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 Organizations / Canada / rtlToronto / 1729
1728  |  1730
Subject: 
Re: Aaargh. L272 IC needed.
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
Date: 
Tue, 17 Jul 2001 03:31:54 GMT
Viewed: 
444 times
  
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Larry Pieniazek writes:
his installations. He's using a commercially available N scale decoder
rather than assembling his own. The installations looked pretty neat/orderly
to me... the board is encapsulated with only the leads coming out of it. Are
you going to encapsulate yours once assembled?

Two things discouraged us from using something like the DN140 (IIRC) he
used.  There's a shortage of them, and every Southern Ontario train dealer
has them on back order, AND everyone seems to overvalue their price.  As a
result, each DCC conversion is approaching nearly $50-60 because dealers are
artificially marking them up.  Most model railroaders don't realize just how
simplistic a decoder is in reality--and I'm not willing to pay for that kind
of scalping.  The current rtlToronto implementation using freeware designs
will probably be $15 in parts.

We'll be using an outboard decoder which will attach to a modified 5300
motor pack for initial versions of the rtlToronto variant decoder.  The 5300
pack can be toggled back to normal operation. If people so desire it, they
can go the route of using an N scale commercial decoder if they can't easily
integrate the outboard decoder.

He had a bank of capacitors across the motor leads on the receiver output
but the units still are noisy. I got to run his rig, I'm not sure I like the
MRC controller, I got confused about which channel was controlling which.
That caused some "cornfield meets" (railroad slang for head on collisions).

The controller is REALLY sickeningly overpriced.  We'll be using a PC based
encoder/controller.  Much cheaper and easier.  We'll have some nifty addons
for this once I find a PCMCIA joystick adapter.

(usually a very useful thing) it meant you had to throw the turnout once
your engine came off the isolated loop segment or it would stop as the track
would be dead.

We're going to have to modify switches if we're going full bore after train2.

Calum



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Aaargh. L272 IC needed.
 
(...) I wonder if there is a way to cheat? That is, use track connectors to jumper the power to the unpowered rail. I have to take a close look at a turnout when I get home this weekend to make sure doing that doesn't cause shorts but I don't think (...) (23 years ago, 17-Jul-01, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Aaargh. L272 IC needed.
 
(...) I'm no help on that... but I'm anxious to learn more about the project's progress when you guys have time to talk about it. I spent a bit of time talking with Tom Cook while at the fest, he showed me his installations. He's using a (...) (23 years ago, 17-Jul-01, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)

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