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What exactly is "Hybrid Drive"?
I see the term used on the web in relation to some feature of a Lenz
decoder, but find no mention of it on the Lenz web site. A search has
turned up nothing.

Anyone on this forum ever get an explanation or even what the
benefit/advantage of Hybrid Drive is?
BoB

Could someone point me in the correct direction for wiring a four
turn helix for DCC in HO scale Thanks Scott hurley

Mike,

I don't think you need to worry about terminating your bus ends. For
one thing, you have relatively short runs - 10' in each direction.
Second, you are using Digitrax boosters which don't seem to exhibit
the problem other manufacturers have.

Still, it won't hurt if you add the terminations. Or for other
readers of this thread that have longer runs or other manufacturers'
equipment, here is a link to the section on adding terminations to
your buses:

Allan

Mike,

I'm sorry I don't have your favorite turnout on my website. Since the
website doesn't put food on my table, I can't cover everything. Some
manufacturers send me stuff and sometimes modelers send me turnouts to
look at. But even if I had the turnouts to look at, I'm working full
time and going to law school part time. So updates only happen at the
end of the semester. Until I figure out how to make a money making
venture out of this website, I'll keep doing the best I can.

I'm not sure if I know what your question is. I wouldn't expect the N-
scale Atlas turnouts to be any different than their HO counterparts.
Use the HO information on my website unless something is definitely
different. Let me know if there is a difference. The next time I go
to the train store, I'll take a look at one of the turnouts.

Assuming what I have written for the HO turnouts applies to your N
turnouts, my website describes how to wire each manufacturer's turnout.

You don't have to worry about burning up any decoders. There really
isn't anything you can do wrong. I can imagine some pretty far out
screw-ups like wiring two boosters together or wiring a booster to
your turnout power source that would cause you trouble. If you follow
the wiring practices on my website, you shouldn't have any trouble.

If you can articulate a more specific question, I or someone else on
this forum will be glad to try to help you.

Allan

List,

Okay, now I am confused. I am by no way an electrical type person
but know enough to get myself into trouble. With that said...PLEASE
help me!

The way I interpret this thread of messages is that if I have a point
to point layout with the power, booster, command module, etc. located
in the middle of the run (in my case 10' in both directions) that I
need to put something on the ends of my "track power bus wires" (in
my case a red 14ga and a white 14ga) instead of just ending them on a
terminal block like I have done now (the layout is in the track
laying stages still). If so can someone tell me exactly what I need?

I ma an NSCALE modeler using ALL Digitrax DCC equipment including one
of their power supplies (I have 2 more if needed for future
expansion). Most of my decoders are Lenz with a few Digitrax throw
in the mix. I have a Chief Radio System with 5 throttles.

ANY HELP clarifying this before I burn it all up will certainly be
appreciated. I wiring diagram would be even better for an old guy
like me. THANKS in advance!

Mike Langford
SOO Line 1964-67

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the WiringForDCC
group.

File : /MGL Dominos/INTERCHANGE DOMINOS.jpg
Uploaded by : lafoote <lafoote@...>
Description : Interchange Dominos - 12 Switches

You can access this file at the URL:


To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:


Regards,

lafoote <lafoote@...>

List,

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to wire the new Atlas
Code 55 NScale Turnouts for a full DCC layout. I am using a Digitrax
Chief System. Your wonderful website doesn't seem to address these
turnouts. It seems to be a little out of date but it is still one of
the best references on the Internet.

I have a small Interchange section with 12 of them on it. Some
creating crossovers and some for stubs. The new turnouts have a
small tab on one side with a hole for soldering or using a screw.
The instructions that come with them all reference to the Atlas
switch machines BUT I am using Tortoise slow motion machines. I have
been trying to figure it out before I burn up a bunch of decoders.
Can you help me somehow?

I am uploading a JPEG of the interchange for you to look at. IT has
changed a little after the LDSIG gave me input but the design is
almost identical except for the distances between the switches.
Thanks in advance.

Yours Truly,
Mike Langford
SOO Line 1964-67

I'm glad to hear that people are watching the resistance soldering
video and getting something out of it.

You're right, the solder doesn't stick to the hemostat. I think the
hemostate is chrome plated. After about 7 years of use, some of the
chrome has come off my hemostats. Occassionally, it now sticks. But
until you mentioned it, I hadn't really thought about it. The solder
never flows around the hemostat. It does sometimes flow under the jaw
and does solder your wire and track together on the other side. But
not as much as you might think. The reason is that the hemostat sucks
a lot of heat away from the rail. So yes, things work out just like
in the video.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Remember, hemostats make great stocking stuffers. Resistance
soldering stations make great Christmas presents. My wife says I
don't need any more locomotives. If I don't need any more trains,
what am I living for??? :-)

I will be purchasing a Resistance Soldering station soon but have
a question regarding demonstration video on WiringForDCC site:

It appears you are clamping down other end of wire with a hemostat
or other type of clamp. Won't the solder flow around the clamp and
fuse itself to the rail ? This doesn't occur in the video clip
so I am wondering how you accomplished this.

