Two Planks Become One

Hi Petermac.  Thank you for your support and patience. I do own a Multimeter, but, when I went into Morrisons to purchase a new battery, I didn’t check the sell by date . What a silly billy I am? That is a good idea but no one to go with and when one reaches my age, the girl’s are not after ones body. I will just have to dream of my trains running “to and fro” . Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Nigel. Thank you for your very thorough and considered reply. I have been sitting here meditating it . I f I had studied the Powercab manual before I set off on the road to “ Plank Success “ presumably I would have been running, shunting trains on my extended Inglenook by now. Would your proposal have saved me all this faffing around ?
I have googled “ circuit breakers for model railways “ and it would appear that the mere mention of circuit breakers in the same sentence as model railways results in “ Automation and  Computers “ even though with the work of Matt, a Gentleman of this Parish, I now have my laptop back working, I would rather keep my “ Very small Planks/ Modules “ working in the traditional way, manually  . So if I can find more information on the subject, that doesn’t include JMRI or any other automation and it doesn’t “ Cost me an Arm and a Leg “ and simplifies the Wiring . Then that could work for me.   Best wishes Kevin 


PS. There is one thing missing on the plan, wires going to every length of track, necessary for DCC.

Hi Kevin,

Missing wires? Add as required from the power bus terminal blocks. Thats what the big arrows are for. Run the bus to the ends if you want. Terminal blocks mean no soldering into the bus. Keeps things near and tidy. I showed one terminal for 2 wires, you can easily use one for each wire. Wire one side to power in with jumpers, use the other side for out. As long as you use the right diameter cable a dropper every 6 feet/ 2 meters of straight track is fine, add more for every point.

Circuit breaker. Most trip at more than the NCE PowerCab puts out. I have found two. The NCE unit, car bulb technology, 6 districts, which limit a short to 1amp, which apparently is ok for the control unit, and DCC Specialties, PSX series, which trips the short off at 1.27amp. DCC Concepts sell this. Out of stock at the moment. There are other UK dealers. The Power Cab just resets after a few seconds when shorted, and will self destruct through overheating if allowed to continue.

Both units are around $30 here. £34 in the UK. I am trying the DCC Specialties one, the layout will be one district, they do a combined circuit breaker and autoreverser, which I will probably use for the turntable instead of the Digitrax relay model.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  Thank you very much. I do use terminal strips/ blocks on my planks/ modules for convenience, but, I understand that some Modellers frown upon them because the wires can become loose. I have been watching YouTube videos again, and one layout had surface mounted circuit breakers under a Signal Box which lit up like a Christmas tree when there was a short, but I cannot find it again. It would be more convenient to have the PCP surface mounted except for the fact that when I planned the layout there wouldn’t have been enough space for it to fit under the lid when closed .  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

Err, that is exactly what I suggested. Recess the board and cover it with perspex. Or mount underneath and run fiber optics to a panel. Drill a few holes for ventilation. If you use the DCC Specialities one you can wire in lights, bells, klaxons.

As long as you keep the controls in the middle rather than to the side you will always be doing it the hard way.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.   Thank you again. As usual I am always keen to get started. Before I have a proper plan. But now I am beginning to learn, and it would be a wrench to dismantle my first plank/ module and begin again. If I can get my act together, I intend to assemble a small platform, either a staff halt or a passenger halt.I may even have a Goods shed or a Loco shed. Once the wiring is sorted.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

This minor. Major is when you bin the lot out of frustration, or take the sledge hammer to it all. Call it rationalization and and optimization of the space. Sometime down the road you will rue not putting the controls on the side.

One of the reasons you should never fix track permanently until it is tested and working. Even then track can come up and be relaid, wiring redone, new scenery, whatever.

One of the reasons I never glue the top to the base. It can be easily changed for a new one.

Good luck with the rewiring.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  In a perfect World? Which this isn’t . Meanwhile back on my Inglenook Junction, it was built as a goods yard with space for sheds, huts, water cranes, coal cattle dock, horse stables, and whatever else, and it was well run in and tested. Then I started faffing around with a fiddleyard and scenic break.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Ed     Barry has done the business. We now have trains running. With all my soldering and desoldering? It looks like that I have fried the switch contacts (I prefer fried rice). Now apart from dirty tracks trains are running on both boards and from Inglenook to fiddle yard . Crossing over all the points, Best wishes  Kevin

That is good news Kevin and thanks Barry.

:doublethumb

Knew it would get fixed eventually, well done Barry  :thumbs



Ed

Hi Matt.  You may have read that Barry came over and fixed the problem, Yippee!. I used my laptop today, but the lpad is more convenient.  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi all

As it turned out, nothing wrong with the wiring, just a switch that had been fried by an enthusiastic soldering iron!!  Luckily, the switch was 2-pole so I was able to simply move the wires to the other contacts and we were good to go.

Kevin's 08 is a lovely thing with sound and slow running - almost had me converted…………. :mrgreen:

I left Kevin contemplating the joys of ballasting before starting on the scenery based around two lovely Noch tunnel mouths he has.

Barry

Well done Barry from everybody at YMRC and also a most honerable mentionm to you Kevin for not getting your wires crossed!
 
    
        'WIRING GURU'

Enjoy running trains and have fun with the scenery and buildings.

Bill

Hi Barry.  Thank you very much for your help. :doublethumb:HappyI had been  . Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Bill   Thank you for your best wishes. Now onto Ballasting etc, but i must keep my drivers cap on to keep my hand in . Best wishes Kevin 

Well done Barry - you deserve a pint and in fact, if I lived  nearer, I'd treat you to one.  As I don't……………. …… :roll:

Frying those switches is easily done.

Hi Petermac.  Thank you for support but I think that it was being over zealous with the soldering iron, plus the fact that the switches are on the cheap side and maybe could have gone wrong at any time ?  Best wishes Kevin 

Thanks Barry, your a star  :thumbs  not sure just how many times a fried switch was mentioned as a possibility, but a bit of testing was definately what was needed ( hope you gave Kevin a quick lesson in multimeter use  ;-) )
Kevin the Ipad is definately more convenient but how about re sizing and posting those Photos ? ? ?

Don't worry I'll keep on keeping on bashing you about the bonce till you can do it in your sleep !

For now just enjoy running some locos and thinking about scenery   :hmm

Once again thanks for stepping up Barry, much apreciated

Cheers

Matt

Barry, thanks for stepping up and trouble shooting.


Nigel