I have a zephyr 2.5 amps and I have started to max it out I bought a db150 booster but very confused as how to connect the two
You can find different ways all over Is what I want is to get the 22 loco slots and the 5 amps
I was going to have the Zephyr run my small yard while the db150 will handle the rest but not sure had to set it up
Which is better to have the zephyr still the command station or the db150
Don't use the read back feature on the zephyr that much so if it is better not to have the Zephyr as a command station so be it.
I also have a DT402 in the system
Thanks
Despite not needing much of the read back program track (I guess you have a PR3 or other off-layout programming?), it really depends on how many trains you run. Are you hitting the 10 loco limit of the Zephyr, or just running out of power? Can your layout actually handle 10 locos at once, assuming you had the power? Mine can't, at least not in any normal operation, so I have the Zephyr as the command station and the DB150 as booster only. I use the track output of the Zephyr for my stationary decoders, the running track is all powered only from the DB150. The Zephyr has a fixed voltage no identical to the DB150 on either the N or HO scale settings, so if you use both to power track, there will be a speed difference crossing the boundary.
Connection is identical regardless of which one is the command station. You need a Loconet cable from the Zephyr tot he DB150. And a reasonable size ground wire between the ground terminal on the Zephyr to the ground terminal on the DB150 - depending on the distance between them, #18 or #16 is usually sufficient for a small layout.
If you want the Zephyr as the command station, the only additional bit is a short jumper wire between the ground terminal and the Config A terminal on the DB150. This can be any size wire that fits, I used a short piece of the same #20 solid wire I use for track feeders. This doesn;t really carry any significant current, it simply signals the microcontroller in the DB150 that you want to disable its command station features.
If you want the DB150 to be the command station, you need to set OpSw 2 to Closed, which configures the Zephyr to disable the command station features. It will now be a booster, plus the throttle will still work.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy,
I have much the same system as "Roadie" but for a different reason. I don't need extra power or more than 3 or 4 engines at a time. My staging tracks and programming track are over my workbench out of sight of the main layout. So, I want to use my Zephyr on the staging/programming tracks and my DT402D/DB150 and PR3/computer to run the main layout. I realize only one of these can be the command station and must be connected by the Loconet cable. However, if the staging and programming areas are isolated with double rail gaps, I think I can power these from the Zephyr while the main layout is powered from the DB150 with input from the DT402D and PR3. If my understanding from the manuals is correct, the only way to use more than one booster is to have them connected to different track districts and electrically isolated. I understand the isolation is critical. The throttle part of the Zephyr will still control an engine on the main layout through the Loconet cable but also power only the staging area. If this is not correct, please suggest a better hookup.
Capt. Brigg
Capt. Brigg FranklinUSCG Licensed Marine OfficerCertified crazy train chaserCEO: Pacific Cascade Railway
Oh, it will work fine witht he DB150 powering one part of the layout and the Zephyr powering another. The bus lines must not connected, and both rails must be gapped at the connection between the two areas. I could use my Zephyr to power my yet-unbuilt cement plant switching area, for example.
The reason I don't is the voltage difference. Plus I want the stationary decoders on their own power bus so a short doesn;t stop me from operating a turnout - since the #1 reason for a short would be running into a turnout lined against you. See also why I don't like those "Flea" switch controllers, nor things like bachmann's EZ turnouts - they draw power directly from the local rail and are out of commission if the track is shorted in that area.
The voltage difference is definitely enough to notice, at least in HO. In N, it's not so bad. The Zephyr is about 12.5V to the rail, a DB150 in N scale is about 12V, in HO it's more like 14.5. So for a given speed step, as you train transitions fromt he track controlled by the Zephyr and goes across the gaps to the part powered by the DB150, if in the HO setting, it will jump in speed. Noticeable. Likewise, when entering the staging from the DB150 powered part, it will suddenly slow down. Because decoders run the motor with PWM, the voltage applied to the motor is directly related to the track voltage, so despite the fact that you would still be in speed step, say, 15 when crossing the gap, the actual speed will change with the track voltage.
