 | | Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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Well, Some Totally Awesome Stupendous Guy by the name of Mark posted the other day talking about getting an RCX to be the DCC for train layouts... I can throw around a soldering iron with the best of em so I went up to my local hobby shop, picked me (...) (21 years ago, 30-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys wrote: <snip> (...) Well, that's 3 motors. That's all the microcontrollers I purchased. I only have 4 motors anyway... Might have to work that thing out with Jeff E for more. Let me just say, I just (...) (21 years ago, 30-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, FTX)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) I'm thinking you might get credit for swapping a DCC motor for one without, Mister handy-with-an-iron. :) (...) (21 years ago, 30-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) <snip> Seriously, the hardest part is getting all those plastic tabs off the bottom so you can get the thing open. My controllers were ultra tiny and cost me 44.95 per at Modellers Choice in upper Hamilton (Upper James b/w Rymal and (...) (21 years ago, 30-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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Thanks for the nice comments, Dave. (...) track? (...) Yes, the humming is "normal" - my sample base being two RCXs. :-) Sorta reminds me of that buzzing you hear around high voltage power lines. (...) being (...) track--I (...) Can a (...) control (...) (21 years ago, 31-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Mark Riley wrote: <snip> (...) Well, after a few hours of "extensive tests"... I have come to the following conclusion-- This is the greatest thing since LEGO came out with 9v trains and the RCX. Forget the track cleaner (...) (21 years ago, 31-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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"David Koudys" <dkoudys@redeemer.on.ca> wrote in message news:HFpxx3.6At@lugnet.com... (...) +Doom@Dave Iain (21 years ago, 31-May-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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So a few friends gather--talk of DCC comes up. Well, I just happen to have a DCC compiled RCX in my dufflebag and 3 converted LEGO motors (with engines that look remarkably similar to mine--oh wait, they were mine...) So we set up an impromtu layout (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys wrote: <snip> Regarding reverse loops and DCC I seem to recall that it's possible to automate them so you don't have to cut gaps that the motor has to coast across See this track diagram (URL) consider what (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Urp, in the below, when i posted it before, none of the urls are clickable! Sorry about that. And "snip" inside angle brackets IS clickable.... I'm confused. XFUT admin.nntp... (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, lugnet.admin.nntp)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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Yes, you can automate the reversing loops. In fact, using the RCX to do so should be fairly simple, except that it takes 2 of them to do it. (Just using 1 rail for now-) (rcx a)rail-gap-rail(rcx b) The two of them set the polarity the same, such (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) loop divided into 2 power blocks, rather than one as in the above diagram. With 3 power blocks you can always switch the block the train is heading toward to be compatible with the block it is in so there is never a gap to cross. Once the (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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K, got some prelim pics up-- (URL) too much, but it's a start. If we could get a yea or nay on DCC for "What was formerly known as NMRA but is not anymore but will be called something else 'cause the show must go on" train show, my vote is "yea". (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) That diagram is divided into two blocks. One for the approaches, and one for the reverse loop itself. That's standard wiring, been done that way since I was a wee lad, there's no need to divide the reverse loop itself into two blocks. With (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Okay, yeah, my memory of what I too used to do years ago got cross-wired. Then I guess I don't understand the set-up that is causing his need for a gap to be crossed. Is it a DCC related issue or simply him not reversing the polarity of the (...) (21 years ago, 2-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) The latter I think... by having a truck long gap, the motor coasts across the gap but never shorts out from one wheel set to the other, once it hits the powered side again (even though the polarity is reversed) it just continues on. This is (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Yep--Larry hit it on the head--the isolated section is so there isn't one set of wheels on one polarity, and the other set of wheels on the reverse polarity-- (see if this font is really courier ;) ) ###...### Track TTTTT O O ###...### Track (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys wrote: <snip> (...) And here's 'more playing...' (URL) two pics, but fun ones... One of these pics shows how old my ccd in my digital camera is--all the 'blank' pixels. Eh, it still works and is now on (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) An easy solution to this is to have two locomotives in the train, each tuned to the same DCC channel. If one loco loses communication, the other will push it through the bad spots... That probably why real trains have two locos, right? :) (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Going to try that tonite--I own only 4 loco motors, and 3 are now converted to DCC. Hopefully I'll get my hands on about 3-4 more motors and convert 'em. But tonight I'll run 2 motors on one engine on one DCC channel and test that. I think it (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Just so you know, if you want to accomplish the same thing without sawing on your track, get some clear 3M tape and stick it on the inside face of each rail. You have to put some between the tabs connecting to the next piece of rail, too. You (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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All these polarity-switching solutions presume only 1 train. If you've got 3 trains, and each of them is hitting a block boundary at the same time, you're going to have a short no matter what you do. Best solution for DCC is to get your insulated (...) (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains)
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| | Re: Even more Wow!! for your buck!!! was Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Brilliant! (21 years ago, 3-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, lugnet.trains, FTX)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) Mario installed a Digitrax DH121 into a motor pack for me last night. It's an HO scale unit ($28 at George's Trains in Toronto) but it didn't fit in the pack, so we have it actually wired out into the inside of the locomotive. I have the pack (...) (21 years ago, 7-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) The DN121's (in fact, any DN series) decoders can be a tad long for fitting crosswise. However, the good news is it is not the PCB that is long, but the heat shrink. Therefore, my suggestion is to gently cut the end of the heat shrink with a (...) (21 years ago, 8-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) I'm thinking of using a Digitrax DZ143 now. They're about the same price and a lot smaller. (URL) only thing I was concerned about was the rating for current, but that's 1.25 and the DH121 was 1.5A. Someone was saying that the RCX was around (...) (21 years ago, 8-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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| | Re: Woo Hoo!!!!! (part deux...)
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(...) and a (...) that's 1.25 (...) build a (...) Hi Calum, The Lego train motors will draw about 750ma when stalled. So, the DZ143 can handle the worst case scenario. Most of the time however, the decoder and motor draw only a fraction of that (...) (21 years ago, 8-Jun-03, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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