Block Detection and Turnout Control

[pustays]

I've got a layout with a Digitrax Zephyr Extra as the Control Station, a DC100 used as a booster and PM42 used to handle power management and a reversing section.  I'm beginning to think through the process of adding a BDL 168 to allow for block detection, signaling and eventual JMRI control.  My switches are controlled from 2 panels that use Berrett Hill touch toggles to change the tortoise switch machines.

I have 2 questions that seem to be at the front of what I know will be a long list of steps.  #1 Can I have tortise switches controled from both my panel and from JMRI.  I hope I'm expressing that correctly.  That is, can a switch be controlled by a loconet address and JMRI and also directly from the DPDT switches embedded in the berrett hill touch toggles?

#2 I've already got my track 'gapped' for power districts, but am I correct that I'll also have to gap track for detection blocks.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

 

Steve

[rrinker]

 There does not appear to be any direct way to control the Berrett Hill controller from DCC. It looks liek to do what you want would require switching to a different controller, such as DS64's or NCE Switch-It or Switch-8, plus the new Berrert Hill Universal Translator, that would allow the Tortoise motors to be DCC controlled as well as still controlled with the Touch Toggles. Definitely a shortcomign in the design of their control system.

 For detection, yes, you will gap one rail to define detection sections. All feeders in a given detection section run to one port on the BDL168. There is a picture in the manual showing the connectiosn when using eithe rmultiple boosters or a circuit breaker to create multiple power districts

 If you haven't already bought BDL168, I urge you to look at some of the alternatives like the products from RRCirKits. The transformer type block detector doesn;t have the voltage drop you get in a diode detector like the BDL168 AND you won;t have to run umpteen wires back to a central point - You can create a short sub bus to feed the gapped detection rail, and stick a detection coil over the link between the main bus and the sub bus. Only light (twisted pair network cable) runs from the transformer to the actual detection unit, not tack current level of wiring.

                            --Randy

 

[pustays]

Randy,

Thanks so much for your quick, concise and easy to understand reply.  I'll look into the RRCirKits options.  I read an article suggesting that their computer interface responds better and more accurately to inputs on the loconet and should therefore be considered as a better option than the Digitrax P3Xtra USB interface. So I'll certainly be looking into the product options from RRCirKits.

 

Steve

[JXC]

Steve: On question #1 and Randy's response, Berrett Hill's Universal Translator is really just an interface between their touch toggle sensor and the regular manual switch input to a DCC turnout control decoder. If you want to eventually go to JMRI control you will have to use a DCC turnout control decoder of some sort and many/most of those have terminals that can be wired to switches for manual operation so can accommodate Berrett Hill Touch Toggles working through a Universal Translator. Your present touch toggles can be used but you will wind up replacing the control bases you currently have with universal translators.

The key for foolproof computer control in parallel with manual (or touch toggle) switches is to use a DCC decoder that also has a Loconet (for your Digitrax) interface so that it can feedback the turnout position to the computer regardless of whether it is set by DCC command or manually by the local switch (or Berrett Hill Universal Translator).

Like you, I have Zephyr Extra and PM42 with reversing sections. I chose Quad Wabbit decoder for turnouts which incorporates Loconet and has inputs for local switches  (I have fascia mounted momentary SPST toggle switches). It is all hooked up to a computer via Locobuffer-USB interface and running JMRI (Macbook Air computer and iPad [safari web browser] and Blackberry Q5 [android locodriver] via wifi - throttles and turnout control/indicator panels). Works flawlessly although I must admit to a lot of initial trial and error in getting everything talking to each other.

Jan

[BroadwayLion]

GRS Interlocking Machine of LION. On this machine each lever controls a simple SPDT microswitch.

LION uses a +12v dc | Ground | -12v dc  system.  The microswitch sellects between -12vdc (normal position) or +12vds (reverse position.

Connect the Tortoise one pole to GROUND and the other to the output from the microswitch.

This same wire (I call it the "stinger") conects to the Tortoise and to any and all signals related to that switch. (LION uses Tortoise switch contacts to route track power as necessary.)

EWE do not knead to build an interlocking machine, SPDT switches will do just fine.

 

TRACK DETECTION of LION is accomplished with reed switches embedded in the track, and a magnet on the bottom of the train. There is a pair of relays for each track detector, and all of these relays are located in the "Relay Room"

ROAR

ROAR