And so it begins...

[JR 500系]

I've divided the layout into a number of isolated sections so I can park more than one train on the same stretch of track. However I didn't have time to build the control panel with the switches, so soldered all the section wires to a convenient connector, a spare piece of track... Ultimately each of those red wires will be connected to a switch.

 

Oh that's a great idea! So it's some form of a manual DCC? Smart!

[railsquid]

That's one way of describing it, I suppose... It's a system which has been in use pretty much as long as there have been DC-powered model railways, it was something I was trying to do 30 years ago (!) but never got quite this far due to lack of money and tools.

[cteno4]

This is how folks w.o DCC or power routing points isolate sidings and allow you to use two throttles. Each area of the layout and sidings are isolated with insulated joiners. The the power to each section is supplied from the little dpdt switches (short for double pole double throw) center off switches. With these switches you can route the power from either throttle to the section of attached track or totally off. Usually put them into a control panel diagram of the track plan so you can plan your route you want to power up and keep other tracks turned off with trains on them.

 

Works well, but requires a bit of control panel wiring! Still very much in use by those that are not dcc or using tomix or kato sectional track!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[railsquid]

The points are very much power-routing, but that doesn't help when you want to store more than one train/locomotive on the same section of track. This part of the layout will be a single block so all the sectional switches are simple on-off ones (SPST?). When I get the main layout done, there will be three (or maybe 4) main blocks and three controllers, but any one block will be able to controlled by just two out of the three. At least that's the plan.

 

Temporary diagram with isolating sections (letters) and points (digits):

[beakaboy]

The points are very much power-routing, but that doesn't help when you want to store more than one train/locomotive on the same section of track. This part of the layout will be a single block so all the sectional switches are simple on-off ones (SPST?). When I get the main layout done, there will be three (or maybe 4) main blocks and three controllers, but any one block will be able to controlled by just two out of the three. At least that's the plan.

 

Temporary diagram with isolating sections (letters) and points (digits):

I did block wiring ,with help from an electronics whiz in our club, on an English layout which had a ground level circuit and a hill circuit. You could cross over through points to either circuit , so that a train running on hill could be moved onto level section and vice versa. separate controllers for each circuit. I used 6 position rotary  switches , so that you could keep trains running together as long as they had an empty block between them. Simply move rotary switch to the A controller  or the B controller. All other positions were off. It worked very well, but required a lot of thought and time to setup as well. The biggest issue was making sure I soldered the wires on the correct side of rail. It was also very useful when I connected my NCE powercab DCC unit in place of a controller. I could run 2 trains spaced apart on the DCC circuit and one on the DC circuit. Lots of activity for shows.

[railsquid]

I'll keep it relatively simple, the other two main blocks will be loops, not planning on running than more than one train at a time on each, or any kind of complex operations. Just running trains back and forth and round and round when I'm in the mood.

 

DCC is alas not an option at the moment.

[kvp]

This is called block control, which is a simplified common rail cab control variant, where only one controller is used and blocks are only toggled on-off. Many people don't know, but both Kato and Tomix supports it together with the power routing turnout based block control or in the Tomix finetrack case, the advanced route based cab selection. The three methods combined can result in a very good, simple to wire and easy to control layout using analog trains only.

[inobu]

There should be enough space, though no doubt I will find out sooner or later what fundamental booboo I've made.

 

Now to remember which wires power which section and replace this with something a little more conventional.

 

So that's another kind of Rail Bus.

 

Inobu

[railsquid]

The short bus of the wiring world. Alas, however, it has served its purpose and is now seeking new opportunities in the field of general bodgery.

 

[cteno4]

Squid,

 

you can also make these easily if you get the little pins that go in these connectors by themselves. they are quick to solder a wire to and are great m/f connectors. you can either just use them alone or pop them into the D style connectors if you want one big removable connector. these use to be the cheapest way of doing connectors (cheaper than the larger amp auto connectors) but these days these D style connectors are swiftly disappearing so the removable pin D connectors are harder to find along with the tiny pins (use to be a penny each!

 

these are also really handy and simple to solder to

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-Tin-PCB-Female-IC-Breakable-40pin-Single-Row-Round-Socket-Easy-Reusable-HC-/331738426969?hash=item4d3d26ae59:g:z9sAAOSwyQtVngLf

 

you can actually click two females together with the round pin version. one side you just solder to the pin and the other side you stick the wire in the socket and solder it in there. dont work as well for a big connector like you have though, but great for 1-6 pole connections. these are the ones that micromark started selling for $18 for a 32pin male/female pair!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Do you have a photo? I'm having a hard time imagining how that works.

