Hope it's not too late to chime in. From the operational aspect instead of the electrical side of things - I wish to use DCC control at a wye that is accessed from two different aisles of the layout. One side is where mainline operators and the yardmaster use the wye as a turnaround and the other side is where a local job services industries and the wye is used to runaround and momentarily spot cars. We want each side to be able to use all three wye turnouts independently. The club layout currently uses momentary switch controlled screwdrive switch machines for all three turnouts. This required a wye panel on each side of the layout, wired concurrently so the turnout LED reported the proper alignment at each side. When the screwdrives are replaced with the Tortoises, we cannot simply replace the momentary off switches with a standard DPDT flip switch, on each side as one side is oriented one way and the other panel is opposite. We thought DCC control for each turnout on the wye allows multiple access to different locations that don't need to be at a specific panel. Haven't implemented yet - and we a not too electronic savy.
Bob
kicksvette wrote:I currently have 48 switches powered by Tortoises and controlled by 12 DS64s. The power for all of this is a 1.5 amp 12 volt wall wart feeding a power bus to the DS64s. The feed from the DS64 to the Tortoise is a 2 wire feed with a 2 lead 2 color LED in series with the Tortoise. This gives a position indicator on fascia control panels. A simple pushbutton on the fascia can control the switch through the DS64 as well as switch commands from my DT400R. Once I get a computer hooked up for dispatch I will also be able to control the switches from the computer through software such as JMRI or RR&Co. The pushbuttons are great for local switching and the DT400R works well when i'm just running a couple trains by myself. The computer setup will be handy for some automated running or proto session with a dispatcher in control.
The other advantage of using the DT400 control is being able to select local or cascaded routes within the DS64s. I use this for my yard and staging areas. I have some routes which will throw 8 or more Tortoises. I also leavea default route to set all Tortoises back to closed with one command. The only enhancement I would ask Digitrax for is the ability to issue a route via the pushbutton input. It would be nice to have a switch on each leg of a yard and then hit the panel pushbutton and have it execute a route to that yard track. I can do it with the DT400. With the pushbuttons you have to throw each turnout.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
jbinkley60 wrote: The only enhancement I would ask Digitrax for is the ability to issue a route via the pushbutton input. It would be nice to have a switch on each leg of a yard and then hit the panel pushbutton and have it execute a route to that yard track. I can do ti with the DT400. With the pushbuttons you have to throw each turnout.
The only enhancement I would ask Digitrax for is the ability to issue a route via the pushbutton input. It would be nice to have a switch on each leg of a yard and then hit the panel pushbutton and have it execute a route to that yard track. I can do ti with the DT400. With the pushbuttons you have to throw each turnout.
Sorry Jeff, but PUSHBUTTON ROUTING exactly why I bought the DS64 instead of the Wabbit. I have a 40" wide, 13 track, 2 sided storage yard that I am currently instralling Torti and 64's on. ONE pushbutton per track, and it will cascade all of the turnouts before the selected one based on the route programmed in. Not only that, but I will be able to install a duplicate panel on the other side of the yard. Next will be the (future) wYe leaving the yard (only one leg installed right now) at the end of the peninsula. Select a route from either side with the push of a button. The Digitrax instructions with the DS64 are not that clear about the pushbutton routing, but the supplement and diagrams at their website are very clear.
By the way, I am using a Zephyr with a UT4R. An 'old' MRC supplies the power for the Torti and the DS64 separate from the track power.
Phil
Timber Head Eastern Railroad "THE Railroad Through the Sierras"
THE.RR wrote: jbinkley60 wrote: The only enhancement I would ask Digitrax for is the ability to issue a route via the pushbutton input. It would be nice to have a switch on each leg of a yard and then hit the panel pushbutton and have it execute a route to that yard track. I can do ti with the DT400. With the pushbuttons you have to throw each turnout. Sorry Jeff, but PUSHBUTTON ROUTING exactly why I bought the DS64 instead of the Wabbit. I have a 40" wide, 13 track, 2 sided storage yard that I am currently instralling Torti and 64's on. ONE pushbutton per track, and it will cascade all of the turnouts before the selected one based on the route programmed in. Not only that, but I will be able to install a duplicate panel on the other side of the yard. Next will be the (future) wYe leaving the yard (only one leg installed right now) at the end of the peninsula. Select a route from either side with the push of a button. The Digitrax instructions with the DS64 are not that clear about the pushbutton routing, but the supplement and diagrams at their website are very clear. By the way, I am using a Zephyr with a UT4R. An 'old' MRC supplies the power for the Torti and the DS64 separate from the track power. Phil
You are quite right. I went back and looked over the option switches again and OpSw11 and OpSW15 do exactly that. Not sure how I missed it previously. I thought it should be easy to do. I also found their application note on programming this but I already have the cascaded routing working so I just need to wire up the inputs and change Options 11 and 15.
