Hi!
Soon I'll be starting on the new HO layout and with it my first attempt with DCC. The layout is two level (staging on lower level), filling an 11x15 room with a duckunder right next to the entryway. The center of the layout for operations is about 5x8.
I've got a Digitrax Super Chief, and will add the Empire Builder shortly. Also - and what really prompted this question - is that I have two Dcc Specialties PSX-4 circuit breakers. Due to the central location of the operations area and the relatively short track bus needs, I feel I could locate the two boosters, control center and two circuit breakers in the same area.
Obviously I can build a shelf for the components, but the circuit boards look like they may need a better home. Soooo, once again I look to you all for ideas and advice!
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I built a swing-down panel to hold the terminal strips and where I was goign to put the circuit breaker boards. It had a hinge at the front edge and a hook and eye at the back, so when it swung down it was right at the front of the layout and easy to reach. Swign it back up and attach the hook and it held the boards and wires upside down under the layout out of the way.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
My layout is L-girder construction. One-by-twos are at an angle fron the lower part of each leg to the L-girder. I built a small shelf inside the angle formed by the two. I simply screwed a scrap piece of 1 x 2 horizontally and glued a piece of Masonite to it for the shelf. It holds a DB 150 and a large power supply. Then I glued another piece of Masonite verticallly on the front of the shelf so I could mount my zone toggle switches, the master switch and the power switch for my interface to DecoderPro.
I added another small shelf below the above for the several circuit boards I have. The wiring gets a bit tight so I pre-wire all the toggles with bayonet plugs so that the wire going to the various zones can just plug into them.
I hope this is clear.
I have a box frame with 1x3 rafters running crosswise every 16 inches. These rafters hold most of the doo-dads for wiring my layout, including my Tony's reversers. Since I use foam for my layout base, I can't screw anything into it, so the rafters serve that purpose.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I, too, use the hinged swing down boards.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I build a control panel and mount the boosters below. The circuit breakers and the DS64s on the back of the control panel.
The power supplies go on a shelf in the back.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Thank you all for your input! I suspect I will combine the swingdown panel and a couple of shelves.
One thing that I still question is why some of the DCC components are open circuit boards, rather than enclosed in a case or sleave. In example, the DCC Specialties PSX-4 is a 10x5 board with all circuitry exposed. That - IMHO - is just waiting for a short to happen due to spilled liquids or errant watchband or tool or whatever. Kind of reminds me of a PC, with all the boards laying out in the open.
Thanks again,
Air circulation = cooling of components.
They probably assume you are going to mount them up under in a protected area.
Hi,
I'm well aware that some electronic components need air circulation, although these particular boards don't appear to be that type. Of course I will mount them out of the way and be careful around them. But maybe it would be beneficial to have them - if it makes sense - in a central box with a cooling fan (ala PC). I suspect that may be a possibility as DCC evolves and gets more popular.