I've got a Digitrax 163KOA decoder that I am trying to install in a
KAto EF65 Engine. I need clarification on what I should do with the
wiring when I install this decoder. Can anyone give me a step by step?

The Newark part number is for a metal film resistor, Not wire wound.
I just like to see things run cool to the touch as much as possible.
For 54 cents a resistor, it's money well spent.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., Mark Gurries <gurriesm@c...>
wrote:

Do not use wirewound resistors. They will actually make things

worse!

Hot is a relative term. Power resistors normally are hot to the

touch.

There is nothing wrong with using larger resistors if your goal is

to

reduce any discomfort you have in working with them or coming into
contact with them. But it not required. There is not enough
power to cause any fire hazard or burn.

You can always use a series string of resistors to spread out the

heat.

Example: you could use 3 1/2W 39Ohm resistors in series. That will

give

you a long 117 ohm 1.5W resistor. The resistance accuracy is not

the

critical.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite

hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50 V
Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as

hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier

Sorry...typo...39 ohm series...somehow I must have hit the zero button
right before I hit the send button.

Mark, shouldn't that read .....1/2W 390Ohm resistors in "parallel"?
I thought wattages are additive in parallel and resistance is
additive in series? Or am I all mixed up?
Ken

--- In WiringForDCC@..., Mark Gurries <gurriesm@c...>
wrote:

You can always use a series string of resistors to spread out the

heat.

Example: you could use 3 1/2W 39Ohm resistors in series. That

will give

you a long 117 ohm 1.5W resistor. The resistance accuracy is not

the

critical.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite

hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50

V

Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as

hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier

Yahoo! Groups Links

Best Regards,

Mark Gurries
Linear Technology
Power Supply & Battery Charger Applications Engineer/Manager
---------------------------------------------------------
Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations are at:

--------------------------------------------------------
Audio Enthusiast (Love SAE equipment)

----------------------------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

Best Regards,

Mark Gurries
Linear Technology
Power Supply & Battery Charger Applications Engineer/Manager
---------------------------------------------------------
Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations are at:

--------------------------------------------------------
Audio Enthusiast (Love SAE equipment)

----------------------------------------------------------

Power is an odd beast and is governed by I^2R .
In Series, I remains constant, but you break up your R (in series Resistance is addative), and therefore your voltage drop. You can arrive at the same result using Ohm's law, but it takes more steps; I think I^2 R is more illustrative. Just remember there is teh over all R and the individual Rs....

But the same applies in Parrallel (power-wise), but for different reasons. With parallel Resistance you need to work out the parrallel resistance formula, then ratio the current through the individual resistors, then apply I^2 R. For similarly sized components, each carries half the current.

Basically, In series, for similarly size resistors, each carries the same current, but has a lower voltage drop (each device has half the drop). Whereas in parallel, each device carries half the current, but at the same voltage drop.

That may seem confusing, but believe me, it's based on actual math. As my professors used to say: The proof is left as an exercise for the student!

Does this help?

Mark, shouldn't that read .....1/2W 390Ohm resistors in "parallel"?
I thought wattages are additive in parallel and resistance is
additive in series? Or am I all mixed up?
Ken

--- In WiringForDCC@..., Mark Gurries <gurriesm@c...>
wrote:

You can always use a series string of resistors to spread out the

heat.

Example: you could use 3 1/2W 39Ohm resistors in series. That

will give

you a long 117 ohm 1.5W resistor. The resistance accuracy is not

the

critical.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite

hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50

V

Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as

hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier

Yahoo! Groups Links

Best Regards,

Mark Gurries
Linear Technology
Power Supply & Battery Charger Applications Engineer/Manager
---------------------------------------------------------
Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations are at:

--------------------------------------------------------
Audio Enthusiast (Love SAE equipment)

----------------------------------------------------------

Mark, shouldn't that read .....1/2W 390Ohm resistors in "parallel"?
I thought wattages are additive in parallel and resistance is
additive in series? Or am I all mixed up?
Ken

--- In WiringForDCC@..., Mark Gurries <gurriesm@c...>
wrote:

You can always use a series string of resistors to spread out the

heat.

