I am hard at work wlaying track and wiring for DCC. I have a Digitrax Zephyr Extra. Of course the rails are wired for DCC - The question is I assume the Atlas turnouts I have must be powered by DC. Am I better off running all of my DC accesories from a seprate old DC power pack or is there a place on the Zephyr to do this?
I hope this wasn't too dumb of a question but, I have not been able to figure out a clear answer.
Thanks
Larry
Are you saying the switch motor is DC?
What kind of switch motor do you have? Single coil (rotary type)? Twin coil snap type? Stall motor (tortoise)?
Typically you want to power the switch machines seperately. Wall wart (available at rat shack) should provide the power you need on the cheap.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
The power to the rails (in the OP's case, DCC) and power to switch machines are two separate and almost mutually exclusive issues.
IIRC, Atlas switch machines are twin coil types, typically operated by a momentary jolt of 12 volt power. They can be operated using either DC or AC, but should be on a separate power supply not involved with powering trains (even analog DC trains.) Typically, suitable AC power is available from the accessory connections of a toy train power pack, but can also be had from wall warts designed to power the chargers of 12 volt cordless tools. OTOH, using DC allows the use of capacitive discharge (CD) circuits, which both improve the switch-throwing performance and protect the switch machines from overheating.
There are some modelers who draw power from the DCC system to operate switch machines. IMHO, this makes about as much sense as washing dishes with Perrier water. The DCC power should be reserved for powering rolling stock, which needs to draw power from the rails. Diverting any of that energy to power fixed, hard-wired devices takes away from the ability to operate several trains, which is what DCC is all about.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with twin-coil switch machines)
Larry,
The short answer is: No. Zephyr does not have a DC output for your Atlas twin-coil switches. You'll have to provide a seperate power supply.
Dave
From Mt Pleasant, Utah, the home of the Hill Valley and Thistle Railroad where the Buffalo still roam and a Droid runs the trains