I have 28 switches and I am upgrading them with stationary accessory DCC decoders. I use the Digitrax system. Which turnout control accessory decoder may I use to accomodate 27 swictches. How should this configuration of accomodating these switches be arranged? If multiple accessory decoder units should be used, how would I hook all of them up to Digitrax's Loconet? This type of arraingement can get very clustery and can be complicated and confusing.
Each digitrax DS64 can control up to four double ended switches (eight Peco low current machines). I power them from track power and do not connect them to the loconet for now. They have a built in CD unit. If you have 28 single ended switches on your layout you'll need seven DS 64's. They connect to the loconet with loconet cables. If you don't want to cluster them you can mount them near the switches they will control and just daisy chain them to your loconet.
alloboard,You have several options, but before we can address them, you need to tell us more information.
1). When you say you have 28 (or 27?) switches, does that include or exclude crossovers?
2). How are these switches being thrown now? Solenoid machines? Totoise machines? Ground throws?
3). Do you want physical feedback for turnout direction? Normally, the Digitrax "brain" keeps track of which way a switch is thrown only by using the memory of the last command given. It is possible, however, to wire them up so that they actually will report their position to the "brain".
4). Do you want to have manual control as well as throttle control? If so, do you want push button control or a DPDT toggle?
5). Is it important that the switch numbers be numbered in a specific order? Some stationary decoders will only lable themselves in groups of 4, while others will allow one to set each switch address independantly.
FYI: It is not needed to have your stationary decoders hooked up to LocoNet. In fact, the DS44 cannot be hooked up to the LocoNet. These stationary decoders are hooked into the track bus. At our club, we have a seperate booster that powers all our decoder-equipped switches.
If you want to stick with Digitrax, you only have two options these days: the DS64 or the DS44. The price break favors the DS44, but all it can handle is Tortoise or SwitchMaster machines (no solenoid types). It is only addressed in groups of 4, has no feedback capacity, and one must use a DPDT toggle for manual throw if you want it. I'm also not sure how well they'd do with a crossover situation (I know the DS64's control these just fine).
Paul A. Cutler III
Like one of the others who responded, I would like to know what type of switches you are changing out. I am doing the same thing at present. I don't have 28 or so switches, which makes my job a little easier, but I have had some issues.
My first goal was scrap all the old twin-coil switch machines for Tortoise machines, but after having trouble with the Tortoise machines moving my points, I regrouped and decided to keep some of the twin-coils, especially those in hard-to-reach areas.
I have found that I am able to use those twin-coils with a decoder from NCE called a Snap-It. All I did was add an additional capacitor to give it a little more power and they are working great. The only question is, will the Snap-It work with Digitrax?
One other decision you might make is whether or not to use a separate accessory bus for your turnouts. I wasn't going to do that, but after talking with several people and reading Allan Gartner (www.wiringfordcc.com) I decided to go ahead. It has both advantages and disadvantages, so be sure and study up before deciding which way to go.
The bottom line is don't change out the old twin-coils just because you want to go to DCC because I'm having good results with them. I figure as they burn out, then I'll switch to the Tortoise machines.
If you haven't checked out the site I mentioned above, be sure and do so; I have found it to be one of the very best sites available along these lines. He makes things rather simple for even those of us who aren't electronics engineers, etc.
Good luck.
NCE Snap-Its and Switch-Its (for Tortoises) work fine with Digitrax. The Digitrax DS52 is only $5 more (list) than the Snap-It, controls 2 twin-coil machines, and has the CD part built in . Probably the cheapest per turnout is the Lenz LS150, but it does need a seperate power supply, it only takes the signal from the track bus. The Digitrax DS64 also has the CD supply built in, and can control any combination of 4 twin-coil or Tortoise motors.
I can't see one single disadvantage to running a seperate power bus for DCC accessories, other than you need extra wire and some effort to run it. The advantages, however, are many, especially if you are using DCC controlled turnouts (I say controlled because with some devices they can take the signal from the track power bus but get their operating power from an external source). Even if your track is already divided into multiple power districts to prevent a short from stopping the whole layout, if the switch motors get their power from the local area, they will be dead when there is a short int hat district - and the most common cause of a short is running a switch set the wrong way. Without that dedicated accesory bus, you'd have to us GHA to move the train back to clear the short, then throw the switch. With a dedicated accessory bus, you could just correct the mistake in switch position and the short for the loco will clear and you can be on your way, and hopefully no one will have even noticed your goof.
GHA is a very technical term - Giant Hand Action.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
1. My switches does not include crossovers they are all left and right hand switches. 2. Right now these switches are hand thrown. 3. I want phystcal feedback for my switches. 4. I do want manual control via a push button.
Don't forget the tortoise Smail. It's a tortoise with a DCC accessory decoder built in. They're a bit pricey though. I haven't done the math yet to see if it's better to have a separate decoder but the wiring is much easier and cleaner.
Springfield PA
alloboard1. My switches does not include crossovers they are all left and right hand switches. 2. Right now these switches are hand thrown. 3. I want phystcal feedback for my switches. 4. I do want manual control via a push button.
I just finished setting up my yard throat using DS64's and Tortoises, and included much of what you're looking for:
1. Same.
2. Sorta the same. Mine were "hand-thrown" until I installed the Tortoise switch machines.
3. For physical feedback you need some sort of electrical switch contacts that open/close based on the turnout's position. For example, one possible way would be to use the contacts built into the Tortoise. On the other hand, logical feedback, which is what I'm using, depends on nothing more than having faith that your turnout is really in the position that the last DCC command says it should be.
4. Easily done with the DS64 by using SPST pushbuttons with the "S" inputs if OPSW 12 is set to the default of "Thrown".