Digitrax Super Chief Radio Implementation Questions.

[seusscaboose]

Psx4

http://tonystrains.com/?attachment_id=7302

[Santa Fe Guy]

Edd for what it's worth. I have all 9 of my Up5's powered including the UR92. This helps when you want to plug your DT402D throttle into it to conserve battery life when going for beans or switching. We use old computer power packs and they work out cheap and are very reliable. It is a very good move to have sections, I have 4 on the SFRSD and this helps when operators fail to notice a switch is against them in one location so the rest of the RR is not shut down. Most of us use On Guard CB's and they have proven very reliable. Our Digitrax command stations are getting hot as I have about 30 locos on the tracks and the more sound I add then we might get a shut down if one of the bigger yards gets to hold too many locos. In this instance we opted to add a Tam Valley CB that has its own power supply to the Augusta section so that's fixed that'. Some have added a small computer fan to cool the box and this also works.
By having the UP5's linked you can also see if there is a short as the light will go out in that section. This helps track the guilty party LOL.
We have been using Duplex for about 5 years now and love it. We have our system set up so that as soon as my mates come over, plug in their throttles it displays my RR name. Same goes for all layouts we operate on so take a look in the digitrax manual it will tell you how to do that. I'm getting old and cannot remember.
Rod.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, solid state circuit breakers it is!

I had forgotten before, I also want to be ready for occupancy detection.

What's the high level overview on that?

[davefoxx]

We have our system set up so that as soon as my mates come over, plug in their throttles it displays my RR name. Same goes for all layouts we operate on so take a look in the digitrax manual it will tell you how to do that. I'm getting old and cannot remember.

Heh, I set mine up so it displays my layout's name, too, but I must also be getting old.  I recall that the instructions made this easy, but I would have to refer back to them to answer your question, Ed.  Maybe later when I get home from work.

DFF

[seusscaboose]

Ask john b about detection

[Ed Kapuscinski]

@John , tell me about detection!

[learmoia]

@John , tell me about detection!

Detection in Digitrax sense is the transponder detection right?... which is limited to how you block your layout.. (think old school non DCC wiring..)  And using Digitrax decoders.   It just gives a Yes/No for location in a block.. I thought about using transporting and putting Digitrax decoders in all my CR locomotives like cab signals.  I think it gets you into signaling too.. But it all depends on how you block out your layout.. Then each block needs a detector to pickup the transponder, and each locomotive needs a transponder decoder..

~Ian

[GaryHinshaw]

It's probably helpful to conceptually separate the functions of detection and transponding.  The former tells you if a train is in a block at all (and can optionally provide that information to the command station, jmri, and/or signal logic boards), the latter tells you which loco is in that block.

I have decided to go with the Watchman boards from RR Cir-Kits.  These boards use current sensors as input and provide that information to a bus which is easily interfaced with jmri logic.  The current sensors are loops that go around your block feeder so there is no visible sensor involved; you just detect whether or not current is flowing in your feeder.  This scheme automatically senses any loco or lit passenger car, but it requires resistive wheel sets to detect freight cars.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Edd I moved to a full CTC panel using JMRI starting at the end of 2013. It took three of us 3 months to do all of the upgrade to the wiring (I am running signals along with detection).
We installed BDL168 Digitrax for detection and Digitrax SE8C for signals and turnout control including their ribbon cable. Brendan did all of the panel stuff as he is our young local expert and remembers this stuff LOL.
Resistors are fitted to one metal wheel set in each car on the RR. We did not go for transponding as it only can read Digitrax decoders and we run a lot of sound from various manufactures. You can however use a tool in JMRI to make a tab to identify any train and just move it across the CTC panel with the mouse. These are rather cool and really help the dispatcher keep up with what trains are where ask me how I know.
The resistors we use are R1668 10K SMD resistor.
Trust this is of some help.
Rod.
 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, cool, so it sounds like detection is parallel to power, not inline, and as long as I block things right, it's straightforward to add in later, on top of the power infrastructure.

[seusscaboose]

Yes

Step 1 is blocks

And the more the better

Giving you more control and vision of the layout
(Speaking from john's advice)

Ep

[Santa Fe Guy]

Edd yes the more blocks the better. However if you have a passing siding then just the whole portion of that should be detected, no need to have that split. My RR was originally set up for block control so it was just a matter of dropping all of the original droppers and setting in the new wires for detection. We did them one by one and checked to see that the panel was showing correctly then moved onto the next and so on. Recently we did all of the mainline turnouts so now they are individually detected also which again helps the dispatcher see exactly what is happening out on the tracks.
You can detect by having a common rail which saves a lot of wiring. So check out the Digitrax manual online to see how you want to do it.
Rod.

[John]

I've set mine up very similar to this image ...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

So, after much discussion, I've put together a drawing of the implementation.



The darker components are ones that are actually getting done now, the rest are all as the layout expands over phases.

[Blazeman]

Heck of a thing to read all this. I though DCC simplified wiring. I'm hopeful what is being explained here (over my head for sure) is simply connecting in series from rails to bus to varieties of enhancers or protectors to the "brains" to the power source. I'm having to break this down to manageable portions so I can chew on it.

The knowledge here never ceases to amaze. Just when I think I have a handle on DCC, I see something like this thread and I'm back to square one.