Wiring Your Model Railroad For DCC (335)

[@richschaufert7310]

Of all the videos on Model skills especially DCC yours are the best! I'm just restarting the hobby after 40 years absent. I still have much of my old block wired and DC engines so your videos are excellent advice. Glad I dragged all my old rolling stock and structures around thru my travels and now get to enjoy our hobby again with DCC.

[@SD45-ET44AC]

Your book is easy to understand and I’m glad I got it. Always good to know the basics.

[@weird_audio_man]

As a former network engineer, I appreciate this so much! My grandfather's setup was DC, so 20 years later I am now planning a layout. Having you explaining the similarities of DCC power and signal, to a standard PoE, has really made this a breeze! Thank you!

[@mikedurhan9941]

Now, get this straight, Puckett; you are one of the best things that ever happened to model railroading. You make things clear. And my boss likes things clear, see? Seriously, thanks, Larry. Please ignore my "gangster genre" if it offends you. Just funnin' with you a mite........ Someday I hope you will explain the mysterious CV29 - that everyone speaks of - but never fully explains. It's sort of like, "well, it's out there, and we all have to tithe to it, but we don't completely understand it either - at least not enough to explain it fully". I have read so much that I am intimidated by it. Maybe I need a flow-chart, or a diagram??? I appreciate you very much. You are an asset to model railroading.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Watch video #48.

[@mikedurhan9941]

Thanks, Larry. Will do.@@TheDCCGuy

[@peterjhillier7659]

Thank you Larry a really great Video dealing with First Principles Wiring, excellent.

[@almyers9834]

Thank you

[@michaelwright185]

Just bought your book Larry!

[@thomasgrassi8817]

Great information Larry I iuse 14 Gauge zip wire for my bus lines works great use snubbers also.

[@ramonpfister2424]

Nice video sir, I just ordered your wiring book on Amazon while watching this vid.

[@randydobson1863]

hello larry it's is randy and i like yours video is cool thanks and i am used 18 gauge wire ) thanks friends randy

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing.👍

[@tjwilkins7065]

I planing to do a shelf layout around my whole house. Which is like a 500sq feet cube from room to room. Would it be better to hus install a power pack for each room instead of wiring. Every 30ft or so. I think with 9in rails that 40 tracks. So about every 20 track should I just install another power pack supply for DC Ho model.

[@TheDCCGuy]

DC is a bit different from DCC with respect to power requirements. You mainly need to be concerned with voltage loss due to resistance in the wires and track. To offset this you can use thicker wire for long runs. Adding power supplies along the route would also require adding controllers and blocks which is even more complicated which is one big argument in favor of DCC. I suggest you bone up on Ohms’s law and estimate how much voltage drop you would see for various combinations of wire diameter and length then decide how to proceed.

[@peteengard9966]

I've never been an advocate for the suitcase connectors for a couple of reasons. #1 susceptible to moisture and corrosion. Especially on our portable modules. #2 is the size of the connection. Your putting a lot of current through only a knife edge connection. I personally would want a more substantial connection. Nothing worse than setting up for a train show and having to find a loss of power. Most times it has been a suitcase connector. Open the cover and see the green.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Well, I think that the engineers at 3M figured out just how much current these little buggers can take and designed them accordingly. As fir the moisture issue, the basic concept of the insulation displacement connector was for use in telecommunications and in automotive settings especially for interior wiring such as the radio installations, etc. While these situations are not exactly hermetically sealed they don’t get exposed to a lot of water and hopefully your modules are not as well!

[@jimorlando5700]

I have a an old DC 4 X 9 layout with 13 blocks. The blocks are wired with the Atlas 20 gauge wire. Also, the track has rail joiner wire connections that are an even smaller gauge. I’m adding DCC to the layout that I will be able to switch with the DC so I can continue to run mid-60’s Tyco locomotives. Would you suggest a complete rewiring with larger gauge wire? Thanks!

[@TheDCCGuy]

I have seen worse work. It depends on how small your main bus wires are and how far the current has to flow through them all. As a test just throw all your block switches to the same controller and then hook up the DCC system in its place and run some locos. Keep in mind though that what works with one loco may not work as well with 3, 4, or 5 all running at the same time.

