Kato Feeders - DCC Bus Connection

[CDOT]

I am putting together my first DCC layout using Kato track, a Digitrax controller, and Digitrax DS74 units to control turnout points. The layout is about 3 by 9 and contains 30 turnouts altogether (thanks to a large freight yard). After days of research, I think I understand all of the basics and I have a general plan for wiring. However, I have two unanswered questions I was hoping someone could help out with:

 

1. Kato feeder wire is 24 gauge from what I understand. My bus will likely be 16 guage. Most sites recommend tapping into the bus with suitcase connectors. Has anyone experienced difficulties doing this given the difference in wire gauge? My plan is only to tap into the bus a few times by using Kato 3 to 1 connectors to branch out to multiple feeders. I am now just stock on the best way to make the handful of bus connections from the 3 to 1s.

 

2. I have seen every opinion on how far to space apart feeders, from 8 feet all the way down to every unijoiner. I have settled on 3 to 4 feet for my layout. My question is, do I have to pay any special attention to the location of turnouts. I am using almost all 4s and wyes and plan to have them all set to non-power routing. With that being the case, can't I simply count every three feet of line/siding and plop a unijoiner connector regardless of turnout locations?

 

Thanks for any help. Attaching an image of the layout in case it helps. I know I have a reverse loop on the bottom right - I think I can just insulate the right side of it and put in an auto reverser there. I don't think I have any other special wiring considerations to deal with, but if you see one let me know 🙂

Edited December 6, 2021 by CDOT

[cteno4]

CDOT,

 

Yeah the stock Kato feeders are pretty whimpy. If you use them I would just use them to drop from the track and go to your 16g buss as close as possible.

 

another alternative is to make your own beefier track connections. I’ve done these a lot for Ttrak where having bigger gauge is good. I just cut a slot with the dremel with a pointy milling tip (just a tad tedious with a dremel, go slow to not wander all over) under the track and the  solder 18g wire right onto the bottom of the track. Then fix it all in place with a big dab of epoxy.
 

If you have a drill press you can cut your slots super clean with a cylindrical milling tip (like 3/32” or 1/8”). Just clamp a stop rail on the drill press that holds the track so the bit is centered over the rail. Then just make a few passes back and forth cutting a little deeper each time until the slot is cut thru the roadbed. If you have depth stop on the drill press you can set it to stop right a the rail. My little baby drill press is perfect for this.

 

for soldering to the track I pretin the wire ends and then pretin the bottom side of the track. To pretin the bottom side of the track I add a swipe of flux (liquid or gel) and hit it with solder. Then just lay the wire end in the slot and hit with the soldering iron fast to fuse the two chunks of solder. I add a blob of epoxy over the slots up over the end if the insulation to assure if every yanked on its not broken at the wire/solder juncture (weakest point now and very prone to mechanical failure if wire is moved a lot)

 

cheers

 

jeff