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DCC circuit breaker auto or manual reset?

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 297 posts
DCC circuit breaker auto or manual reset?
Posted by markie97 on Friday, November 4, 2022 4:54 PM

This came up in a discussion with some friends. I am wondering what others do  or think and more importantly any actual experience with benefits or problems,

Thank you,

Mark

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:24 PM

Mine reset automatically. I use Digitrax command station and boosters with older PSX breakers (10) plus three revrse sections.

Sometimes I'll reduce the speed of any running locomotives before correcting the fault that caused the trip but with momentum programmed into nearly every decoder having the train(s) restart doesn't usually cause any "stringlining" or pulled knuckles.

Works for me.

Regards, Ed

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:31 PM

It seems to me that you would want circuit breakers to reset automatically since they are controlling power districts. You want to keep those trains moving. The booster provides the backup for those circuit breakers and is designed to trip in the event of a system-wide overload.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Friday, November 4, 2022 5:32 PM

I lean toward the manual reset side.

When I belonged to a club we had some idiots individuals who would leave a train in a short condition and walk away.

  • Member since
    September 2014
  • From: 10,430’ (3,179 m)
  • 2,311 posts
Posted by jjdamnit on Friday, November 4, 2022 6:34 PM

Hello All,

I use an NCE DCC system with OEM circuit breakers: four (4) EB1s and an AR10 auto-reversing unit with built-in circuit protection, for five (5) protected districts; including the wye, from a single 5 Amp booster.

Both the EB1 and AR10 offer a manual reset option along with remote LED signaling.

All of them are set to automatically reset, with no remote LEDs.

Before switching to NCE I had no circuit protection; other than the overload protection of the booster, along with an MRC AD520 auto-reversing unit for the wye.

After switching to NCE the MRC ARU didn't play well with the EB1s...

EB1 is not resetting

I "standardized" the components to NCE and have had no problems.

Hope this helps.

"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Friday, November 4, 2022 7:55 PM

most will wait a few seconds before reapplying power and possibly immediately (< 1 msec) recognize that the short still exists and open.   this is not likely to cause any damage.

manual reset may be inconvenient if the problem is a distance from the circuit breaker

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    May 2020
  • 1,057 posts
Posted by wrench567 on Saturday, November 5, 2022 2:29 PM

maxman

I lean toward the manual reset side.

When I belonged to a club we had some idiots individuals who would leave a train in a short condition and walk away.

 

  Yes club members can be ignorant. I really loved it when they would run a train onto a siding and not switch the turnout back. Or put a few too many cars on so the mains are constantly fouled. Better yet adding equipment on a live track and shutting down a whole district instead of using the dead track and then turning it on when finished.

   To the OP. The yard districts were manual reset but the mains were auto resets. There were always more shorts in the yards for various reasons. Mostly operator error.

    Pete.

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