[@jimorlando5700]

@@TheDCCGuy Thanks! I’ll give it a try.

[@jimorlando5700]

@@TheDCCGuy I decided to upgrade to 14 gauge stranded copper wire and solder to the rails.

[@TwoRailfans]

We used solid 14 gauge with 18 gauge feeders.

[@BASILPANAS]

Does using a wire gauge more than what is needed create another set of problems? Thank you for the video, Larry.

[@TheDCCGuy]

I cannot think of any electrical issues, but from a practical viewpoint larger wires are relatively more difficult to manipulate, solder, connect, and work with in general than one of smaller size. So it really is best to use the correct size for the job at hand from the outset. However, a size variance of small proportions isn’t likely to be an issue in that respect either. So for example using 12ga wire instead of 14ga would not be overkill but going to 10ga or 8ga would, it also would be a very expensive option-copper isn’t cheap!

[@BASILPANAS]

@TheDCCGuy Thank you, Larry. Congratulations on the success of your channel! You must be one of the hardest-working KZbinrs out there.

[@aaronandraquel]

Does there need to be rail insulators between the feeders on the rails?

[@TheDCCGuy]

No, you would only insulate the rails at block boundaries or in reversing situations.

[@Quince828]

A really useful video. I like the idea of using the zip wire, or as it’s sometimes called speaker wire. The plus and minus are clearly indicated and I’ve used it a lot for stereo speakers. Do things such as the suitcase connectors, toggle switches, or the small gauge feeder wires add a significant resistance to the overall DCC signal?

[@TheDCCGuy]

No, I’ve been using these connectors for over 20 years without problems and switches have been used for decades longer. You need to be careful on large modular layouts where some connectors between modules can add up to significant voltage loss. Small gage feeders can be problematic but not if kept short. I use 20ga feeders but keep them about 8” long. However at my old club where telephone hookup wire was used and runs were sometimes several feet, you could watch locos slow down and speed up due to the variable resistances of the feeder wires.

[@nialatelevoj6113]

extension and branching with OFC skrl type cable Audtek: What type of electrical connector? For a T branch, do you make a cut in the outer sheath then insert a 3M T-top for each wire?

[@TheDCCGuy]

I would essentially use a “Y” with one branch dropped off the main bus using a suitcase connector.

[@franktietjen6261]

My current train layout is a DC system, I am in the processing of upgrading it so it can work with both DC and DCC systems. I do not have any DCC controls at this time, but if I set up the layout correctly, I can add it in easily. One of the topics I have been reading about is TVS Protection (1.5KE36CALFCT-ND) and the correct placement. Should this be used and were would you put it? I currently have a Lionel ZW transformer and would love to keep using it. Also, I just picked up your books "DCC Projects & Applications, Vol. 4" and "Wiring your model railroad". At a quick glance, you do not talk about TVS protection in either book unless I missed it.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Mixing DC and DCC is not a good idea except on the most basic of layouts. There are so many accessories now for DCC that are not compatible with DC that you will not be able to use if you want to mix them so you’re hobbling yourself. Now if you just want a simple loop or small switching layout you can get by and I did a video a few months ago on the subject so feel free to scroll through my listings on my channel hime page. As for TVS, I am finding them on various DCC accessories such as circuit breakers, autoreversers, etc. Some experimenters have suggested also placing them on the motor leads from the decoder. Others say on the inputs to the decoder. I have not had time to experiment myself and from what I have seen from others the jury is still out. Plus I have never cooked a decoders with voltage spikes, I prefer to make sure my wiring is as bullet proof as possible and avoid them in the first place.

[@franktietjen6261]

Thank you for the information is it very helpful.@@TheDCCGuy

[@60shaddie]

Hmmmmm, AC voltage, which is what DCC is, typically has a lower current flow for the same voltage. So why do you need heavier wires? I personally use the same wires as I used for DC.