Since all my turnout motors will be powered by a separate12 to 18 Volt DC supply I am not worried about loss of power to turnouts with a short circuit on the rails. I also won't be controlling them with a throttle. I use push button switches on the fascia layout schematic. Still the difference in power to the rails is a concern. If I run the staging yard off the DB150 and the programing track with the Zephyr, can I still use the Zephyr as a throttle to move trains around in staging? Is this done just through the Loconet?
The Zephyr throttle continues to work when the Zephyr is in booster mode. But the program track won;t work. The Zephyr has to be in command station mode for its program track to work. The throttle obviously works then, because the Zephyr doesn't know or care if there are other boosters connected to it. In either case, it is all through Loconet. The built in throttle on the Zephyr functions just like any other Digitrax throttle, it just happens to be built in the same box as the command station components. It does talk on Loconet like any other Digitrax throttle you'd plug in.
My turnouts are controlled by fascia buttons, but the controllers (Tam valley) are also DCC decoders - they CAN be run off 12-16VAC instead of DCC, but I also plan to controlt he mainline ones from a JMRI panel, so having them get DCC commands in needed. Throttle, forget it, it's way too cumbersome going betwen train running and switch control modes, on every DCC system I've bothered to read the manual on.
Randy, I like the way you describe your Loconet hookup. So if I understand it correctly, I should have my Zephyr set as the command station and the DB150 as a booster only. Does the command function in both the Zephyr and the DB150 work the same? I thought the DB150 can stack more throttle addresses, though that doesn't matter on my smaller HO layout.
So with the Zephyr located at my workbench and next to the staging and programming tracks I can still control trains through the Loconet and DB150 on staging and the main and hook it directly to the programming track. The DB150 will still provide booster power to all the layout, main and staging, through my PM42. The Zephyr and DB150 will be connected by the Loconet and my DT402D can also then run trains into staging. If I later decide to hook the Zephyr up to turnout decoders I need to use a separate buss system. What about my PR3 and computer? Do I have to disable some command function in it or is it only supplying a throttle type of signal. Also If I implement JMRI on my computer does that signal go out on the Loconet to the Zephyr and then to the stationary decoders? This gets rather complicated. Thanks.
Well, the primary differences between the Zephyr and DB150 as command stations are: Zephyr supports 10 locos.throttles (actually, it cna do 12 - there's an extra 2 in there for the jump ports, and I can keep selecting locos up to 12 before I get a FULL message) and the DB150 can do 22. The Zephyrs has a dedicated read/write program track, the DB150 does not.
What you are describing is almost exactly how my system is set up. My Zephyr is currentby buried under the layout, I don;t even have it out where I can operate it, basically because after I got a DT400 I pretty much stopped using the Zephyr throttle. My DB150 powers the rails through a PM42. I have a couple of UP5's installed (my room is of a size that I can reach everywhere from about 2 plug points, with the length of cords on the DT400 - small room, only 10x15 - so I haven;t bothered adding radio yet).
Qhwn you use an interface like the PR3 with JMRI (and the PR3 can work 2 ways - a standalone programmer, no other equipment besides a power supply needed or as a Loconet interface), if using it as a Loconet interface, JMRI pretty much acts like a throttle. Commands are sent on Loconet, if it's something like set a loco to a certain speed, or change turnout number xyz to thrown, the command station sends this out on the DCC track bus so the loco or accessory can respond.
Mine's a little more complicated. Newer versions of JMRI can support more than one interface at a time, with control over which is used for programming and which is used to train/turnout control. I have a PR3 mounted on a shelf with some track that I used as a standalone programming track. At train shows I hook this up to my laptop. At home it sits next to my desktop in the train room, next to my workbench. I also have a Locobuffer interface that is connected tot he layout's Loconet. I have JMRi configured so that when I do programming, it uses the PR3, but when I do throttle and switch commands, it used the Locobuffer. With this set up I can program without involving the layout - in fact I don;t even have to turn on the Zephyr and DB150. But if I am running trains, I can start up JMRI and then use a panel for turnouts or use the WiThrottle app on my phone (another reason I haven't bothered getting a Digitrax radio throttle).