DCC and Class Yard

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Hello all,

Am working on a rather large layout with a cut-down version of the NS Spencer Hump Yard. It will have 16 class tracks along with a forwarding yard and receiving yard.

I just realized that I need to try to set routes thru the class tracks, or an operator will be painfully slow setting switches one at a time.

I have a Super Chief and have used JMRI a couple of hours mostly just playing with signal aspects. Am using Atlas Code 55 with Atlas turnouts. The rest of the layout is pretty much manually controlled and am not really planning on doing any kind of CTC.

Was thinking of using twin-coils on the turnouts back to a couple DS64s and use JMRIs internal routes so I can have 1 panel mounted button for each route.

Is this doable or am I missing something.

Thanks
KB

[John]

Its very doable .. but i would also recommend

http://www.litchfieldstation.com/xcart/product.php?productid=180004&cat=60&page=2

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Thanks, John. That thing does everything but the clean the windows.

I didn't think about the DCS100 being able to do the routes. So, I guess a DCS100 (I have) and 2 SMD82s and the twin coils may be all I need?

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Anyone have any experience with a Team Digital SMD82? I bought one when I originally posted this and am just now getting around to hooking it up.

Not sure where to wire the DC that will power the Tortoises? TRKDC/GND?

http://www.teamdigital1.com/smd82%20doc.pdf

Thanks
KB

[mmyers]

No auxiliary power is needed for stall motors. It uses DCC track power as shown in the diagram on the first page of the instructions.
Those extra connections are to power things other than switch machines. e.g. electric uncouplers.

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Got it, thanks.

[justTRAINcRaZy]

I got the routes working in my hump yard and thought I'd add a few notes in case someone else is electrically handicapped like me.

I hooked up the SMD82 to track power and set it for OPS programming as the manual suggested. I then made all the CV changes in JMRI's Decoder Pro. When I wrote all the changes, it never to make a difference. I finally hooked it up to the programming track leads, and noticed when the CVs were wrote, LED2 would flash.

Forget Ops Mode programming and hook up to the program leads. Use JMRI. When you set up a new decoder, there is an option for the SMD82. It puts all the CV settings in English and you don't have to calculate bits and adders.

The problem with using the track power terminals to power the Tortoises is that DCC track power is AC and the Tortoises need DC. I figured out that after programming, you could unhook the track power from the Rail A/B terminals and hook up DC power. The problem is that if you want to reprogram, you have to unhook the DC and rehook the DCC rails. I tried leaving the DCC to Rail A/B and putting the DC power to TRKDC/GND. This allowed me to power the Tortoises plus still have the DCC hooked up.

The drawback to this setup is that having the program leads to Rail A/B means I can't throw the routes by DT400, but I am using external pushbuttons anyway. What I may do is add in a DPDT switch to have program on 1 side and track on the other. That should give me all the options.

This may be remedial to many, but the manual misses a couple of points. Once set up, the board works great. I can push 1 of 8 buttons and it sets the route into one of the 8 class tracks. Now if I can just get that mini barcode reader going. 

KB