 

The D connectors pictured set me back a whole 50 yen each in Akihabara, easy enough to solder wires to.

[cteno4]

yeah perfect for what you are doing!

 

ill pull some out and snap picts later today for you. these little pc board pin connectors are great and cheap for like wiring power to buildings ect where you want a local tiny and cheap like 2 pin connector. 2 pin connector is about 5mm wide so not horrible hole needed to slip it thru.

 

the D connector separate pins are the smallest connector you can easily get for individual wires, only like 2mm in dia so you can slip them thru small holes and little resistance as well!

 

jeff

[mrp]

you can also make these easily if you get the little pins that go in these connectors by themselves. 

  

Wow, that brings back memories.  I think I probably put together hundreds of them - mainly for RS422 cabling - with that ridiculous pin insertion/extration tool that lasted about no time before bending.

  

I did a quick Google search and found an article (from 10 years ago) showing the whole process.

http://aeroelectric.com/articles/D-Sub_Pin/Pin-Extraction.html

  

Looking back on it, I guess if you *HAD* to use a D-Sub connector then they made life a bit easier.

[cteno4]

LOL guess im showing my age. i cut me teeth big time making many many 323 and 422 cables! yes it was a lot easier to put all the pins on first then pop them in careful in order rather than find a wire place and solder, repeat! i got so fast at putting on pins! Didnt have to use the extractor if you got the pin order correct! Learned that lesson you mentioned with the extractor so just made sure did not have to extract. Actually i usually cheated and crimped and soldered so you could actually pull them out by the wire if you were gentle with the teflon needle nose!

 

when we did the JRM 1.0 layout that was build on the fly i did these pins naked (just incased in heat shrink to insulate) for all the track and point power wires as we could just pop them on the ends of the point and feeder wires and slide them thru small holes in the foam tops easily and quickly pop them together with the wiring harnesses under the table (not a fun job under the table for 20-30 minutes with 40 odd connections to make). Since we changed the track plan a number of times we didnt want to be boring 12mm holes all over to fit regular sized connectors thru and they dont pull back out gracefully! they held up amazingly well for over 5 years of use, i think i had to replace only one mangled one ever!

 

these days when i need small connectors i use the round pc board connectors mostly. so cheap and easy. the jst work well but are bulkier and ive gotten fast at soldering the wires to pins quickly.

 

the big solder D connector works great for squids add one or two wires at a time to a junction like this!

 

jeff

Edited March 13, 2016 by cteno4

[cteno4]

Put up a little post on the pcb connector plugs here

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/11275-pc-board-connector-plugs/?p=133047

 

Jeff

[railsquid]

Control panel now working, just needs tidying up :D

 

[kvp]

For low current, i just use press fit ribbon connectors, for higher current the same ones as Tomix and for really high current (>1A), pluggable screw terminals. But dsubs are the ancient way of doing it up to 3A and most members in my club swear by (or at) them. When used with shrink wrap and a house they are very reliable and hard to break.

 

So block control by home built panel and turnout control by standard switches. Looks good so far, but where do you plan to put it?

[railsquid]

Right where it is now. No doubt I'll rework it into something a little more compact and fancy, when I have some actual detime, but for now it fulfills its purpose, which is to facilitate running of this part of the layout.

 

Hmm, come to think of it, just need to sort out the rest of the lighting and it's almost "done", apart from detailing, which is a never-ending task of course.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Awesome work railsquid. Congrats on a great layout. Shows me how much more detail I need to put in mine.

 

 

Spiff

[railsquid]

The scary thing about N gauge is just how much you can fit into a small space (210 x 30 cm here). Especially when modelling Japan... And it's still not finished... Worse, I have another 275 x 90cm (at least) left to fill...

[Spaceman Spiff]

You make having more space to sound like a problem. Lol

[railsquid]

I sometimes wonder whether I'll find the time to fill it to a reasonable level of detail...

 

Meanwhile, oooh, traffic lights.

 

[IST]

Is it from this set?

http://wakiyaku.jp/SHOP/leds03r.html

[railsquid]

Yup.

[cteno4]

Nice!

 

Always thought of doing stop lights with all three lights lit with LEDs and put them on a timer circuit to sequence through them, but well since the traffic is stationary its really not necessary to light all three, just red or green! Maybe one on yellow with someone speeding thru trying to beat the light! It's a lot easier to wire only one than all three!

 

Having the lights change and the traffic not move is one of those post apocalyptic effects that make some find doing any animation on a layout (other than the running train) creepy!

 

Jeff