Hey all,
I have a question for you, my layout plans calls for a 17 x 19 ft Nscale trackplan and I have the Digitrax Zepher, My plan will have two reversel loops,(Dogbone), down the line a piece I will have signals and auto turnouts, and I'm hoping to run the layout via computer, but for right now I want to add plug in's at least 6 of them around the layout, Can I use my Zepher and build on it, or do I have to upgrade?, mind you I want to stay with Digitrax. Thanks for the help with this matter.
Take Care Trainsrme1
Yes, you absolutely can build upon your Zephyr. Just daisy chain the UP5 panels around the layout using Loconet cables, The Zephyr can handle as many as 10 throttles at the same time (including itself, so 9 more) so as long as that is not a limitation, you will be fine. You can add boosters for more power, wireless radio throttles, reverse loops, PC control all without upgrading. My Z continues to be the central control of my layout and I have added many of the things you are asking about.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
It is also limited to 10 locomotives selected and moving at once (which you'd need several boosters for anyway) and doesn't affect how many locomotives you have on the layout as long as they're not moving.
I have a 12' by 22' layout running off the Zephyr - my ports are daisy-chained to each other and I could never dream of hitting the 10 locomotives or 10 throttles - my layout couldn't fit that many trains on it or operators in the aisles! I may need to get a power booster at some point, but on this layout anyway I can't foresee needing to upgrade to a bigger DCC command system.
TrainManTyIt is also limited to 10 locomotives selected and moving at once (which you'd need several boosters for anyway) and doesn't affect how many locomotives you have on the layout as long as they're not moving.
Actually Tyler, you probably would not need any boosters for this, at the most just 1. Just for kicks I have had 10 HO sound equipped locos running in my Zephyr power district at once, just to see if it could do it. It is never anything I would do under normal circumstances, but it proved to my own satisfaction that it could handle it. Since the OP in in N scale, I doubt he would ever need a booster.
You may not even need an additional booster - I've run as many as 8 HO locos on my Zephyr, half of them sound equipped. If I had more space on my layout I might have tried gettign it to 10. And N scale locos usually have even lower current draw, especially anything realtively newer. I would sya more often than not in N scale you'd hit the slot limit of 10 before you hit the power limit.
Physical layout size is only a small factor in how much DCC capacity you need. You can fill a barn with a layout but if you only run a single train with maybe a doubleheaded pair of diesels, you don't need multiple boosters for power (although with extremely long wire runs it might be better to add said boosters and keep the power wires shorter). On the other hand, if you fill a bedroom with a multideck layout that can handle 20 trains, you need more power. The number of simultaneously running locos and the number of operators are the biggest factors in sizing your system.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
With your 2 reverse loops, you may want to read this article from Tony's Train Exchange on long wiring reverse loops:
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/psx_long_reverse_loops.htm
and an introduction to circuit breakers and auto-reversers
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/powershield_x.htm
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Just a quick off-topic reply and then I'll shut up and let the discussion get back to the OP's question.
The only reason I thought I'd need a booster was when I was running a train at the end of the layout farthest from the Zephyr, and the three head-end units and pusher couldn't get enough power up my 4% Mascoma Lake Grade to make the hill in anything but full throttle. One of them would shut off or reduce power from time to time while the Zephyr's display flashed an error message that cleared so quickly I couldn't read it - I'd guess that it was too much power draw for the Zephyr.
Now that freight traffic has been reduced to one-locomotive loads, I'm not going to install a booster unless I have to...
TrainManTy Just a quick off-topic reply and then I'll shut up and let the discussion get back to the OP's question. The only reason I thought I'd need a booster was when I was running a train at the end of the layout farthest from the Zephyr, and the three head-end units and pusher couldn't get enough power up my 4% Mascoma Lake Grade to make the hill in anything but full throttle. One of them would shut off or reduce power from time to time while the Zephyr's display flashed an error message that cleared so quickly I couldn't read it - I'd guess that it was too much power draw for the Zephyr. Now that freight traffic has been reduced to one-locomotive loads, I'm not going to install a booster unless I have to...
