Feeders?

[Anonymous]

THE TYPE OF WIRE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE GAUGE.YOU SHOULD CONSIDER # 10 OR 12 GAUGEFOR YOUR BUSS AND 24 OR 26 GAUGE FOR YOUR TRACK FEEDERS. YOU CANNOT INSTALL ENOUGH FEEDERS AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED. YOU SHOULD INSTALL THEM ABOUT EVERY THREE FEET OF TRACK LENGTH. ALSO BE SURE TO PUT PLENTY IN YOUR SIDINGS AND YARD TRACKS. THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE GOING TO INSTALL A DCC SYSTEM. YOUR SIGNAL WILL BE PICKED UP BETTER WITH PLENTY OF FEEDERS. GOOD LUCK!!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the info guys.

[Anonymous]

Not particularly for the bus. For the feeders, solid wire is a lot easier to form and to solder to the rails.

[Anonymous]

There is a nice, concise article in the latest MR (March) on wiring and the ancillary products available to help with your wiring needs. There appears to be something for every skill level in the article. Another excellent resource might be a local club layout. There is no substitute for learning from an expert and seeing how it all goes together. Good luck. MarkGS

[Anonymous]

Remember the larger the AWG number, the smaller the wire cross-section, the higher the resistance to current flow per unit of length. Thus--- 18 AWG is larger wire than 22 AWG. Radioshack guys can help.---Bob

[Anonymous]

Hoyle, don't go too large on the gauge, remember the larger the wire the more resistance. The more the resistance the hotter the wire gets. Stick close to the gauge sizes recommended and you shouldn't have any problems. I don't know about the resistance of solid vs braided, others could probably give better ideas on that. I don't think it matters that much. It isn't an exact science but you do want to be in the "ball park" as it goes! (grin) Read all the responses and go with your best instincts and you'll be ok.....Walt

[Anonymous]

Bill--

In a few weeks I will be starting a new layout with a ton of wiring. This will be my first full fledged DCC layout. I was considering using stranded wire for the bus lines and solid wire for the feeders. Is there a compelling reason to use solid wire for the bus lines?

Jim

[Anonymous]

Try 16 or 18 AWG for the bus, 20 or 22 AWG for the feeders. Solid is easier to work with. If your running DCC maybe bump it all one size.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody now what sizes of wire do i need.

[Anonymous]

Just think of a water supply pipe. You have a larger main feed with smaller taps going to each sink. You would have one for cold and one for hot running parallel to each other with two taps going to each sink. Now just imagine instead of pipe you have wire. Run out a larger wire as the main and tap off of it every so often with a smaller wire to the track. You run two wires, one positive one negative just like the hot and cold....Hope this helps picture it....Walt

[Anonymous]

One end of the bus connects to the power supply, obviously, The other end doesn't have to connect to anything, but you could run it all around the layout under the table, following your track, end up back at the power supply, and connect it to itelf, in effect making a big circle! This isn't a bad idea if you have a long ways to run.

[snowey]

you could also attach 2 wires to the DC terminals on your power pack-1 on each terminall (make sure to use the DC terminals, not AC) and atach the other end to a "terminal" track. That's a special track with a place on it for the 2 wires. Also, ATLAS makes "terminal joiners"-rail joiners with a wire soldered on it. I use these, because they look more realistic.

[Anonymous]

Where does the end of the bus wire end up. Does it connect to anything.It connects i know to the power supply. Where is the other end.I got a power command 9500 will it work with bus wires.

[Anonymous]

Imagine connecting two relatively heavy (lamp cord size or so) wires to your power pack, and running them under the table so that they follow your tracks. These are called the "bus" wires. The bus wires can carry current a lot better than you tracks, since there are no rail joiners, etc. in them.
Next imagine every once in a while running smaller wires (telephone size or so) from the bus wires up to the tracks. These are the "feeder" wires. Even though smaller than the bus wires, the feeders wires are short so their resistance to the current is minor.
Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

I've heard about feeders but I don't really understand them. Is it where there are wire off the power pack and attached to the rail farther on down the track?