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Digitrax Question on back plug-ins

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Monday, November 29, 2021 8:05 AM

Hard to be safe when there is no other option.

  • Member since
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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, November 28, 2021 3:58 PM

rrebell
Place I want to run the IF is in a ways and only want to run one cable to it, as running out of space behind the backdrop, track lighting feeds up thru the same area —

I would try to avoid, as much as possible, parallel runs of LocoNet cable with AC wiring. At least have a few inches between them. There's no shielding in the RJ11 flat cable and there may be a chance of scrambling data in the LocoNet.

Better safe than sorry.

I have my UR 92 and 93 recievers up toward the ceiling and relatively long runs of LocoNet wire haven't been a problem but I keep them separate from any track buss wiring or household AC lines.

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
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  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Sunday, November 28, 2021 9:45 AM

The reason for the question was I have the DCS51 at one end and daisy chained around the layout. Place I want to run the IF is in a ways and only want to run one cable to it, as running out of space behind the backdrop, track lighting feeds up thru the same area as backdrop has an angle in the corner.

  • Member since
    October 2005
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Posted by betamax on Saturday, November 27, 2021 5:16 PM

The rear connections of a UP5 are LocoNet B (booster) and they have the RailSync signal that is needed. This signal is also used to power the throttles connected to the front panel jacks. Those connections are a pass through for devices further downstream.

The jack on the side is a Loconet T connection: It lacks RailSync. You can use it to connect to other devices which don't require Railsync. You could connect another UP5 to it, but it would need a power supply for the throttle, and it cannot be daisy chained to something that needs Railsync, like a booster.

So you could connect your IR transceiver to either rear or side jacks. 

Tags: DCC
  • Member since
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Posted by MrMe on Saturday, November 27, 2021 4:54 PM

rrebell

Now I know you can't (supositly, as I never tried) run from the back of a UP5 panel to another location as it is suposed to go unit to unit 

I'm not quite sure what the difference is between "to another location" and "unit to unit", since the purpose of LocoNet is to allow communication between LocoNet-enabled devices ("units"?) which may be at various locations around the layout.

Anyway, you certainly can daisy-chain LocoNet devices using the rear jacks on UPx panels. That's what those jacks are there for! I have various combinations of daisy-chained UP5's, DS64's, BXP88's, and BXPA1's located around my layout and have never had any issues.

What is true is that you can't always use the side jacks to daisy-chain devices which require railsync (BDL168, etc). I say "can't always" because there are documented cases of UP5's that DO provide railsync via the side jack. But I don't know if that's due to a board revision, or how the board is populated for a given production run, etc.

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  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, November 27, 2021 2:32 PM

Thanks for the reminder.

  • Member since
    March 2012
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Posted by Lakeshore Sub on Saturday, November 27, 2021 11:03 AM

Rrebell,

You can absolutely run out of both connection on the back of you DCS-51,My loconet is set up UP-5 < DCS-50 > UP-5> UR-90(IR panel)>UP-5>UP-5. Remember that you have to power the UR-90 so you need an outlet nearby.

Scott Sonntag

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
  • 7,667 posts
Digitrax Question on back plug-ins
Posted by rrebell on Saturday, November 27, 2021 10:48 AM

Now I know you can't (supositly, as I never tried) run from the back of a UP5 panel to another location as it is suposed to go unit to unit but can I run from both loconet conections out of the back of a DCS51. What I want to do is put an IR box up on a wall as all my throttles have that capability and you need a clear line of site for them to work that way (smallish layout room).

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