MTH DCS/Legacy BPC2

@gunrunnerjohn Any help here? 

Yes.  Connect DCSRC red and black track terminals to your isolated siding.  When the siding is powered up (by your BPC2) the DCSRC will generate a watchdog signal within 1 second.  This will keep any DCS engines on the siding "quiet" awaiting a startup from the TIU.   So the sole-purpose in life of the DCSRC will be for that one-time watchdog on each new power-up.

stan2004 posted:

Yes.  Connect DCSRC red and black track terminals to your isolated siding.  When the siding is powered up (by your BPC2) the DCSRC will generate a watchdog signal within 1 second.  This will keep any DCS engines on the siding "quiet" awaiting a startup from the TIU.   So the sole-purpose in life of the DCSRC will be for that one-time watchdog on each new power-up.

Cool. Thanks. So the DCS RC would be in passive mode? I'd then connect the lead from the BPC2 to the TIU correct? 

Correct. Passive mode for the DCSRC (nothing connected to the barrel-coaxial input).  And while the DCSRC will probably be hidden, you get a "free" green LED indicator indicating siding power is on.

A TIU output feeds the "COM" of a BPC2 blocks of 4.  Then one of the 4 BPC2 outputs goes to the controlled siding.

Note that you need 1 DCSRC for each siding that can be individually turned on/off.  Depending on number of sidings, this can get expensive quickly.  No need to complicate matters if this is not relevant to you, but there is a modification to the off-the-shelf DCSRC to make it perpetually generate the watchdog signal about once per second.  The DCSRC could then go on the input side of the BPC2 (COM) so that a single DCSRC could "protect" multiple sidings - the widget is hence referred to as the Perpetually Barking Watchdog.  There's a long OGR thread on this topic which I can dig up if relevant.

stan2004 posted:

Correct. Passive mode for the DCSRC (nothing connected to the barrel-coaxial input).  And while the DCSRC will probably be hidden, you get a "free" green LED indicator indicating siding power is on.

A TIU output feeds the "COM" of a BPC2 blocks of 4.  Then one of the 4 BPC2 outputs goes to the controlled siding.

Note that you need 1 DCSRC for each siding that can be individually turned on/off.  Depending on number of sidings, this can get expensive quickly.  No need to complicate matters if this is not relevant to you, but there is a modification to the off-the-shelf DCSRC to make it perpetually generate the watchdog signal about once per second.  The DCSRC could then go on the input side of the BPC2 (COM) so that a single DCSRC could "protect" multiple sidings - the widget is hence referred to as the Perpetually Barking Watchdog.  There's a long OGR thread on this topic which I can dig up if relevant.

Cool thanks. Is there any way I can connect the DCS RC output to a terminal block and run the outputs to each siding? Or should I just buy 3 DCS RC units?  I have three that I want to turn on/off. Yes, if you dig up the thread please post it. 

Is this the one Stan? I have a couple of these, but I think I will go back and brush up on them myself. Interesting stuff and I even understood some of it!! 

Proposed Solution to DCS Watchdog in Yard Tracks (DCS-RC WD Gerber Files Added to First Post)

Be careful what you wish for.  This is a somewhat exhausting thread:

https://ogrforum.com/...n-yard-tracks?page=1

I'm not sure if there is a Reader's Digest condensed version.

If I understand your terminal block idea, connecting a single DCSRC to all 3 sidings would "short" together the 3 sidings.  So when the BPC2 turns on 1 (or more) of the 3, all 3 sidings would turn on.  I'm pretty sure this is not what you want.  If only 3 sidings, might be best to just get 3 DCSRCs.  If you watch eBay or ask on the OGR Buy-Sell sub-forum you can get them pretty inexpensively - for example from someone who got a DCSRC in a starter-set and subsequently upgraded to the full DCS-TIU system.

stan2004 posted:

Be careful what you wish for.  This is a somewhat exhausting thread:

https://ogrforum.com/...n-yard-tracks?page=1

I'm not sure if there is a Reader's Digest condensed version.

If I understand your terminal block idea, connecting a single DCSRC to all 3 sidings would "short" together the 3 sidings.  So when the BPC2 turns on 1 (or more) of the 3, all 3 sidings would turn on.  I'm pretty sure this is not what you want.  If only 3 sidings might be best to just get 3 DCSRCs.  If you watch eBay or ask on the OGR Buy-Sell sub-forum you can get them pretty inexpensively - for example from someone who got a DCSRC in a starter-set and subsequently upgraded to the full DCS-TIU system.

 

 

 

Alright. Thanks for the help. I'll just buy 3 DCSRCs. 

I had another thought. I'm going to add a DCS AIU to run my Lionel Fastrack Command switches, could I use the AIU to control the isolated sidings too or is it one or the other? 

Yes, you can use 3 of the AIU's 10 ACCESSORY ports to have individual control to your 3 sidings.  But it's one of those "left-hand knowing what the right-hand is doing" scenarios.  If a siding if off, either the BPC2 or the AIU can turn on that siding.  But once that siding is on, the other controller cannot turn it off.  Not sure I made that clear.

stan2004 posted:

Yes, you can use 3 of the AIU's 10 ACCESSORY ports to have individual control to your 3 sidings.  But it's one of those "left-hand knowing what the right-hand is doing" scenarios.  If a siding if off, either the BPC2 or the AIU can turn on that siding.  But once that siding is on, the other controller cannot turn it off.  Not sure I made that clear.

I got ya. I'm thinking I should just use the AIU. I'd still need the DCSRC units for the DCS signal to be on with powered up, correct? 

Yes, still need the DCSRC watchdog generators.

stan2004 posted:

Yes, still need the DCSRC watchdog generators.

Alright cool. Thanks for the help.