My layout is divided into six sections. Four are run through PSX breakers and 2 are reverse sections run through old PS-REV reversers, the older versions of the PSX-AR. I'm very happy with the way they work.
It's overkill, I know, but I do like having the layout divided and protected that way. The layout is physically large, and it's nice to be able to isolate problems just by looking at the breakers.
Do not buy the OG breakers. They have fewer features, but the one you need is missing. They only trip at 4 amps, so on a 2.5 amp Zephyr they will never trip and you will still depend on the Zephyr's internal breaker for protection. The PSX breakers give you the option to set the trip current for your needs.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I look at the breaker problem a little differently. How much do I value my equipment? Watching the coil springs in Kadee truck turn orange, and then white before they vaporized really got my attention. The breaker in my booster never tripped.( a 5 Amp NCE ). My regulated DC power supply didn't trip, it went into current limit mode-4.8 Amp. Which explains why the booster didn't trip.
Now my power supply output goes through two fuses, to the booster, and then through a breaker to the track.
I had a 25' x 50' layout with a 200' long double track mainline, two freight yards, a passenger terminal and a staging yard all powered by one DCS50 Zephyr at one end of the layout. I used no circuit breakers (other than the Zephyr's built-in one). It worked just fine.
The only problem was when I was running with a crew of 4 or 5 guys, that one short shut down the whole layout. But it wasn't much of a problem, just that everyone knew when you screwed up. It was more funny (que Nelson's "Ha! Ha!") than a problem.
I will say that I wired up each yard seperately with it's own 14AWG bus ending at screw terminal strips and daisy chained to the mainline bus. This meant that if I had to chase down a short, I could isolate each yard by loosening a screw and removing the jumper wires.
Also, at the mid point of my mainline, I had a DPDT toggle switch through which I had run the main bus. I could quickly determine which end of the layout had a short by flipping the toggle off. If the short remained, it was at the end with the Zephyr. If it went away, it was at the far end of the layout.
By all means subdivide your layout for easy short circuit sleuthing, but IMHO for most home layout applications, DCC circuit breakers are a waste of money.
The 1156 bulb does prevent damaging shorts, but it's best used only with a fleet of locomotives with low current draw. I found when running a pair of old Athearn Trainmasters the bulb would start to glow as speed increased, robbing much needed power.
I wired my layout into two power districts (should have been three) with two circuit breakers, even though I mostly operate by myself. The reason is if there is a short which is not obvious, like a derailed locomotive, I can concentrate my efforts on a portion of the layout and not have to bother with the rest of it.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
rrinker And if you are concerened about shorts DURING the wiring process
i used a caboose wired with some LEDs to help during the wiring process.
perhaps my skills aren't up to par, but i recently fixed a short in a turnout i laid years ago.
i neglected to cut the copper on a pc-tie near the frog between the main and a closure rail. There must have been enough oxidation on either the copper or rail so that there wasn't a short at the time i built the turnout.
but i've had problems with the solder breaking between the switch point and pc-tie. I must have nudge one of the rails so that now the main and closure rail shorted. but they only shorted when there was pressure on the rail.
the lamp helped me find the short when i just used finger pressure
it helps indicate shorts when a switch solder joint breaks
it indicates a short when there's a derail and quickly indicates when it is cleared.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
And if you are concerened about shorts DURING the wiring process - disconnect the Zephyr, get a light bulb and battery, or a light bulb of suitable voltage and use the old DC pack, or a battery and a simple buzzer, and apply it to the power feed where the Zephyr connects. If you go to connect a feeder to the wrong side of the bus, it will light up/beep.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Well, just between you and I, , I don't have a circuit breaker. I have about 50' of main line run, and about 40' ? of siding and yard track.
I use an older? (receipt says Dec., 2005) Super Empire Builder, with a DP150 a UP5, and a DT400. The DP150 shuts down with a short, and won't restart until the short is fixed. It gives me 5 beeps to let me know whats it's doing.
I operate alone, with no more than 2 locos on the tracks, sometimes one running the main line loop, and one doing switching.
I originally wired my layout with DCC in mind, but using blocks, as in cab control, but I gapped both rails, and did bus and feeders to each block.
I've read all the threads on circuit breakers, and I have gotten along just fine without them.
Mike.
My You Tube
i have a lamp that draws 1A between my PowerCab and track. It limits current and prevents the PowerCab from shutting down and cycling for ~5sec which is a big help when trying to diagnose a short.
This is probably less important with a mature layout after all the track problems have been sorted out. I have shorts due to my hand laid turnouts. The lamp also start glowing when a loco has a problem and draws more current.
even on a small layout, it may not be easy to find a short. wouldn't it be helpful to break a layout into power districts, using either circuit breaker or lamps in order to help find shorts when they occur.
nce sells the CP6 that might be suitable
One lightbulb wouldn;t do much anyway. You need multiples, to break the layout into sections. And light bulbs still let whatever the current is flow through the shorted loco, instead of cutting off the power. I don't like'em, no sir.
If you had say a 5 amp booster, then the light bulb would limit the current to 2.5, instead of 5, except that an actual breaker removes the power, it doesn't just limit it. And even at the Zephyr's 12 volts, 2.5 amps is 30 watts - that's a decent amount of heat.
rrinkeralso 1156 bulbs draw about the same 2.5 amps as the Zephyr will trip at, so
I was wondering about that. Maybe I should buy a booster so I can use it.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Also 1156 bulbs draw about the same 2.5 amps as the Zephyr will trip at, so not much will happen.
You're going to be runnign trains by yourself for the most part? No need for additional circuit breakers. The Zephyr's output is already low enough that there's no need to divide the layout to keep too many amps froma ny one section, and if you are running by yourself, there's little point in having the protection of operator 1's train continuing to run when operator 2 runs a switch on the other side of the layout and shorts.
I have about 40 feet of mainline and about 70 feet of auxilliary track. I was planning on using a 1156 light bulb, and had bought an 1156 socket from AutoZone, but now that it's time to install it, I find the #$%# 1156 bulb won't fit won't fit in AutoZone's #$%# 1156 socket. (Pardon my explitive deleted.)
So, is there a point to doing something about it?
AutoZone is 40 minutes away one way, and my wife has the car for the day.
Oh yeah, the system is a 2.5A Digitrax Cave-Zephyr.