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Digitrax DCC
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All track wiring is Number 12 stranded wire. Each rail has a different color wire so that it can easily be identified from under the layout. Since we hand lay our track, we do not use rail joiners. Therefore, each piece of rail is connected to this wire by a short wire drop.

Where tracks come together into a switch, the rails are gapped at the frog. If a train approaches a switch and stops clear of fouling, then, it will not short when the switch is thrown against the train.
UP-3 and throttles
This is a typical Digitrax throttle access panel. We use UP-3 panels to connect the throttles to the loconet.

We have standardized on UT4 and UT4R throttles. There are also members who have the DT400 and DT400R.

The throttles are not levitating! We have a strip of Velcro hooks on the panel and a strip of Velcro loops (the soft stuff) on the backs of the throttles.

There are a number of modelers in the area that use the same method, so this adds to interchangability.

This panel happens to be transparent because there are hidden tracks behind the panel which we need to see. Otherwise, they are aluminum panels.
DT100 Instructions
When I first bought my Chief system in 1997, I realized that the manual was not all that clear. So, I wrote a simplified instruction manual for the club members. The Circuit Breaker picture is included in the download file.

The file is in Adobe Acrobat format and a free reader is available from Adobe. Click on the Acrobat Icon for the free reader.
DT100 Instructions
Get Adobe Acrobat
DT300 Instructions
Cheap and Dirty Short Circuit Protection
Were you ever in the middle of a really cool move and someone on the other side of the RR causes a short and brings everything to a screeching halt? So much for your fancy move! Block your RR and put in circuit breakers like this, and total shutdowns will be a thing of the past.
lamp circuit breaker schematic
This will give you about one amp before the lights come on and limit the current that flows during a short-causing derailment.

Should not be used in high current areas since it limits at 1 Amp current draw. If you make smaller blocks with just one or two locos, it should work fine.
Setting up the Chief
We had a case where some wiring error, on our part, caused a cross-feed from our switch machine power supply (28 volts) and blew out the output of the Chief . To prevent any problems like this, we set the Chief to operate the other boosters and not the tracks.

We now have seven boosters and the Chief controlling them. Plus, we have two spare boosters on-hand. All are powered by XFR-8 power supplies from Tony's Train Exchange. I picked those because of the circuit breakers in the primary and secondaries. I didn't want to be chasing around during an operating session to find a fuse for some other supplies. Also, the transformer is heavy and oversized to allow pushing the supply to four amps without the output voltage sagging. The transformer is rated at 8 Amps. and the the circuit breakers are rated at 4 Amps on the secondary. the breaker will release before the transformer gets close to its' rated output, preventing output voltage sag of the transformer.

If I read the manual correctly, the throttle net is to be separate from the booster net. (look at the picture in the manual) The boosters are connected by a cable coming out of the A side. The loconet for throttles are connected through the B side.

The UP-3's are connected to the rails for track status indication and to power the throttles without batteries. We will be adding power supplies to the UP-s for power to operate the throttles during short circuit episodes. Yes, the trains still derail! DCC can't fix that, yet!

Finally, the Chief Option Switches are set to closed:

Option Switch Effect on System operation when "closed"
5
 Command Station master mode
15
 Purging will force a loco to 0 speed
18
 Booster shutdown time extended from 1/8 seconds to 1/2 second. Then the PS-4 will have time to react.
20
 Disable address 00 or analog stretching for conventional locos. Highly Recommended that you turn off this function.by setting to "c".
25
 Disable aliasing. Only useable with DT100 anyway.
33
 Allow track power to restore to prior state at power on. Turn on the master switch, and the trains will be ready to run.
34
 Allow track to power up to run state, if set to run prior to power on
42
 Disable 3 beeps when loco address purged. Who wants to listen to all that beeping?!
44
 Expand slot refresh area from 22 (Big Boy) to 120. Are you seeing the 'slot max' message? This makes it behave like a Chief. with 120 slots.
The Digitrax system has served us well over the years and the operation it affords has enabled us to attract new members. It is a comprehensive, flexible and well thought out system that we have not seen an equal in the industry.

THANK YOU, DIGITRAX!
As of Oct. 1 2004, this is what the UT-4R looks like. Now that I have one, I don't use my DT400R very often.
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GATSME Model RR Club Inc.
P. O. Box 82, Fort Washington, PA 19034
215-646-2033
 Designed and Maintained by
V. E. Pistilli
GATSME Lines
Copyright ©1999-2008 GATSME Lines Inc.
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