Wiring Your Model Railroad for DCC--Power Management (112)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2024
- Some model railroaders over power their layouts at a greater cost than is necessary in many cases. Power management is a technique that uses DCC circuit breakers to balance power needs among a number of isolated blocks yet use only a command station and possibly a second booster to achieve that goal. It is based on the assumption that like your house circuits, most of your trains will not be running at the same time and your blocks will not need their full amperage rating at the same time. So by balancing the trip current settings of your circuit breakers you can achieve an operating balance at a lower cost.
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The analogy of the booster compared to a household electrical panel with different amp circuits explained the entire process! Thank-you.
Another PRICELESS video. I liked your referencing to the house circuit breaker box.
One the best DCC wiring Videos I have seen and lucidly explained very many Thanks. Keep Safe.
I try be lucid at least 50% of the day, although my wife might disagree with that assessment😁! Thanks for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed it-Larry
Thank you for this series on the Command stations it has been great to watch, I also liked your video on the Kadee couplings also.
Great video. Very clear. Thanks
Great video series. There seem to be a lot more focus on scenery and weathering, but the electronics and electrics of railroads are so important. Your channel does a great job filling that gap.
Also, congrats on crossing 6k subs.
Thanks on the 6000, it keeps going up! I will eventually have to do some construction and scenery videos too but for now DCC is growing the channel and you don’t want to mess with success.
Good video sharing many key points of why multiple circuit breaker blocks are so important. As an electrician one additional piece of information that might be note worthy is some electronic boards have the ability to adjust delayed trip settings. Mine are from DDC Specialities this feature helps avoid breaker trip when multiple locomotives start up with sound decoders. Especially when other locomotives are running in the same block.
Thanks for the helpful info.
Very well explained for a novice like me! Thank you!
I'm just getting back into model railroading after a nearly 20 year hiatus. So I'm not up to date on DCC or what it does or how to program and wire it. Your videos are invaluable.
Appreciate video content! Excuse me for butting in, I am interested in your opinion. Have you ever tried - Januke Henatalie Formula (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a great one of a kind product for dominating DCC model railroads without the headache. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my friend Sam finally got astronomical success with it.
Thanks Larry!
Good Video for Digitrax users. They should have this video linked to their page!
It works for any DCC system, not just Digitrax.
Thanks for the all amazing efforts and explanations.! However I am not similar any electrical or electronics stuffs. And I am actually quite beginner but I wanna make it something cool and bigger.! So I am just trying to understand those things, if I got a boaster with a 30 ballast lamps or 58 ballast.! Do I still need to get circuit breakers PM42 or Psx4 as well.?
so if you look at my last live stream. it is all avout bench work. But shows my layout as it sits now. I will be adding 1 large yard, and 3 smaller yards. can you recommend power supply needed, and how many breakers?
Hi Larry. Does your book or one of your videos have a schematic that would cover the wiring from a command center to one or two boosters and then power management out to blocks and signals as an overall breakdown of the wiring and components that would be necessary to run a basement sized layout that has a return loop that needs a reversing section on each end? Your videos are so helpful, thanks for doing them.
No, but most manuals that come with the DCC systems do have such diagrams. Also I will soon be starting a new series on the basics of DCC to cover what it is, how it works, all the components, and how to connect them.
Another great video!!!! Do you also run NCE DCC on portions of your layout? I have both Loconet and NCE. I am starting to have memory issues on my NCE system. Do you have a work around to combat this problem?
What kind of memory issues? Although I own a PowerCab I use Digitrax command stations, boosters, and throttles on the Piedmont Southern. The PowerCab will be installed on a modular layout I am building to demonstrate various construction, wiring, and other methods.
Issues like not all "F" functions (lights and bell) do not operate. I am using an ESU Loksound 5.0 decoder and I did a manual reset. They still do not operate. The hardware wiring is fully connected. Do I need a reset on the NCE Powercab(SB5)?
That is a tricky question. If you did a reset on the LokSound you should download their decoder manual and read what they say about doing resets, you may need to do some more programming. As for the memory issue I don’t know if that is it or not. I suggest calling NCE tech support. I know Ed Wilson is answering the phone from home during the shutdown.
Larry I have a NCE Power Cab that as I build my railroad i intend to upgrade to supply more power when I need it. My question is is there any reason I couldn't use the PM42 on my system with out some sort of conflict eg does the PM42 work in isolation? my reason to think about this is I like the idea of 4 circuits on one board and it appears at a reasonable cost. Neil
I have never tried it in isolation so I suggest the PSX as I know it will work that way. I do remember trying the PM42 with the big black MRC booster ungrounded and it would not work reliably. Also the PSX is a lot easier to set up and is solid state electronics whereas the PM42 uses older technology and relays which are slower than solid state.
Great video Larry, thank you. I looked through some of the comments but did not see an answer. I have a NEC PH-Pro-r and was wondering if the Digitrax PM42 would play nice with my system?