http://www.digitrax.com/DS64AppNote.htm
Thanks for having me RTFM again.
jbinkley60 wrote: THE.RR wrote: jbinkley60 wrote: The only enhancement I would ask Digitrax for is the ability to issue a route via the pushbutton input. It would be nice to have a switch on each leg of a yard and then hit the panel pushbutton and have it execute a route to that yard track. I can do ti with the DT400. With the pushbuttons you have to throw each turnout. Sorry Jeff, but PUSHBUTTON ROUTING exactly why I bought the DS64 instead of the Wabbit. I have a 40" wide, 13 track, 2 sided storage yard that I am currently instralling Torti and 64's on. ONE pushbutton per track, and it will cascade all of the turnouts before the selected one based on the route programmed in. Not only that, but I will be able to install a duplicate panel on the other side of the yard. Next will be the (future) wYe leaving the yard (only one leg installed right now) at the end of the peninsula. Select a route from either side with the push of a button. The Digitrax instructions with the DS64 are not that clear about the pushbutton routing, but the supplement and diagrams at their website are very clear. By the way, I am using a Zephyr with a UT4R. An 'old' MRC supplies the power for the Torti and the DS64 separate from the track power. PhilYou are quite right. I went back and looked over the option switches again and OpSw11 and OpSW15 do exactly that. Not sure how I missed it previously. I thought it should be easy to do. I also found their application note on programming this but I already have the cascaded routing working so I just need to wire up the inputs and change Options 11 and 15.http://www.digitrax.com/DS64AppNote.htmThanks for having me RTFM again.
I changed OpSw11 and OpSw15 to closed on all of my DS64s and the inputs track to the routes, so they are working as advertised. I did find the original DS64 instructions that came with my first purchase (which I had been using for my installations) of DS64s. It had OpSw11 and OpSw15 marked for future use and not to change them. The online version 2 and the instructions which came with my later purchases have the updates. I don't feel quite so dumb now ..
jbinkley60 wrote: I did find the original DS64 instructions that came with my first purchase (which I had been using for my installations) of DS64s. It had OpSw11 and OpSw15 marked for future use and not to change them. The online version 2 and the instructions which came with my later purchases have the updates. I don't feel quite so dumb now ..
I know what you mean Jeff. I read all about the routing on line, and even had my route numbers, turnout ID's, and cascades all figured out. Then I get the first DS64 (as well as all the others I got later) and the instructions say "future use". But I did the programming anyway and it WORKED!!! By the way, I now have half of the Torti installed for West Calwa, and the routing works to perfection. Amazing to push one button and hear 4 machines whirring away at the same time.
THE.RR wrote: jbinkley60 wrote: I did find the original DS64 instructions that came with my first purchase (which I had been using for my installations) of DS64s. It had OpSw11 and OpSw15 marked for future use and not to change them. The online version 2 and the instructions which came with my later purchases have the updates. I don't feel quite so dumb now .. I know what you mean Jeff. I read all about the routing on line, and even had my route numbers, turnout ID's, and cascades all figured out. Then I get the first DS64 (as well as all the others I got later) and the instructions say "future use". But I did the programming anyway and it WORKED!!! By the way, I now have half of the Torti installed for West Calwa, and the routing works to perfection. Amazing to push one button and hear 4 machines whirring away at the same time. Phil
My longest normal route has 7 turnouts in it. I have a default route which sets everything back to default that has 13 turnouts. I am just wiring up my staging yard panel with pusbuttons. It has 8 turnouts including a Walthers 3-way with two Tortoises.
I finished wiring up my staging yard with 9 pushbutton switches feeding inputs on two DS64s. Everything is working fine.