous video, I talked about the main power bus wire (12 gauge stranded). In order to get the power from the bus to the track, I use a combination of 22 gauge stranded wire to feed the track (3 inches long) which is then connected to a section of 18 gauge stranded wire with solder-less crimp connectors which then goes to a terminal strip. I group the greens together and the reds together and jumper 18 gauge solid wire. The terminal strip is then connected to the main power bus using 14 gauge stranded wire (one green and one red). The connection to the main power bus is made using 3M suitcase connectors. This is the same method that I used for completing the staging level and have been very satisfied with it.
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Great job John. I really like those terminal strip groupings. Nicely done! 😎👍
Thank you for your comments. My wiring was done in a modular style to allow for quick identification of a short…..John
nice video and a good explanation
ger deguelle Thank you for your comments. There are a lot of ways of doing DCC power bus installation but this is the method that I found to be good for me. The books always say that it is just two wires but it is really two wires hundreds of times for a layout that is as big as mine.
THANK YOU...for sharing.
This is the method that I use. There are a lot of ways to do this but I prefer the more modular approach but it does take a lot more connectors and terminal strips to do it this way. I find that this makes it easier to troubleshoot any electrical issues....John
Thank s for the information
You are most welcome. I did it this way to help with troubleshooting any power issues since it would make it easier for isolating problems but it does cost more & takes more time to do....John
Great share! How many volts are running along your bus wire? Thank you.
The voltage is generally at 14 volts. I used 12 AWG stranded wire for my main bus wire. Sorry that it took me so long to answer.....John
I just wanna hook up 3 separate sets. Do I still need to do all this wiring
DCC can be installed a lot of different ways depending on the size & complexity of your layout. You can take a look at all of the TH-cam channels that describe how they did their wiring & find several different techniques because everyone's layout is different. In your case, if you have a small layout, then you can use a much simpler technique. Since I don't know what your layout looks like, I would recommend looking at the "Wiring for DCC" web site as a start. Kalmbach Publishing also has a number of DCC "How To" books.
The technique that I used is more modular than most use. My layout is big for N-Scale with 8 power districts and 4 reversing loops so I wanted to be able to quickly identify any short in the power distribution so I did it the way shown....John
How often do we need to repower a HO track. Feet between power feeders.
Bill, Thanks for the questions. Since you are looking at the way that I do track feeder...my method is more modular than most people use and has a lot more connectors. I find that it is easier to troubleshoot. For how often you need to feed power to the track, the rule of thumb that I use is every section of flex track (36"). Since I use Peco electrofrog turnouts (N-scale are different than the same size turnout in HO), I also feed the small section of track that is between two consecutive turnouts since Peco needs to be fed power from the rear. I also use insulated rail joiners on all four tracks past the frog to ensure that their won't be any shorts with the next section of track...John
hi John... very neat & tidy... makes for easy trouble shooting.. i use the same method with Barrier strips but instead of using wire jumpers you can get premade metal jumpers that work with the barrier strips ( you can find these items at www.allelectronics.com)... thanks for sharing.. vinny
VERY tidy!!
bnsf6951 I have used the barrier strips in the past (have a box full of them from 2 to 20 terminals) but I really like the ability to cut the euro-style terminal strips into the exact size that I need whether it is a 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.
Did you show where the bus feeders get their power??? I might have missed it
Pedro, Thank you for watching, your comments, and question. I looked through my videos and could not find if I had shown my power cabinet that is under the station at Paradigm. However, I can explain it. I use an NCE 5 amp system and DCC Specialties PSX circuit breakers (8 of them; 4 for the staging level and 4 for the main level) that feed each of my 8 power districts. The output from the NCE command station is distributed to each circuit breaker. The output (12AWG stranded wire) from each circuit breaker is color coded differently for each bus going to each power district. I used 3M Scotchlok Electrical IDC 567, Run and Tap Wire Splice to connect 14AWG wire to distribute power from the main bus to the euro style barrier stips. From each barrier strip I used 18AWG wire connected to each feeder (22AWG) via male/female quick disconnects. My electrical setup was designed to be very modular so I could isolate a section very easily. I would recommend watching the following videos to see more of my process. The first ”A Tour of the Paradigm Division's Home” shows the NCE Command station, the circuit breakers, and how the power was distributed around the 11:30 mark. The video “DCC Electrical Planning for Main & Third Levels” shows how I plan the feeders for each section. The video “Layout Update: June 2015 - Part 3” shows the implementation of the plan in a section of the layout. The video “Layout Update: 24 December 2015 - Union Station Yard Part 3 - DCC Wiring Process” shows an intermediate step for the plan for wiring the Union Station yard. I hope that this answers your question…..John
Whats a hex frog juicer?
Whats a tortoise?
Hi Brent, Thanks for a couple of good questions. A hex frog juicer is an electronic device (made by Tam Valley) that will automatically switch the polarity (or phase) of the frog on a turnout. I have used a few of them, in N-scale, to power the frogs on some of my Peco code 100 turnouts that I switch manually by finger or ground throw. If you go to the manufacturer's website, you will see how they are set up and used. A Tortoise switch machine (made by Circuitron) is an electronic device for operating a turnout automatically. It has extra contacts that will not only switch the polarity of the frog but also operate a signal with LEDs (bought separately) for that turnout. Hope that helps....John