[dieselweasel]

Well, I've got my NCE Power cab, and a few TCS chips, and I'm all ready to have a go.....

But ! How do I wire up the controller to the track? I can't see any reference in the NCE manual to + and -. The Hornby Elite has the red and black terminals shown clearly on the back.

I know its AC, but the decoders seem to expect consistancy in the way the red and black wires are wired up to track.

I can consistently wire up my decoders, but If I go round to someone else for a running session, then I may get all my locos runnig the wrong way. Or will I ?

I know this is pretty basic stuff but its got me stumped........

 

[wiggy25]

Just take the two wires out of the black connector plug and one to one rail and one to the other.

There is a standard for wiring up the decoders anyway, so they should all be the same.

If it does go the wrong way, it wont hurt anything, you can always swap the track feeds over or alter CV29 to run the other way as a default setting.

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (wiggy25 @ 23 Feb 2008, 14:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If it does go the wrong way, it wont hurt anything, you can always swap the track feeds over or alter CV29 to run the other way as a default setting.

It makes no difference at all on DCC which way round the wires/cables to the track go.

If a locomotive goes the "wrong way" it's just as easy to swop over the grey & orange on the motor.

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (dieselweasel @ 23 Feb 2008, 23:21) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The Hornby Elite has the red and black terminals shown clearly on the back.

Which shows that they really don't understand at all - as Ian said, either wire to either rail, as long as you are consistent with all droppers and other wires. It will make no difference to loco direction at all - forward will always be forward no matter which way the two track wires go, and there will be no difference when you move layout to layout either...

Richard

 

[SPROGman]

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 24 Feb 2008, 12:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Which shows that they really don't understand at all -

I don't know if it is, or will ever be, possible with the Hornby system, but if the day comes when you have multiple power districts with a booster per district, you neeed to connect all the boosters in the same phase. Lenz identify the two track connections as J and K, Hornby have chosen a simple colour coding. Where's the problem in that?

Andrew

 

[Richard Johnson]

Hi Andrew - fair enough - yes, phasing of boosters is an issue.

Richard

 

[80class]

May also have been done to smooth the transition over from the understanding of DC to DCC as people are used to red and black wires.

However it is important to remember that most people will never understnad DCC but this should not get in the way of them using it. In the same way as how many people know exactly how power stations work yet everyone can turn on a light.

Rob

 

[Wizard in Oz]

While we are on the subject of wiring, can somone tell me the optimal gauge/type of wiring to use on my new DCC layout. As planned, it will eventually be best part of 4.5 x 2.5 m with ovals of track on a number of levels. I presume I should use one grade of wire for the radial bus and another for the sections and droppers? I realise wire can be too thin to carry a particular current, but can it be too thick? I do know how a power station works, but admit to being in the category of knowing too little about DCC!

Ron

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (80class @ 25 Feb 2008, 11:42) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>May also have been done to smooth the transition over from the understanding of DC to DCC as people are used to red and black wires.

Good point & also the same colours as the pick up to decoder wires in the locomotive.

 

[Brian]

QUOTE (Wizard in Oz @ 28 Feb 2008, 06:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>While we are on the subject of wiring, can somone tell me the optimal gauge/type of wiring to use on my new DCC layout. As planned, it will eventually be best part of 4.5 x 2.5 m with ovals of track on a number of levels. I presume I should use one grade of wire for the radial bus and another for the sections and droppers? I realise wire can be too thin to carry a particular current, but can it be too thick? I do know how a power station works, but admit to being in the category of knowing too little about DCC!

Ron

Hi Ron
My web site offers some guidance which you may find useful?

My Website here

Oh, you can't over engineer wire size (It can never be too large) It just the additional cost and its physical size that may cause possible problems. Much worse is to undersize it, as it can then get very hot and even catch fire! (After all this is exacty what a fuse wire does under fault conditions, but in a split secnd).

 

[Wizard in Oz]

QUOTE (Brian @ 28 Feb 2008, 18:08) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Ron
My web site offers some guidance which you may find useful?

My Website here

Oh, you can't over engineer wire size (It can never be too large) It just the additional cost and its physical size that may cause possible problems. Much worse is to undersize it, as it can then get very hot and even catch fire! (After all this is exacty what a fuse wire does under fault conditions, but in a split secnd).

Thanks Brian,

Not only the advice I needed, but lots to read for the weekend!

Regards,

Ron

 

[SPROGman]

QUOTE (Wizard in Oz @ 28 Feb 2008, 06:06) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>While we are on the subject of wiring, can somone tell me the optimal gauge/type of wiring to use on my new DCC layout. As planned, it will eventually be best part of 4.5 x 2.5 m with ovals of track on a number of levels. I presume I should use one grade of wire for the radial bus and another for the sections and droppers? I realise wire can be too thin to carry a particular current, but can it be too thick? I do know how a power station works, but admit to being in the category of knowing too little about DCC!

Ron

It can't be too thick.

Generally speaking, thicker wire has lower resistance per unit length and will cause less voltage drop and dissipate less power. The disadvantage is that it can be harder to work with. At the opposite end of the scale, a piece of fuse wire is designed to have a high enough resistance that it dissipate enough power under a fault condition to melt.

The main power bus needs to be the thickest as it carries the current for the whole layout, or the whole output of one booster if you are using multiple boosters. We want to minimise voltage drop between the booster and the furthest point of the layout.

Droppers only carry the current to their section of track and can be much thinner. The thinner wire will have a higher resitance per unit length, but droppers are short (or should be!) so we're not as concerned about voltage drop as we are with the bus wires. Droppers still need to be able to withstand a short circuit until the booster cut out operates, but you can achieve this with surprisingly thin wires. Thin droppers are also much easier to attach to the rails in an inconspicuous manner.

Andrew Crosland

 

[Chinahand]

Hi Dieselweasel,

I bought a DCC Bus Kit from Express Models in which the main Bus wires are 16 x 0.2mm stranded (blue & brown) and the dropper wire is 7 x 0.2mm stranded. This coincides nicely with the advice on Brian's web site. The beauty of the Express Models kit is that all of the bus connections are non-solder type using clamps and blades. You will still need to solder the droppers to the track though.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Expat.