DCC in the Garden

lancer1027

lancer1027

Western Thunderer
I will soon be making a decision as to whether to go DCC or R/C . My research has provided me with some positives and some negatives for both systems.

Now i have one question i want to throw out there for comments / ideas.

This being if i decide to go down the dcc route where do i put the master control box.
I'm thinking of the Digitrax Super Chief set up, but as i have no shed as yet ( the shed will of course be where all the electrics and master control box be situated when it has been built) i'm not sure what to do .:confused:

I dont want to do anything drastic as this would be temporary. Im hoping to carry on with the shed next year.:thumbs:

Rob:confused:
 
iploffy

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
lancer1027 said:
I will soon be making a decision as to whether to go DCC or R/C . My research has provided me with some positives and some negatives for both systems.

Now i have one question i want to throw out there for comments / ideas.

This being if i decide to go down the dcc route where do i put the master control box.
I'm thinking of the Digitrax Super Chief set up, but as i have no shed as yet ( the shed will of course be where all the electrics and master control box be situated when it has been built) i'm not sure what to do .:confused:

I dont want to do anything drastic as this would be temporary. Im hoping to carry on with the shed next year.:thumbs:

Rob:confused:
Click to expand...

DCC out side It could be a recipe for disaster mate

Maybe I should slightly elaborate on this statement, If you check Brian Daniels you tube footage of the 08 you will hear the engine cut out then re start whilst it is in motion , I can only presume this is due to the cleanliness of the track and pickups, Brian has a smaller more compact layout but still has a lot of track, you will have a more spaced out layout with even more track to clean a pain in the A**e in any ones book and very tedious before a running session. Simon has a different scale less track hence easier to clean. I don't mean to be defeatist and these are my own thoughts and opinions but lets look at the whole picture as I have before committing yourself to a very expensive method of control that I truly think is not right for outside layouts.
 
Simon

Simon

Flying Squad
I wouldn't let the non shed put you off, just lay in the feeds where you want them (to the track) and carry the control system in and out when you want to play.

That said I think you need to think about where you will need to put the boosters as they will need to be fed to the track at different points and will need separate feeds.

I'm still pondering all this for my line and TBH haven't quite sussed how they all fit together, they need to form separate additional "power districts" I think.

DCC is absolutely great, the difficult/tedious bit of it outside is maintaining track/wheel contact...

Simon
 
TheSnapper

TheSnapper

Western Thunderer
Simon said:
.......DCC is absolutely great, the difficult/tedious bit of it outside is maintaining track/wheel contact...Simon
Click to expand...

Chaps

Sounds like a good case for fitting decoders with the capability of using big "stay-alive" capacitors in circuit, to maintain the drive and sound over the rough bits.

Tim
 
Simon

Simon

Flying Squad
TheSnapper said:
Chaps

Sounds like a good case for fitting decoders with the capability of using big "stay-alive" capacitors in circuit, to maintain the drive and sound over the rough bits.

Tim
Click to expand...

That's a very good point Tim, I intend to add these to my locos. I will be interested to see how these affect what I'm going to call "sound glitches" where what I surmise to be momentary power losses don't appear to affect running but do make the sound "drop out" briefly. I must get on and order some ready for the summer:))

It's mostly the remains of squished insects on the railhead that seem to cause my "power outs":eek:

Simon
 
Ressaldar

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Simon,

some form of RHTT seems to be the order of the day - conversion of the 121 into a Sandite?;);):thumbs: it would save having to put the seats in if nothing else:))

cheers

Mike
 
lancer1027

lancer1027

Western Thunderer
Hi CME,

Thanks for your comments. I quite fancy the Protocab system as and when its available. I personally would like sound but we will have to see with that one.

Rob:)
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
CME & Bottlewasher said:
Hi Rob,:)


I know of one well known O gauge modeller/author, who converted his DC layout to DCC without a BUS. He already had loop/link wires at the rail joints and just put in 3 feeds. I cant remember the size of the layout, yet it was huge and he has had no problems with power (using a 5amp DCC system). Track can be coated, when new, with graphite from a pencil, which helps with running. I am also trialing the new product from Deluxe Materials...The best way to test for power drops/extra Boosters is the 'coin test' if it trips you dont need an extra Booster (circuit breakers may be a good idea though). Quality 'stay alive' type decoders would help, yet this fellow, just uses cheap and cheerful decoders:)

DCC sound could be an issue, yet only due to track cleanliness, as many will know, I have yet to be convinced by on-board sound anyway...:D

Our buddies who run G45 track power (DCC) dont use a power BUS or Link wires, yet the track is brass and the rail joints are packed with copper grease (which helps preserve the rail joints when electricity is used, WD40 is fine when the track isnt powered). There can be a chemical reaction with such methods with toxic effects.

I hope that helps.

ATVB

CME:)
Click to expand...

You raise some interesting points there CME :)

I have often wondered if a bus wire is really necessary when a garden line aready has jumper wires at every track joint? :confused:

In the unlikely event of me going DCC, Maybach music would be my only real motivation for doing so :cool:...........but I have yet to see real evidence of anyone using DCC sucsessfully in 7mm out of doors longterm ;)

I did try copper grease at rail joints when I first built my line, but I found it to be no substitute for jumper cables.

Phill :)
 
S

Simon Dunkley

Guest
lancer1027 said:
Hi CME,

Thanks for your comments. I quite fancy the Protocab system as and when its available. I personally would like sound but we will have to see with that one.

Rob:)
Click to expand...
This is an area under active development. Can't say more than that, as it is as much as I know.
 
iploffy

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
Phill Dyson said:
You raise some interesting points there CME :)

I have often wondered if a bus wire is really necessary when a garden line aready has jumper wires at every track joint? :confused:

In the unlikely event of me going DCC, Maybach music would be my only real motivation for doing so :cool:...........but I have yet to see real evidence of anyone using DCC sucsessfully in 7mm out of doors longterm ;)

I did try copper grease at rail joints when I first built my line, but I found it to be no substitute for jumper cables.

Phill :)
Click to expand...

Phill all a bus wire does is lessens the amount of resistance through joints if you run a cable with no joints around in a circle there will be a slight loss at the farthest point. If you run the connections to a length of rail that is soldered to another length and another each joint will incur a resistance however small this will mount up and in the case of DCC a abd joint could cause interference and cause spurious signals the bus wire allows each individual length to be fed with less resistance.
 
iploffy

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
CME it's not that I doubt DCC but it's application and robustness outside. Always remember that Electricity will take the easiest path if it meets a resistance such as a dry joint of a high resistance joint it won't want to play. When a high resistance joint is met the lecrickery builds up (minutely) and then arcs across producing an electrical signal i.e. interference, no good for a control system that uses control signal overlapped over a voltage.

I am still a firm believer in RC but using induced power points in the track at certain locations. i.e where a locomotive stands whilst waiting it's next loop.
 
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