DCC - Electrical
DCC for MDC 3-truck Shay
I am building an MDC 3-truck Shay (with all NWSL upgrades) using the Sagami can motor. I want to add DCC to the unit for motor control and some lighting options. I know I will have to electrically isolate the can motor from the engine frame. What can motor isolation techniques have some builders used? What experiences have MDC Shay builders run into when adding DCC to the model? What decoders have builders used for DCC?
Using Arduino to protect locos w/KA from open gates, bridges
I'm having nightmares about a gate or bridge (and perhaps more than one) in my benchwork being open as one of my KA-equipped locos pulls up to it with capacitors not yet drained. Between the decoder's momentum settings and the KA I'm sweating either early equipment retirement or sharpening my soldering and other repair skills.
Wierd problem with a Bachman Soundvalue loco (Sountraxx OEM DCC decoder)
I have the strangest problem with a DCC sound decoder. The loco is a Bachman Soundvalue RS-3, bought new in 2014. It has an OEM version of a Sountraxx Tsunami decoder, factory installed. Has been running and sounding fine. Lately, the following strange problem occurs:
-When this loco is on the tracks and another loco somewhere else on the layout causes a short circuit (which is very brief, as I have DCC specialties PSX circuit breakers on each of several power districts), then
Decoder Pro missing Paragon 2/3 decoder files
I recently updated Decoder Pro and now when I try to adjust programming on older Paragon 2 decoders or try to program new Paragon 3 decoders the only option offered is Rolling thunder under Paragon 3. Grayed out are the menu tabs to speed match and several other key categories. Any thoughts?
Prognosis Negative!
I received my DigiTrax Zephyr back from DigiTrax today.
Prognosis Negative. The paperwork included with the unit indicated that it had run it's last train! "Unit is unrepairable".
Mounting a Tam Valley Singlet panel in the top of my 2" foam - Video (6 minutes)
** UPDATED 1-6-16. I added a picture of one of the panels mounted in the top of the benchwork.
DCC decoders not responding to address
I was given a Quantum sound decoder because it would not respond to the 4 digit address. I installed it in an Atlas FP7 and it worked fine for some time using address 905, the loco number. Then it stopped responding. I use te reset code to reset to factory specs and it responded to 0003 as expected. I reset the number to 905 and it did not work (Sound on, Headlight on, but not controlled by F0 and the loco would not run, no functions working.) Reset to 003 and all worked. Reset to 906, and now everything worked as expected, as has continued to work so far
Splicing into the main bus wires with Scotchlok #562's and wiring a swing out gate
I have 2 electrical questions. Can you splice into the main bus wires using Scotchlok 562 connectors to run another bus to an area too far away for feeder wires (4') and then splice back into the original bus? Also, on a swing out gate I just put up I want to stop track power about 1 1/2' on both sides of the gate when it's open so nothing will run off the table if the gates isn't closed. I've read articles on the wiring but nothing too clearly to understand.
Strange decoder failure
I have an older Athearn SD40-2 that I repowered and installed a Digitrax DH123 decoder in about 3 years ago. It has been running just fine and has been a reliable loco. Today, I was running it and it just stopped. It showed a dead short and shut down my booster. I opened it up and checked the wiring for damage. Found nothing evident. Tried putting it back on the track and again got an instant short.
DCC++ on Arduino supported by JMRI
When DCC++ was mentioned recently in Geoff Bunza's SMA20 thread I glanced briefly at the linked page on TrainBoard. But when the latest production release JMRI 4.2 came out Christmas day and DCC++ is now a supported command station in JMRI I took a long second look.
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