It should work but I suggest you also consider either NCE EB1’s or DCC Specialties PSX’s. Both are fully electronic whereas the PM42 still uses mechanical relays which are much slower Also you can adjust the trip current on the NCE and PSX units independently whereas with the PM42 you can only have one common trip current setting for all 4 breakers. The EB1 is the easiest to use, and the PSX units require some programming for settings beyond the default. The PM42 is a pain to set up as it requires some really fancy wiring and programming. The PM42 is the cheapest option, but since the EB1 and PSX are individual circuit boards you an buy only as many as you need. I strongly suggest you download the respective manuals from their websites before making a final decision. The PSX website is now on Tonys Trains www.tonystrains.com .
@@TheDCCGuy Thanks Larry, I will proceed as you suggest.
Hi Larry - the manual for the PSX says to “offset” the gaps between power districts. Two questions: 1) Do you do this? 2) How do you have offsetting gaps if it’s a crossover with two turnouts directly facing each other?
I only stagger them about 1/4”, I keep meaning to ask Larry Maier about that 3/4” spacing he suggests but so far no issues and I keep forgetting. As for crossovers, my double tracks are wired with the same polarity and are in the same block. So all I have to do is take care of the frogs and the locos just glide across.
Ok, I talked to Larry today and remembered to ask him about this. He said there is nothing magic about 3/4”, it could just as easily be 1/8” just as long as there is some stagger. The important thing is to prevent both wheels from hitting the gaps at exactly the same instant.
Okay, thanks!
Good video. I noticed you did not have your two power inputs wired in. What are you using as a power source?
Do you mean the power to the DB150 or to the PM42? With the DB150 that is just a backup unit used for this video, normally this would all be attached to an 8 amp booster with one of the Jameco 15VDC 10 amp switching power supplies from Mean Well shown in video #108. The PM42 requires the standard Digitrax wall-wart power supply.
The DCC Guy DB150
OK, so just take a look at the wiring I showed in video 108 and that should make the connections clear.
Larry, I am just getting ready to begin wiring my layout and am unclear about type of wire for the power bus. I was unable to find solid 16 gauge wire. I had looked at multiple places on line without success. I purchased stranded wire for the bus wire but wondered if it made any difference one vs the other. I seem to recall you suggesting solid wire in prior videos. What would you recommend to me? Also, when you were discussing your wiring, you had mentioned a remote control that you use to turn on all of your components which you had purchased from Amazon. Can you give me a name or model that I could look up and purchase from Amazon? Thanks for doing your many videos. As an extreme novice the help is tremendous.
I use both solid and stranded wires in 14 ga. I got the solid wire at my local Lowes hardware and it is a fairly common item in the electrical aisles of most big box hardware stores. For my main buses I used 14 ga zip cord-I’ll include links at the bottom of this reply. If you use suitcase connectors make sure they can be used with stranded and solid wire, some cannot be used with stranded. As I explained in the videos on wiring most companies now recommend twisting the individual wires about 3 turns per foot to increase noise rejection and other issues. This is very important for buses over 30’ long. However apparently using zip cord gets the conductors close enough to one another to have the same effect as twisting. I cover that in the video on wiring problems.
www.parts-express.com/cat/hi-fi-speaker-wire/1617
BN-LINK Mini Wireless Remote Control Outlet Switch Power Plug
@@TheDCCGuy Thank you, Larry. I had looked at several online sites and never considered Lowe's. I am considering using the PSX system to divide up my system and am considering the Digitrax Evolution power system. Would it be possible for you to go through utilizing the PSX system along with setting the units up in a future video? Thanks again.
At what point do you need a power booster and this power management? I’m just wondering how big you could get without utilizing this? Say you just were running one sound loco and a couple accessories. I’m in the middle of building a layout and was unsure if I’d need to round up some of this stuff or not. I suppose it comes down to the voltage drop at the farthest point and if it shuts down you don’t have enough power. I did catch the estimated power loss video per foot of code 83. I should’ve wrote it down.
For that light a load you really don’t need to worry. You might consider a circuit breaker such as a DCC Specialties PSXX1 or an NCE EB1 for added protection. You only need to thonk about power management should you want to run many more trains and break the layout up onto blocks and isolate short prone areas like yards.
I have two reverse curves I want in my layout design. I understand that there is a solution to the shorts that will occur when the engine crosses a certain point at the end of the curve, crossing over a split in the rail where a change in the current is triggered. Is there hope that this will not shut down the district, zone, or section?
You need an autoreverser circuit to do that for you. Watch my video #197 on automating reverse loops.
@@TheDCCGuy 197
Hi Larry. Juergen amlinger. Camand db150 block 1 block 2 db150 booster. Block 3 and 4 db210 layout is 50 feet long in length. That should be fine for power all are on 5 amp. Dose that sound right .
With 15 amps you should be able to run a lot of locos.
I just purchased a PSX-4 to run with my Digitrax Command Station (DCS210+) and I am a bit confused as to how to configure each section of the PSX-4 (I have 4 divided track sections) with the digitrax system. I have seen Mr. Puckett mention the PSX-4 several times but cannot find a video or description on how to configure this device with my Digitrax system. Can someone point me in the right direction or provide good (fully explained) directions on how to accomplish this configuration? Thank you.
