I am running into a short that I am hoping someone may have an insight on. I have 2 Atlas #6 switches that make a crossover on my main line. When I try to power the frogs to keep engines from stall I get a short in my DCC system. The frogs are individually wire per the diagram. I have insulated the rails between the switches at the crossover for my power districts. I do not see an application note on the Circutron website. Is there something I am missing? Thank you.
Sounds like you either(a) have created a reversing loop
(b) have the two mainlines at opposite polarity.
(c) have the tortoises powering things backwards (e.g. you're off-by-one on the pins)
(least those're the offhand culprits I can think of).
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Do you get the short all the time, only when you throw the turnouts one way or the other, or only when an engine or metal wheeled car crosses the frog?
Did you have problems other than stalling before you powered the frogs?
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Just put a insulated rail joiner on both rails where the two divergent sides of the turnouts come together to form the crossover. On the straight route they will be ok, but when set to divergent route, both frogs will be a different polarity. Has to be wired the same way for DC operation, which I use and have 8 #6 crossovers. It works perfect on DC and will work perfect on DCC........One frog will be one polarity and the other frog will be the other polarity. They Cannot be the same polarity and that what it sounds like You did.
Take Care!
Frank
I don't think so. The Atlas frogs are isolated and don't connect to the rails at all. When an engine crosses an insulated joiner, the polarity still needs to match.
If He has both frogs at the same polarity wired to the tortoise, as soon as a engine touches a miswired frog, it will short. One frog will be positive and the other negative, when wired correctly for the divergent route.
I'm fully aware of how Atlas turnouts work.....LOL. My 8 crossovers have been working flawlessly since 1980, but I use Atlas relays to power the frogs. Tortoises were not out yet!
zstripeIf He has both frogs at the same polarity wired to the tortoise, as soon as a engine touches a miswired frog, it will short. One frog will be positive and the other negative, when wired correctly for the divergent route.
That much I agree with. I don't see why he needs insulated rail joiners though. If the frogs are the same polarity, as Dan said, his mainlines might be too, or he has misconnected the tortoise.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddy zstripe If He has both frogs at the same polarity wired to the tortoise, as soon as a engine touches a miswired frog, it will short. One frog will be positive and the other negative, when wired correctly for the divergent route. That much I agree with. I don't see why he needs insulated rail joiners though. If the frogs are the same polarity, as Dan said, his mainlines might be too, or he has misconnected the tortoise.
zstripe If He has both frogs at the same polarity wired to the tortoise, as soon as a engine touches a miswired frog, it will short. One frog will be positive and the other negative, when wired correctly for the divergent route.
If He wants to throw the turnouts one at a time He will need them. Or if one hangs up and won't throw. Putting in insulated joiners is No big deal. You must have them in DC cab control and that is what I am in. but My layout would work fine on DCC........just have to change power supplys.
If they are two different power districts, then the insulated joiners are needed - but the feeders need to be wired the same way for both tracks or there will be a short when the loco crosses the insulated joiners, even if the frogs were left unpowered.
If the track towards the aisle has the rail sloses to the aisle connected as Rail A, and the rail closest to the other track as Rail B, then the second track must also have rail A closest to the aisle and Rail B on the side away from the aisle: A-B A-B. If it's wired A-B B-A there is a short where the two turnouts connect.
If the short is when the loco hits the frog, not when crossing the gap, then most likely the Rail A and Rail B wires are flipped on the Tortoise. But that would cause a short regardless if the train is going straight through or trying to cross over.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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