I am wiring an upper level for DCS. I have an upper level CTA yard.
I'd like to have good watchdog signals to each parallel track; do I need to separately wire each track with its own paired wires??
It would be so much easier to bring up just two wires and wire each adjacent track together to that single pair. But do I blow my signal strength?
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Alan,
I'd like to have good watchdog signals to each parallel track; do I need to separately wire each track with its own paired wires??
That would be highly recommended.
I'd also suggest having each siding be able to be switched on or off by inserting a SPST switch in its Hot wire.
It would be so much easier to bring up just two wires and wire each adjacent track together to that single pair. But do I blow my signal strength?
Yes, it would be easier. However, you would very likely degrade the DCS signal strength for all of the sidings.
This and a whole lot more is all in MTH’s “The DCS O Gauge Companion 2nd Edition", available for purchase as an eBook or a printed book at MTH's web store!
i figured you say that.
however using a spst to turn the hot line on/off requires even more wiring from the track then back to the spst on a main panel.
I would like a wireless remote spst that could be situated near the track that could be turned on/of remotely at the main to avoid the extra wires. I was thinking of using an model aircraft actuator but the controller is way too large.
You could add a relay at each track and operate all the relays from one switch at your panel. Personally I would prefer to have the parallel tracks separately switched and that is how I have done mine. It does take extra wiring though. I would follow Barry's advice on the power wiring no matter how you end up switching the power to the tracks. May save a lot of hair pulling and re-work later on.
I feed the output from the TIU through the toggle switches on my control panel and then out to the particular block.
You definitely want paralled tracks with separate toggles. In fact, my layout is completely blovked and toggled, some 70+ toggles on my panel, fed by 6 TIU channels.
rtr12 suggests relays. A few years back, B.C.*, they were too expensive, but now tThey can now be had for $1 each, with 12VDC coils, but you need contacts heavy enough to break a short circuit, so I'd guess they should be at least 20 amp contacts.
*B.C. = Before China
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