Hi,
I just finished laying the track & wiring my DCC HO layout. I've got a siding - about 30 inches - near the diesel service facilities that I've made a programming track. It looks just like a regular siding - perhaps for loco storage, and is isolated from the layout with plastic rail joiners.
To program a loco, I just slide it into the programming track, do my thing, and slide it out and go on my way. YES, you can fix the programming track to be part of the layouts blocks and "drive" the loco onto the siding, flip an dpst switch, and then do your programming. I chose not to do that, for I would sooner or latter screw up and program all the other locos on that block because I forgot to throw the switch.
If you do it as I did, you must make certain that ALL the locos wheels are on the isolated programming track. If not, you stand a chance of programming all the locos within that next block.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I have my programming track is on my layout, I have it on 3 feet of the main line but is separated by the plastic isolator connectors. I have mine wired to my Digitrax booster and the rest of the layout's bus line is on the other side of switch, switch the layout off and the programming track still has power and I can program, flip the switch on and all the layout has power. I make sure I have the head light on of one of my locos that is not in the program track area and when the light is off I know the layout has no power.
I guess I can see a reason for doing that, but if you have a computer capable of runnign VMWare Player and a VM, then you have a computer more than capable of running JMRI. JMRI is a benign install, it doesn't modify the registry, and does not use any Windows shared DLLs, so the chances of it interfering with some other application already on the machine are slim to none, with Slim already at the station waiting to leave.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
jrbernier The obvious 'neat' solution is to use one of your engine terminal service tracks as the programming track. Usually the outcome is that you will move an engine across the gap while programming and mess up anywhere from 1- lot's of engines. If you are going to do this, use the ganged switch with the dead 'gap's as Randy mentioned. With the advent of JMRI on your home computer, attached to the DCC system for your layout - most programming can be dome from your chair - Not trying to push the correct combinations if buttons on your throttle! Most families seem to have an 'old' computer around - JMRI has very small needs. Our club has an old 600 MHz PC with 1/2 GB of RAM. It may be a little slow, but it works just fine. I have a $297 Walmart computer that is dedicated to my layout. It is attached via USB to the Digitrax Loconet. I have a dedicated 'programming track' on the nearby desk that I use for programming engines. Once you use JMRI, you will be 'hooked' and never look back. Jim
The obvious 'neat' solution is to use one of your engine terminal service tracks as the programming track. Usually the outcome is that you will move an engine across the gap while programming and mess up anywhere from 1- lot's of engines. If you are going to do this, use the ganged switch with the dead 'gap's as Randy mentioned.
With the advent of JMRI on your home computer, attached to the DCC system for your layout - most programming can be dome from your chair - Not trying to push the correct combinations if buttons on your throttle! Most families seem to have an 'old' computer around - JMRI has very small needs. Our club has an old 600 MHz PC with 1/2 GB of RAM. It may be a little slow, but it works just fine.
I have a $297 Walmart computer that is dedicated to my layout. It is attached via USB to the Digitrax Loconet. I have a dedicated 'programming track' on the nearby desk that I use for programming engines. Once you use JMRI, you will be 'hooked' and never look back.
Jim
Another cheap alternative is to use VMware Player (you can also use VMworkstation but VMware Player is free) and create a virtual machine (or use Microsoft's virtual PC) and create a virtual PC for your model railroad. This works if you have a workstation or server dedicated to something else and you want a computer dedicated to your model railroad. I am running a virtual Windows 7 x64 machine with VMware Player on a Windows 2008 RS server. It works really well and I didn't have to buy/build another physical computer. You can do the same on a Windows 7 host also. The nice thing too is that backups are simply backing up the folder on the host which has the virtual machine. It makes restoring an entire computer a snap. Something to consider for some people.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
wyldmanr8cer Does a DCC programming track have to be seperate from the rest of the layout ?
Does a DCC programming track have to be seperate from the rest of the layout ?
It doesn't have to be separate from the rest of the layout, but it should be. Too many problems when it is wired up as a siding or spur.
Do yourself a favor a set up a completely separate programming track.
Rich
Alton Junction
Randy has it exactly right. I use a siding and a double pole double throw (DPDT) switch and one set of gaps but I am very careful to not bridge the gaps. I also don't use the programming track much any more since I got Decoder Pro and a PR3. I program most of my locomotives on the workbench.
They key factor is to have the program track not connected to the rest of the layout while programming, so you don't accidently program every loco on the layout. You also do not want to have a loco or car with metal wheels bridging the gaps between the layout and program track - for the same reason, this will allow program commands to goout over the entire layout. The absolute foolproof way requires a 4 pole double through switch and two sets of isolated gaps. Between thelayout side and the program part is an isolated section longer than your longest loco or lighted car. When in program mode, this section is dead, so that even if somethign IS bridging the gaps at either end, it's still not bridging BOTH sets of gaps and so the layout is protect.
If you have a PowerCab, check out the NCE Auto-SW accessory, this will cut power to the main layout when in program mode and direct it to the program track. A wiring diagram is shown int he instructions. Very worthwhile and it's completely automatic, no remembering to flip a toggle switch.
Does a DCC programming track have to be seperate from the rest of the layout or can it possibly be a siding or stub track? Does it have to be wired seperately from the rest of the layout? Thanks for everyones help!