The Elmwood & Marigny River » DCC

DT400 On/Off Switch

Shaun — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:56:04 +0000

If there’s one thing I don’t like about Digitrax’s wireless throttle is that there is no on/off switch on the device. This means whenever you are not using the throttle you have to pull out the battery to turn it off (and save your battery).

So, I decided to fix that tonight. Here’s just a photo look at the process and result.

Items used:

Mini SPST toggle shack from radio shack
1/4″ drill bit
Soldering iron & solder
26AWG wire

DT402D throttle in hand

Shaun — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:08:50 +0000

$65 and 23 days later my DT400 is now a DT402D wireless throttle.

Thanks Digitrax!

Phase 1 Complete

Shaun — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:10:42 +0000

Tonight I finished up what you could call Phase 1. That is, all of the under-layout DCC bus wiring is installed, and the wire panel installed, wired to the busses, and powered.

The next step will be to work on getting the benchwork top installed and the center divider backdrop.

DT400 Status Update

Shaun — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:39:21 +0000

Just got this from Digitrax:

Your upgrade has been received by Digitrax Repair Department. We will advise
you when the upgrade has been completed and is shipping back to you.

Please allow 30 working days before making any inquiry as to it’s status.

Thank you for your patience.

Digitrax makes every attempt to return you repair to you as soon as
possible.

So now we wait and see how long it takes.

Benchwork Progress

Shaun — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:04:43 +0000

Been working on the benchwork here and there the last few days.

First I picked up some caster wheels from Lowe’s. Siever’s legs come with a hole drilled on the bottom for their little adjustable foot things. I had to drill this hole a little wider and deeper for the 2″ wheels. They’ve been working great so far. I still need to add angle bracing to each leg just for a little extra support, though they work great as is.

I then decided I would go ahead and pre-wire the 16 DCC bus lines that’ll connect to the BDL168 occupancy detector board, along with a primary Rail A/B bus. I’ve got 8 run so far. Might be a little overkill to run all 16 wires the length of the layout, but I figure easier to do it now than later under the layout. I also labeled each wire after each cross beam so there’s no guessing as to which wire is what.

I also installed a little shelf for the DCS100 to sit on. It’s zip tied in place so it isn’t going anywhere.

And lastly, I installed additional bracing to support the wire panel.

DT400 to DT402D

Shaun — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:06:33 +0000

Since it could be just a few weeks until I have a mainline up and running, I decided to go ahead and send in my Digitrax DT400 throttle to get updated to a DT402D for wireless duplex operation.

At first I thought I’d just stick with my wired setup, but eventually decided that being able to walk from one side to other and back without having to keep unplugging/plugging in a throttle would be nice.

So off to Digitrax she goes! Their website is saying a 3-4 weeks turnaround.

Wire Panel Update

Shaun — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:08:52 +0000

With the new layout, I’ll only need 1 logic board to run the 8 signal heads I’ll need instead of the previously planned two. So I decided to move the 1 circuit board (that was in a panel all by itself) over to the primary panel.

I removed the DCS100 booster itself because I plan to mount this under the layout near the panel so it’s in an open spot for better airflow and heat ventilation. Only 4 wires will need to be run from the booster into the panel (Rail A, Rail B, DCC Ground, Loconet).

Here’s a look at the new signal wiring, and the whole panel.