Basic question about compatability

[jjdamnit]

Hello All,

gregc

you don't describe what didn't work

I provided the link to the post EB1 is not resetting

If you clicked on the post you would see, not only the problem the OP was having but the similar problem I was experiencing.

For those of you that don't want to click the link...

jjdamnit

I am in the EXACT same situation- -with a few differences.

Because of that, I am only responding to your specific situation with my experiences and solutions without speculation or presumption.

Just this week I upgraded from a Bachmann Dynamis system with the ProBox and 5 Amp booster to the NCE wireless PowerPro.

My 4' x 8' pike has a wye with an MRC AD 520 auto-reversing unit.

Even with the Bachmann ProBox the programming track was practically useless.

As per NCEs own documents the "programming track" output of the command station/booster does not provide enough power to move a locomotive, it only has enough power to program non-sound decoders.

When the programming track is included in the pike; from the output of the command station/booster, the locomotives will "die" after passing over the gapped rails.

I installed an NCE Auto SW. This has two options of setting up a programming track on the pike.

When I installed the NCE system I also included an EB1 in the mix.

I don't use a power bus. Instead, I have the track feeders emanating out from a central terminal strip, thus creating a single power district for all intents and purposes.

The terminal strip has 8 lugs, each insulated from the other, as you have described.

You can buy metal clips that act as jumpers to energize the adjacent lugs. I made "pig-tails" with short sections of wire and spade connectors to do the same thing between isolated lugs.

I did not change the wiring of the pike.

After installation, I had the same problem of the EB1 not resetting.

The AR 520 is a mechanical device. You can hear an audible "click" when the polarity shifts. After the EB1 tripped I could hear the AR 520 clicking in an endless feedback cycle, until I shut off the power to the command station/booster, thus resetting the EB1.

I have come up with a wiring schematic of my pike that I will need to refine.

Thank you for sharing your conversation with Ed, that helped immensely.

Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to post pictures and I cannot directly respond through the PM function of this website.

If you PM me your email address I will share with you what I have discovered and the solutions I have come up with.

Hope this helps.

[Water Level Route]

ndbprr

So I could use a Digitrax reverser with an NCE system or vice versa. Correct?

I have two Digitrax auto reversers running with my NCE PowerPro.  Works just fine.

[gregc]

jjdamnit

When I switched my DCC system to NCE I decided to divide my pike into power blocks with NCE EB1s.   The MRC AD520 didn't work well with the EB1 without some rewiring.

you don't describe what didn't work

isn't it a common problem with multiple devices that detect a short (booster, circuit breaker, AR) that the device closest to the track needs to react the quickest.

this isn't the question being asked.  It's more about how different devices need to be configured to properly work with one another

[jjdamnit]

Hello All,

In theory yes.

Practically...

Sometimes not.

Take a look at this thread...EB1 is not resetting

The DCC standard calls for interoperability, as has been posted.

When I was using the Bachmann Dynamis DCC system I used an MRC AD520 Auto Reversing unit and for the programming track an NCE Auto SW.

I did not have separate power blocks from the same booster.

These components played well with each other.

When I switched my DCC system to NCE I decided to divide my pike into power blocks with NCE EB1s.

The MRC AD520 didn't work well with the EB1 without some rewiring.

I finally changed the AR unit to the NCE AR10 with a built-in circuit breaker.

Now all are happily running together.

As I said, sometimes interoperability works, and sometimes the idiosyncrasies of each system come into play. 

Hope this helps.

[gregc]

ndbprr

So I could use a Digitrax reverser with an NCE system or vice versa. Correct?

auto-reversers simply take advantage that there is always power to the track to detect a short when a train bridges the gaps at one end of a reversing section and reverses the connections to the booster in the reverse section.    they don't monitor the DCC signal

DCC only defines the electrical signal on the tracks.   that signal originates from a single command station that drives one or more boosters or integrated unit that provides track power

the interface between a DCC command station and user controller are proprietary.   

non-proprietary user interaces such as a smart phone communicates with something that does know how to  communicate with the command station or users and adapter

[selector]

ndbprr

If my assumption is right I can use anyone's components downstream of my basic dcc source. So I could use a Digitrax reverser with an NCE system or vice versa. Correct?

 

Correct, in the same way that any decoder can.  If it's 'DCC', then what you connect to a bus or in-line from the main controller's outputs will work as designed. 

[wrench567]

 Components like throttles and boosters are almost brand specific. There are a few items such as Mr B's CVP throttles designed for other systems. Most items that attach to the track buss are not brand specific but some are. Decoders for locomotives and accessories are not brand specific and can run on any DCC system. Most times you can download the manual and it will tell you if an item is brand specific and what size system in amps and voltage. You probably wouldn't want a breaker set up for a 2 amp Power Cab on a five amp system.

    Pete.

[MisterBeasley]

That's a good rule of thumb.  Auto-reversers are definitely "track side," so they are fine, just like decoders.

I have a Lenz system and a CVP radio throttle.  The base station for the radio throttles connects to the control bus, not the track bus, so that one has to be specifically Lenz compatible.  If anyone is wondering, the CVP radio throttles work very well.

[ndbprr]

If my assumption is right I can use anyone's components downstream of my basic dcc source. So I could use a Digitrax reverser with an NCE system or vice versa. Correct?