Home Brewed DCC Stay Alive circuit assembly

DCC Stay live circuit assembly

[@scoopmmr]

Very nice and very tidy work Ole. Great video and thanks for sharing. Laurie

[@jamesjrovira]

Excellent video, very nice tidy and small circuit. Thanks.

[@jasonbourne669]

wow thanks for this video, just what i been looking for. many thanks

[@dadnyfur]

I wanted to see how the keep alive is actually added to the decoder. If you could post the schematic, that would be great. I noticed the solder tube, do you have to store is in the fridge? What Kester solder is it? I really like the double sticky hold down tape idea!

[@DiamondT9]

Thanks for your knowledge in building this current keeper. Just one comment, after building my current keeper when you said positive to the right, the decoder would shut down. After looking at a diagram, the positive on both diodes should be to the left. After building another circuit with positive on left, it works perfectly.

[@gearedsteam12]

Excellent tutorial thank you sir

[@billpickering4470]

Very Good Video, Is it possible to show the circuit diagram and the values of the components you used. Thank You

[@loumickie]

Hi, enjoyed the video. I'm having trouble finding 13.5V, 1W SMD Zeners - do you happen to have a source for these? Also on the 1N4001 does the voltage rating matter, all I can find are 400V. Thanks, Lou

[@choochoo3985]

THANK YOU. I WANTED TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.

[@dario86707]

Questo powerpack va bene per decoder Esu ?

[@scottcoleman4866]

Thanks for the vid. I like the "syringe gun" you're using to apply solder paste -- seems to be much smoother than the cheap one I'm trying to use. Can you identify it and point us to a source?

[@TVWMiniatures]

All the items & tools are available from DigiKey electronics

[@cnman9743]

Hi there . Do you have a product number or a device number for the 13.5V 1 W Zener diode ? I was looking on Digikey but am unsure of the correct part. Thanks

[@rva1945]

Which are the values (voltage & capacitance) of the caps? Do you connect them in series? that adds the voltage but reduces the capacitance.

[@TVWMiniatures]

2.7 volt 1 farad caps connected in series X 5 equals 13. 5volts . The video explains this as well as the parts list.

[@rva1945]

And the capacitance is divided by 5, isn't it? Anyway 1/farad is more than decent capacitance. Are those caps easy to find? Are the special ones? Or do I just order 1 farad, 2.7V? Thanks

[@rrrandall7712]

Where did you purchase the components?

[@rdgk1se3019]

Where do you get your paste solder at?

[@bobaroo58]

Nice!

[@Mandoflash]

Where did you find the gun to dispense the solder syringe?

[@TVWMiniatures]

The tool for the solder syringe is available thru DigiKey Electronics . EHD is the manufacturer. Also a bit pricey

[@Mandoflash]

@@TVWMiniatures I noticed! I found one on Ebay for about 70 bucks. I also had a heckuva time locating 13.5 volt Zener diodes, and opted for some 13 V (1N4743). Also ordered some 15 volters (1N4744) Found appropriate caps no problem.

[@TVWMiniatures]

The Zener voltage @ 13,5 volts is equal to the sum of the S- Caps operating voltage. A lower Zener voltage would not matter as long as the wattage of the device is suitable to your supply voltage. Typically most DCC systems are in the 13 / 14 volt range. Using a 15 volt zener will would exceed the cap voltage some but might not make a difference. Unless you are working in large scale "O scale " or G scale " then a higher capacity wattage would be required. I have done several G scale loco's with this circuit with success against decoder drop off but the motor stops almost instantly. Another source for the diodes could be Mouser Electronics. I normally do not use them for my parts but I have found availability of some of the obsolete parts on their web site.

[@Mandoflash]

@@TVWMiniatures Thank you very much for the clarification! I'll be using the KA in HO Brass Steam with Coreless motors. I'm thinking it should work great with 1 Farad of Capacitance. I was eyeing some 2-farad caps...seeing how I would have space in the tender for them. But I relented....LOL. Thanks again.