Looking for people to weigh in on the following - for those of you that BUS WIRED your layout and run DCS /MTH locomotives: how has DCS performed for you? Faults? Fault-free? Or ...?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I had DCS on my layout about a year before it was released. All buss wiured with 10 signal on every inch of track. My layout is large. Guys have had luck with star wiring. If you are starting fresh, follow how Barry tells you how in his book. Depends on the track and wire size. I am a 14 ga guy with 12 ga common buss.
I recommend 14-gauge for all layouts over 8x4 or with multiple locos or with lighted passenger cars.
My layout was built for conventional in early 90's, and TIU just dropped in. It was designed for maximum conventional loco control and good power distribution.
My layout is buss-wired for common, and common is not fed through TIUs. TIU black outputs are connected to the buss.
For hot: Layout is divided into some 70 blocks, each with a toggle switch at the control panel. Wire goes from each of 6 TIU outputs to a section of the control panel, where it feeds all toggle switches, and from each switch one wire goes to each block.
My first DCS layout was done using buss wiring. It was completed before Barry's book with his great explanations. I basically had no problems other than when I would run certain TMCC engines such as the Lionel Lionmaster Challenger which would degrade the DCS signal and I would get all kinds of messages that would frustrate me to no end. This was before there was much publicized about such problems. I always assumed it was my fault either wiring or DCS's fault being so temperamental. That layout was basically a double loop with and over and under which were both connected. Here is the layout, Raccoon Creek Scenic Railroad:
I had to leave that layout intact and move to Ohio. After seven years, I am starting my new layout, Shady Hollow. It is also a double loop with two places to cross over. I laid out the wiring in the star pattern as recommended, thinking I would do it correctly this time. I painstakingly ran 14 gauge wire from the TIU to the terminal blocks and then from them to the drops I have placed throughout the layout. I was pretty proud as it took a lot of time and pain to thread the wire through the holes I made through the 1x2 supports. Once completed, I turned on the power to the track and immediately had a short. Somewhere I had made a mistake and so I disconnected the wiring to the terminal block. Wanting to run trains, I connected the TIU to one drop nearest the transformer and ran trains, six at a time so far with 9's and 10's practically all around. 19 volts everywhere too. Now none of these trains (two ABA diesels and four steamers) are pulling cars, but I am going to be a renegade in wiring until I run into problems and remain with the single drop. I do have the latest TIU version which helps tremendously. I will post pictures the beginnings of the Shady Hollow layout in another thread.
I will add chokes to the TMCC engines that I believe were causing problems.
Rick
Is a "star pattern" a "point to point" wiring from say a MTH terminal block while a "bus wiring" is track to track piece wiring? I have a mix of both, mostly the former. Although I have a 100' ft approx measured linearly of track & the various wirings described -- it's not a fixed layout. Due in my mind to that, I still find that I develop dead-ish spots over time and run a bit more wire as I see fit. (also then looking for a good flexible way to wedge the track pieces together to keep it all tight) I've never seen a DCS problem per se or don't feel I've seen it, except of course for a complete lack of power in a sections -- it always reads "10" on the remote. Instead I have 1 loco that really runs quite slow in conventional mode and I run that with a bare nudge of the transformer around the track to find the power drop off areas, address it and keep chugging...
Wire. I made my own twisted pair red & black by getting some spools of decent wire but flexible copper wire at HD of the largest gauge I could find to fit the fastrack tiny connectors. Then using an electric drill and mount in the chuck that keeps the wire ends apart a few inches and the other ends in a vice -- spin the wire together to make twisted pair at whatever length I need ... I've gone out probably to 30 ft (I tried to hide the wire under the track so it can get long by following it) ... and this has worked well so far.
