A static grass applicator works by developing a static charge and using it to "polarize" short strands of grass material so that it stands on end when it hits the glue base. DCC is based on electronic chips, both in the base components and in the locomotives. Chips and static discharges don't mix well.
What do people do about this? Has anyone ever had a problem with damage to decoders, etc., from static grass machines?
I suppose the safe thing would be to remove the locomotives from the layout and unplug the throttles and other DCC parts, but what about stationary decoders, occupancy detectors and the like?
Or am I just being paranoid?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
The last part of your question is probably the most correct answer -- you're just being paranoid. I don't think the static grass applicator puts out a strong enough electrical charge to harm a decoder unless said decoder has flash memory in it, such as a QSI, LokSound, or Digitrax. But even then I think you'd have to get so close to the decoder that you shouldn't be using the grass applicator in that location.
Since I don't want my rolling stock and structures to get messed up when I'm applying scenery, I move them well away from the work area during the scenery work. I'm also not likely to be running any trains while I do scenery work so the DCC system would not be on either. Thus, it would be rather unlikely that my static grass applicator would cause any decoder damage.
Hornblower
Mr. B.
I have done lots of grassing with the static gun....No trains in the area at the time, no DCC power turned on during grassing... No locos removed from tracks No problems encountered..
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
The big danger to electronics and components from static comes where there is no alternate path for the discharge - ie, the electronics are not wired to something else in a circuit. There is much less danger if there is an alternate path for the static discharge to take.
I don't think there's much danger from a static grass applicator - the key is there is some moisture (fromt he glue) and the path is essentially from the ground pin to the applicator itself. I wouldn't clamp the ground pin to a rail, or to the wheels of a loco with a decoder in it, but that would be a silly thing to do anyway. Used as intended, there isn't much if any static buildup other than directly under the applicator. So don't apply static grass to the rails or to locos.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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