bus vs star wiring

I was told to use the star system.  I am not an expert but I believe in Barry's book it recommends it also.  I am sure he will see this post and set the record straight about it.  My layout is 45 x 16 with many loops and it seems to work fine this way.

 

While star/home run wiring is preferred, DCS is quite tolerant of other wiring schemes, including buss-type wiring. However, not all buss wiring schemes are equal as regards DCS and separate Hot wires are generally required for the best DCS signal strength. If you want to maximize your DCS experience, I strongly recommend star wiring. That way, little is left to chance.

I know what bus wiring is, but what is Star wiring?

trainrat.....e-mail me and I will send you a detailed fool proof buse wiring plan that works just fine with DCS.  It actually incorporates all of the star wiring requirements but does it in a buse wire technique....  My e-mail is in my profile...

 

Alan

Trainrat, the electrician in me prompted me to use buss wiring in my 24 feet by 69 feet Run Room.  My electrical engineering son said we could make it handle DCS.  I did and we did.  See his DCS Filter enhancement explained.  The filters may or may not be needed. 

 

I do not have the newest REV L TIU that is said to negate the need for the filters.

Sean

I am still relatively new to this hobby; but I believe start wiring is where you connect both the hot and ground wires from  your transformer to a relatively central area of the table; and then you run all the drops from the track to that central area. You can do the same for your accessory connection of your trtansformer to hyour various accessories.

Trainrat

trainrat:  My layout was built in early 90's, before DCS.  It used 6 "transformer handles/power districts", 70+ blocks each fed througha toggle switch, each block fed vis 14-gauge wire, and a 12 or 14-gauge (I forget which, bare wire which loops completely around the layout (both ends connected to transformer U terminals--2 pw ZWs & 1 KW).  Every accessory and all track is grounded into the buss.

 

When DCS was released, a Z4000 was added, & 2 TIUs were slipped into the circuits from the transformers that fed the areas on the control panel.  In fact, the ground is not fed through the TIUs, but all black outputs connect to a single wire that goes into the buss.  No black input terminals have anything connected to them.  Reason is that I didn't want to chance overloading a ground circuit in a TIU.

 

Light biulbs on some sidings.

 

I've been running happily ever since.