[@greatnorthernrailwaytother4711]

Hi Larry. Thanks for another helpful video. My HO layout is a 15m loop, originally wired for DC with many isolating sections. The power runs from around the loop in both directions from the controllers. The sections furthest from the controllers are not connected. I am considering rewiring the mainline with a pair of bus wires similar to your zip wire and just have the four yards around the loop connected through the existing panels ( to allow sidings with locos not in use to be switched off) should I connect the new mainline bus into one continuous loop. Regards Peter.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Short story-don’t wire as continuous loops. Now the long story-every time this question has come up the EE guys always say never connect a loop back on itself, always use a linear bus. Most say it gets down to the difference in the lengths to where the loops are joined, which of course is variable within the same loop, and in turn means where the signals meet they will be different. Although this might seem a trivial matter you have to also consider how fast these signals are transmitted on a pair of wires. So I always recommend that loops be broken to create two independent bus configuration.

[@greatnorthernrailwaytother4711]

@@TheDCCGuy Thanks Larry, I’ll just upgrade the wires then but leave them disconnected. (However they must get connected for a second every time a loco completes a loop.) cheers Peter.

[@neilharbott8394]

@@TheDCCGuySo as the track is a continuous loop, would you suggest inserting insulators at the end of each bus? So that the track and bus break at the same point.

[@TheDCCGuy]

No, cut gaps in both rails somewhere, say halfway round the loop and cut your power bus so it forms 2 separate buses, one for each leg.

[@greatnorthernrailwaytother4711]

@@TheDCCGuy Thanks again, will do. 🙂

[@dougalexander5871]

Question relating back to decoder install: what power soldering iron are you using, and what solder. It seems that you use no flux, so I’m guessing that the secret is in the solder?

[@TheDCCGuy]

There are 5-6 videos,on the channel,about my soldering tools and techniques. Just scroll down through the list on my channel page.

[@kimvaughan495]

I’m trying to find out what the green foam is . And what name does it go by . I’m in the USA. So I’m trying to find it.

[@TheDCCGuy]

Run down to Lowes, it is their store brand insulation board.

[@Zebrails]

You mention a "Hot" connection, or rail... what is another name for "Hot", since it doesn't pertain to the temperature?

[@TheDCCGuy]

In wiring a wire that is carrying an electrical current is considered to be “hot”. This is commonly used with AC wiring to refer to the black or in some cases red wire as hot while the white wire is the neutral wire.

[@Zebrails]

Thank you very much.@@TheDCCGuy

[@almyers9834]

What size feeders would you use for n scale and bus size

[@TheDCCGuy]

20-22 ga feeders and 16-18 ga bus.

[@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-jam8267]

Larry if use two sets of buss wires , do I need a snubber at each end , command station is in the center of the layout

[@TheDCCGuy]

You would use one at the end of each bus. You also may use one at intermediate points on long bus runs.

[@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-jam8267]

Larry thanks for the information

[@michu.z.1457]

Can I buy your book on electrical connections from you in electronic form as an ebook because on Amazon I will have to wait more than 1 month before the shipment reaches me?

[@TheDCCGuy]

I think the ebooks are available online through Barnes and Noble.

[@michu.z.1457]

@@TheDCCGuy tkank you very much

[@steveashcraft718]

I know a lot don't like brass rails but I know that brass is a excellent conductor.

[@68Jaguar420G]

Until it tarnishes which is an effective insulator stopping power transmission across the wheel/railhead interface.

[@steveashcraft718]

@@68Jaguar420G Any track can do that. Just keep it clean.

[@andrewway3404]

I started building a on30 layout, a simple figure 8 up and over with 4 switchs for a train yard. I used the peco switchs and track plus a little ddc transformer. So my bachmann 0-6-0 sounds and runs great on the figure 8, but as soon as I throw a switch, the transformer freaks out! I think the switchs are the problem, I've nailed all the tracks down and soldered all the rail connections. I'm at a loss and very disappointed, I was told by many that dcc was the best way to go.

[@demetriospappas1112]

There is a formula that we electricians use for distance and voltage drops. I’m not sure what the specs would be be for lower voltage like this but I will think anything like this you would run into drops anything past 10-12 ft unless you us 14 or 12g wiring throughout

[@TheDCCGuy]

Yes, in my book I have tables that provide the voltage drop per foot of at 1 and 5 amps. Also for different rail codes.

[@krystalstarrett6760]

Less wiring in my railroad with DCC. So long as all locomotives are DCC, just two wires hook up the whole system. 😊