Try heavier buss wires or more track feeders. You shouldn't need a booster.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Thanks for the info guys, that helps alot, I was really hoping to get the answers I got, I was thinking, "Oh man, I might have to upgrade to an unit, that will cost more than I can afford!!," I've had my Zepher for about 3 years now, and I'm STILL leraning the system. Now I have one more question, I should know this but, could you explain what do you mean by "daisychain" Thanks again
Trainsrme1
Daisey chain means wiring each item to the one before it.
Run a cable from the Zephyr to a UP5. Run the next cable from that UP5 to the next UP5, etc.
That is the way all the Loconet devices are wired.
Phoebe VetDaisey chain means wiring each item to the one before it. Run a cable from the Zephyr to a UP5. Run the next cable from that UP5 to the next UP5, etc. That is the way all the Loconet devices are wired.
- UP5s being the panels built into the fascia that you plug your throttle into. Digitrax sells them for something like $15 apiece.
Okay thanks again guys, now I've got it!!!!
Ok this may be a real basic question, but I have a Zephyr on the way and I'm curious if a lashup of 2 or 3 GP7s would be one loco to control or 2 or 3 locos to control? Thanks..
JWhiteI'm curious if a lashup of 2 or 3 GP7s would be one loco to control or 2 or 3 locos to control?
This is what is known as 'consisting' - a special type of address that the three locos respond to as one. You might like to try doing a community search for it - there's been plenty of posts on this topic over the years.
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
The manual that comes with your Zephyr will tell you how to assemble a consist. I have never used the Zephyr, but it is really easy with my Super chief.
If you want to read the manual before your Zephyr arrives:
http://www.digitrax.com/ftp/zephyrmanual.pdf
JWhite Ok this may be a real basic question, but I have a Zephyr on the way and I'm curious if a lashup of 2 or 3 GP7s would be one loco to control or 2 or 3 locos to control? Thanks..
That's for the default command station assisted consisting, Digitrax calls it UniVersal. There are two other ways to consists, one is what is called Basic, in which each loco is assigned the same address. This takes only 1 slot to operate however many locos you consist together, however it is not proactical to make and break such consists on the fly. You would commonly do this if you had an A-B unit that was permanently coupled and always ran together anyway.
The other method is Advanced consisting, which uses CV19 as a consist address. The downside is you are limited to 2 digit consist addresses from 1 to 127, and if you forget to remove a loco from the consist (which resets CV19 back to 0) it won't respond on its individual address. Also older decoders didn't support this, all current ones do. CV19 consisting also uses just 1 slot for the entire consist as command are sent to the consist address not the individual loco address. There is an additional potential benefit, if you have 3 locos consisted using CV19 and take them to a friend's house, they are still consisted because the info is programmed into the decoder, not your command station. There is an OpSw setting on teh Zephyr to change the default consisting method to Advanced, so you don't actually program CV19, you build a consist the same way as always and the Zephyr sets CV19 on the locos for you.
rrinker...There is an OpSw setting on teh Zephyr to change the default consisting method to Advanced, so you don't actually program CV19, you build a consist the same way as always and the Zephyr sets CV19 on the locos for you...
In terms of the power used, it would be however many engines are in the consist, but they would all react to only one ID number. You'd need to "speed match" the engine by adjusting the speed and momentum CV's so they all start, run and stop together, but that's not that hard to do.
Setting up the consist on the Zephyr is pretty easy, I just like to first call up each engine separately to make sure the lights are on or off the way I want, and that all the engines were last moving in the same direction. Then call up the lead engine and add the second engine to it. The Zephyr has a "+" button for adding an engine. It's explained pretty well in the booklet that comes with the Z.
Since I usually keep my loco consists together, I just program two or three locos to the same address, and speed match them. You can then reprogram CV29 on one of the locos, so one loco will run backward, wih the throttle in the forward position.