Example: you could use 3 1/2W 39Ohm resistors in series. That

will give

you a long 117 ohm 1.5W resistor. The resistance accuracy is not

the

critical.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite

hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50

V

Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as

hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier

Yahoo! Groups Links

Best Regards,

Mark Gurries
Linear Technology
Power Supply & Battery Charger Applications Engineer/Manager
---------------------------------------------------------
Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations are at:

--------------------------------------------------------
Audio Enthusiast (Love SAE equipment)

----------------------------------------------------------

Do not use wirewound resistors. They will actually make things worse!

Hot is a relative term. Power resistors normally are hot to the touch.
There is nothing wrong with using larger resistors if your goal is to
reduce any discomfort you have in working with them or coming into
contact with them. But it not required. There is not enough power to
cause any fire hazard or burn.

You can always use a series string of resistors to spread out the heat.
Example: you could use 3 1/2W 39Ohm resistors in series. That will give
you a long 117 ohm 1.5W resistor. The resistance accuracy is not the
critical.

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50 V
Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier

Yahoo! Groups Links

Best Regards,

Mark Gurries
Linear Technology
Power Supply & Battery Charger Applications Engineer/Manager
---------------------------------------------------------
Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations are at:

--------------------------------------------------------
Audio Enthusiast (Love SAE equipment)

----------------------------------------------------------

Blair, One more thought.
If some of your track is hidden, it one more reason for making track polarity reversals and switch controls occur automatically. For example: a train exiting out of loop L should automatically throw SW2 as it approaches the exit...and correct the track polarity of L to match. If you can't see the train, it will be difficult if not impossible to throw toggle switches manually to do the job. There is an example of how to do this using an auto-reverser and relay at
DonV

Reread Allan's ideas on DCC friendly switches at the link listed below. The bane of DCC is poor electrical connections and occasional short circuits can cause problems. Yes, you will want all rails energized.
I'm not familiar with Fleishmann-Profi products. I like Atlas cd 83 switches, but add wire bonding connections. The new DCC friendly switches from Walthers also look good as long as you add bonding wires and use an external microswitch to provide supplemental power to the frog.
DonV

Blair,
My solutions 2 and 3 using relays do not have any real drawbacks. You simply add more insulating rail gaps in the appropriate places and wire up a DPDT relay(s) to control power to those sections of track. If you use Tortoise switch machines for turnout control this is simple to do. [Wire a 12Vdc relay coil in parallel with the Tortoise motor, but add a diode so that the relay coil gets energized with the tortoise in only one direction.] If you plan on using manual throws, add a DPDT toggle sw to do the same thing manually. Small electromechanical relays and toggle switch contacts change state in milliseconds. Any sound decoders on your locos won't even notice that track polarity has changed. Slide switches or 2 separate SPDT contact sets or microswitches or the contacts internal to a Tortoise may interrupt track power momentarily causing an annoying re-start of loco movement or sound. The advantage of using a relay is that the cost of relay or two is far less than any Auto-Reverser. Loy's ARSC is ~$80 USD.

Solution 1 with the Loy's toys ARSC may not be totally workable as your own words indicate that track section Y space may be slightly too short. It needs to be longer than the active wheelbase of your longest loco consist PLUS about 2 more inches at each end for what L-T calls portals. Each of these need to be slightly longer than a 3 axle passenger truck, but no longer. See my short track reverser explanations in the files section of this forum.

One other comment - For almost any A-R units, You may have difficulty starting up your DCC system if locos are bridging the isolating gaps at a reversing section of track. This occurs because the polarity detecting mechanism needs power to select the proper state and there is no power until the booster gets going. But if there is an instant track short on power up, the booster can't provide power to the relay or A-R unit for self correction...Catch 22. A manual toggle switch system, or one using a separate power source for relays can avoid this problem. A simple way is to simply avoid leaving locos bridging A-R rail gaps when you suspend operations.

DonV

--- In WiringForDCC@..., "beckemeier53221"
<MBeckemeier@w...> wrote:

Thanks for the info Mike. I had already decided to use a 2 watt,
now I'll probably go with the 3 as you used.

Thanks for the info. Ken

I can attest to the resistors getting toasty. I had to install

over 90

of them on our club layout. Even the 1 watt resistor got quite hot.

I eventually went with a 3 watt 130 ohm resistor and a 0.1uf 50 V
Capacitor. It really cleaned up the signal nice, and is not as hot

to

the touch.

Capacitor:
Newark Part Number: 08B5602 Manufacturer Part Number:

C317C104M5U5CA.

Resistor:
Newark Part Number: 94C3740 Manufacturer Part Number :

5093NW130R0J

Mike Beckemeier