Mike-first there is a section in the manual with specifics for Digitrax operations. Now first you need to add the jumpers to optimize the PSX boards for use with Digitrax systems, The instructions tell you about this so read them. Once those are set then you need to wire it to your layout. Run a pair of wires from your command station to the inout terminals on the first board and then daisy chain the wires on to each successive board so they are all powered. Then connect the outputs to the four blocks on your layout. Watch my videos on adding a DCC system to your layout I am pretty sure I showed how to set it up in those, specifically #97&108.
What NOVA club was it you mentioned before?
Northern Virginia Model Railroaders. I was a member from about 1990-2000 and president for 2 terms in the early 1990s.
The DCC Guy was that the club in Vienna? I almost joined years ago but then I had a son.
That’s the one. Still there after surviving a roof collapse a few years ago in a big winter blizzard-been there since 1949. Well they actually started in the old Southern yard office in Alexandria in 1949 and moved to Vienna about 1970
Do I need a booster to be able to do this or can I use this PM 42 directly from the NCE Power Cab or Digitrax Zephyr?
The PM42 has a min trip current of 1.5 amps so it should work with both systems.
@@TheDCCGuy Thank you. I plan to wire it directly to the command station.
For wiring, if I want to break my layout into four power districts, I need to isolate the track and have four separate bus lines that will all be powered at the same time?
Yes, that’s the way it works. Be aware that with the PM42 when you set it for 1.5 amps that means that unlike the PSX, you have the same value for each block, you cannot pick and choose. And you may find that 1.5 amps is not enough and may have to invest in a booster.
@@TheDCCGuy Thank you. I'm only looking at running one to four engines with sound at a time per district. Being that the Zephyr Express is a 3 AMP system I should be able to operate without a booster. That is based on the .4 Amps per engine as you described.
@@TheDCCGuy Also, would it be possible for me to email you with specific questions?
is there a better/safer to split the wires from the booster instead of 4 wires spliced into the main?
Did you watch the video? The PM42, PSX4, and various other individual circuit breakers allow you to do just that.
@@TheDCCGuy yes... your cable comes from the booster, and the 4 wired into the CB, appear to be soldered and taped.... I am new to all this and would prefer to use some sort of splitting device.....sorry I don't know the terms.
Yes the power lead is clearly split into 4 at a taped junction which I also immediately noticed and disliked. Check out the Acculites breakout boards for Digitrax boards (PM-42, BDL-168, SEC8C). They eliminate soldering to an edge connector, use screw terminals for all connections, provide excellent cable control/locating and provide options for 1 or 2 boosters to power the boards (in the event of high current draw blocks). They also have mounting holes so they can be securely mounted to a chassis/ benchwork component and hence the board is also very securely mounted once slipped into it. While they are not cheap I don't think that they are exorbitantly expensive either. To me this a case of a relatively small expense quickly paying for itself in many ways. Note, I have no affiliation with Acculites other than being a very satisfied customer.
@@68Jaguar420G thanks....
OK now I see what you were asking. I knew I had seen the screw terminal adapter somewhere but couldn’t find it recently. They were not available when I put this together over a decade ago. Those are a much easier way to handle the connections. In this case the connections to the PM42 are not taped, that is heat shrink tubing covering soldered joints and it makes for a very solid and reliable electrical connection. You could also just solder one wire to the connector and then daisy chain the others like I did with the PSX4.
I like your video and will that work for S layout and how?
Yea, it would be the same as with HO scale.
I have a 150 foot mainline, that i wired in 6 blocks for D.C., will i need this set-up for dcc. Would like to run no more than 3 trains at a time.
For only 3 trains you won’t need blocks unless you run 10 loco consists on each! Your main problem is going to be running the main DCC power bus, using big enough wires to prevent voltage drop, and inductance issues. Now if the track is a 150’ long loop then you can run you power bus feeds out in a star pattern from a centrally located DCC booster. However do not connect the two ends of the power bus. Watch the problems video.
Track loops around table 3 times used 14 guage wire for main bus, dropped to 18 guage for up to 12 inches, then 22 guage for feeders.
Teains will only have 2 locomotives in consist
Sir can you guide how to create blocks in layout ?
Are you anywhere near Savannah Georgia?
Nope, last time I went down there it took all day.
Is there something like this that does not involve soldering?
It depends on which devices you choose to use. Some track systems like those from Kato and Bachmann may off quick connects or screw connections that eliminate soldering. And some circuit breakers have screw terminals and this is a growing option. However with some components and models you do have to break down and learn to solder, it is one of the essential skills of model railroading.
So...... show how the booster and command are connected
Can you do power booster please
You’ll need to give me a little more to go on than that, it’s a pretty broad subject. Do you want to know how they work or how to know what amp rating to buy, or how many to buy? I am planning a video on this subject soon so your question is timely.
@@TheDCCGuy how many i need and which would work on digitrax and when do you need to use one
Wiring is not a problem with AC.
So...... show how the booster and command are connected
Watch the video it is in plain sight. Almost all command stations have a booster built into them. The wiring is internal.