I posted that thread on the NCE-DCC forum, and the replies all indicate that there is no concern about bridging the gaps betweeen two booster districts even though the AR-1 will be tripped in the process.
I plan to install and wire the second booster today.
Rich
Alton Junction
jrbernier Rich, I remember the earlier post. You will need to check with NCE to see if the DB5 has an 'auto-reverse' capability. I know my Digitrax booster does(you have to configure it). Jim
Rich,
I remember the earlier post. You will need to check with NCE to see if the DB5 has an 'auto-reverse' capability. I know my Digitrax booster does(you have to configure it).
Jim
Thanks Jim. I will call NCE about all of this. I also posted a thread on the NCE-DCC forum on Yahoo to see what the experts there have to say.
As I think about it, I don't see where it would be a problem to bridge the gaps between two booster districts, triggering an auto-reverser, but I am by no means an expert on all of this.
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
jrbernier Rich, I agree with you that the lead truck of your engine may have caused the AR1 to lift the contacts, and keep them up until the rear truck cleard the main. What I do not understand is the comment about a 2nd booster. I thought you just had a reversing section powered via the AR1. Having the AR1 bridging two boosters really does not make sense. Even without a 2nd booster, you are going to lift the AR1 contacts if the polarity does not match(or is not powered in your test case). Adding better wiring to the main bfus ass you are doing is the best solution. I may be wrong, but bridging two boosters with an aR1 may cause problems. The 2nd booster can be set toi 'auto-reverse' and that would eliminate the need for an AR1. I bought an old DB100a and 5 amp PS at a swap meet - I use them to power the entire branch line, and the wye where it connects with the main DCS100. The AR1 has been collecting dust for the past 5 years. Jim
I agree with you that the lead truck of your engine may have caused the AR1 to lift the contacts, and keep them up until the rear truck cleard the main. What I do not understand is the comment about a 2nd booster. I thought you just had a reversing section powered via the AR1. Having the AR1 bridging two boosters really does not make sense. Even without a 2nd booster, you are going to lift the AR1 contacts if the polarity does not match(or is not powered in your test case). Adding better wiring to the main bfus ass you are doing is the best solution.
I may be wrong, but bridging two boosters with an aR1 may cause problems. The 2nd booster can be set toi 'auto-reverse' and that would eliminate the need for an AR1. I bought an old DB100a and 5 amp PS at a swap meet - I use them to power the entire branch line, and the wye where it connects with the main DCS100. The AR1 has been collecting dust for the past 5 years.
This gets complicated, but let me try to explain what I am trying to do.
I have a double mainline which includes 4 reversing sections, each powered by an AR-1.
A few weeks ago, I purchased a PSX-4 with the intent to divide my layout into four power districts, one of which would be the mainlines. But I ran into some unexpected problems. The most serious problem was that the entire layout was shutting down when a loco entered a reversing section, tripping the AR-1. Because the AR-1 works off of a mechanical relay, the PSX senses a short faster than the AR-1 reacts to a reverse polarity.
So, I returned two of the PSX units and settled for a PSX-2 to control two of the four power districts, neither of which has an AR-1 in it. The third power district is one big reversing section, and I replaced that AR-1 with a PSX-AR.
That left the mainlines as the fourth power district, but the remaining AR-1s were in it, so I needed to deal with them or replace them. My solution was to remove them from the mainline and put them on a separate booster. Then, I installed a PSX on the mainline to keep the rest of the layout from shutting down in the event of a short. That all works fine now, so the only remaining issue is the reversing sections controlled by AR-1s.
My second booster is an NCE DB5. Are you saying that I can set the DB5 to auto-reverse and eliminate the AR-1s?
I haven't connected the DB5 yet. My intent is to run a pair of sub-bus wires to it, and they are already in place with feeder wires connected to them from the input sides of the AR-1s. So, I merely need to connect the DB5. But, your comments give me pause. If there is any risk in bridging the two boosters, then for sure, the locos should be completely inside the track powered by the second booster before reaching a reversing section.
I recently posted a thread on mainline shorts causing my AR-1 to start clicking on an adjacent reversing section.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/229136.aspx
Today, I disconnected the wires on the input side of my four AR-1s from the main bus wires with the intent to relocate those wires to a new set of bus wires connected to a second booster. With no power on the reversing sections, I ran a loco from the mainline across the gaps into the reversing section. As the front truck crossed the gaps, the AR-1 clicked and that surprised me. Then, I realized that the rear truck was picking up power from the main bus wirs and transferring it across the loco to the front truck, effectively powering the reversing section. That makes perfect sense, but it surprised me because I didn't expect it.
Would it make sense to shorten the reversing section a little with a second set of gaps on either end of the reversing section so that the loco is entirely inside the gaps of the second booster before it reaches the reversing section? That way, a loco would be completely off the mainline power before triggering the AR-1.