No video
Add a DC Controller to a DCC Layout
Рет қаралды 7,126
Күн бұрынI added this DC controller to my previously DCC only N scale switching layout that is currently under construction.
►Apollo DC Controllers: www.apollocont...
(Note, you will need to supply a 12V power supply with a 2.5mm plug. Something like this might work, but you may already have one laying around the house like I did: amzn.to/3znqMg5)
►Toggle Switches: amzn.to/45MNCtK
►Toggle Switch Panel: amzn.to/45JKkrh
►DCC PowerCab system: amzn.to/3L5XUM8
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @stevestrains
Want to help support the channel? Buy me a cup of coffee!
www.buymeacoff...
Check out my website: www.steves-tra...
TRAIN SETS:
►T Gauge Sets: www.vcshobbies....
►Z Scale Sets: ztrackcenter.c...
►N Scale Kato Amtrack Set: amzn.to/3iyCbBt
►N Scale Kato Super Chief Set: amzn.to/3B4ISS7
►Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 1: amzn.to/3B61UHF
►Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 2: amzn.to/3Y5hflZ
►More Kato Track Sets: amzn.to/3OYcZQJ
►HO Scale Rail Chief Train Set: amzn.to/3OVJizQ
►O Scale Lionel Polar Express Train Set: amzn.to/3EQLcNu
►O Scale Lionel Hogwarts Express Train Set: amzn.to/3Y5hM7t
KATO TRACK:
►Kato Unitrack (N Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
►Kato Unitrack (HO Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
CONTROLLERS:
►Battery Powered Controllers that work great for N scale too: amzn.to/3umqFfa
►Awesome DCC Starter System: amzn.to/3gZVbbp
LAYOUT KIT:
►HO Scale Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3uiPvN1 (my first adult railroad project)
►Track set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3VPyzsS
►Building set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3F1b8WQ
►N Scale Scenic Ridge Kit: woodlandscenic......
►N Scale building set: amzn.to/3BsZMu3
TOOLS:
►Bench top hot wire cutter: amzn.to/3Voq1tk
►My Filament 3D Printer (upgraded version): amzn.to/3Uroph6
►Snap-off Blade Utility Knife: amzn.to/3OXM1cj
►Cordless Dremel Set: amzn.to/3VO86Mm
►My DeWalt cordless drill: amzn.to/3gW5i18
►My Dewalt cordless saw (current version): amzn.to/3H73Jbo
►My Dewalt cordless miter saw: amzn.to/3VNnzfL
►My DeWalt Cordless Brad Nailer: amzn.to/3XBvltD
►Speed Squares: amzn.to/3IxfJ6h
►Hot glue gun: amzn.to/3ZFcTmk
More Items:
►NEC PowerCab: amzn.to/3acwox9
►Digitrax DS74 Units: amzn.to/3M7KBbW
►Push Buttons: amzn.to/3M9eEQG
As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a commission on any products purchased through Amazon links.
@scotabot7826 Ай бұрын
That is a really sweet little control panel. Looks really cool too. I need to pick one up for sure!! Thanks for the video!
@Poliss95 Ай бұрын
I use a DPDT switch on my layout. I was always forgetting which way was DC and which way was DCC. I bought a Dymo label maker to make little labels for ease of identification.
@Jasper_4444 Ай бұрын
I was actually talking to the screen, telling Steve to to just this.
@marswatcher Ай бұрын
Awesome video. I've got two Apollo Controllers and they are really good. Very smooth control.
@edwardstd52 Ай бұрын
I have the same setup except I used one of those old school DPDT switches with the big silver baseball bat handle. And as was mentioned below, I had to use a DYMO labeler to make a label as to which system was which. One warning from my HO scale DCC/DC days - we don't want to have DC locomotives in powered sections of track when turning on the DCC systems. Bad things can happen.
@gatoreye2000 Ай бұрын
Good deal. I recently purchased some Kato DC locomotives and added DC control to my layout in addition to the existing DCC. I am using an old PC power supply for all my power needs except DCC. These new new DC locos run so well out of the box I may never add a decoder to them. I just dont see the need.
@edwardaudet8367 Ай бұрын
Steve this an expensive controller and you still need to put a power pack of some voltage behind the piece, its cheaper to buy a power supply that already a supply and put a double poll switch and maybe move the pot off the board, plus they supply pulse with power supply
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
Not the cheapest, but it works really well and looks really nice. Keep in mind the price is in Australian dollars so US price is 2/3rds the list price. But yeah, if you are trying to save dollars where you can on a project or you have more time to build one yourself, there are certainly cheaper options.
@edwardaudet8367 Ай бұрын
@@StevesTrains , I"ll admit I'm cheap when it comes to certain things. I only run DCC-EX and my layout is setup to run DC or DCC,, and most of the electronics on the layout I put together.
@OldcampRanch Ай бұрын
Awesome 👍🏻
@Miertreg1 Ай бұрын
Super 👍👍👍
@adriengadson3544 Ай бұрын
I was about to say make sure those gp 40's are dcc ready. The older n scale chasis for these are a mess and hard to get decoders in. I have both in my collection.
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
Yeah, there are drop in decoders for these newer Atlas locomotives that make the conversion easy.
@kettusnuhveli341 Ай бұрын
Even better, set up DCC-EX and you can control the layout in DC mode using DCC controllers!
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
That is something I’ll need to do eventually.
@rwissbaum9849 Ай бұрын
I have seen that DCC-EX will operate in DC mode, but the documentation for this is almost non-existent. I am working on an Arduino sketch which will run on the *same* hardware as DCC-EX - that reduces hardware cost from $100+ to around $50.
@kettusnuhveli341 Ай бұрын
@@rwissbaum9849 I built my DCC-EX stack for around 60 EUR so I don't know where you pulled that 100+ number from... Also enabling DC operation is as simple as choosing it from the installer options, this is well documented on their website although it is not the most easily navigable site I give you that!
@joew389 Ай бұрын
At 4:16 you show the connectors for your two power supplies. Two questions: Are these simply 12V DC adapters that plug into a wall socket? Is it possible to use only one 12V power supply for both DC and DCC wiring by inserting the DPDT switch at the point where the single power supply comes in and then wire the two controllers to the switch?
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
My DCC system takes 16 volts and the DC one 12 so would just depend on what your systems take. You could of course integrate the power supplies within the layout and just have a single power cord.
@someguy2637 Ай бұрын
Steve, Where did you obtain the Apollo controllers. Have a link? Thanks.
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
Link in the description
@williamjmccready3390 Ай бұрын
@@StevesTrains
@marswatcher Ай бұрын
I've got one and they are fantastic. Highly recommended.
@franzbrunner499 23 күн бұрын
as a layman, you emphasized these are GP40-2, not SD40-2 -is there something wrong with the latter? thank you
@StevesTrains 23 күн бұрын
@@franzbrunner499 they look completely different and it is a kind of running joke of mine how I hate the look of the SD40-2s.
@nscaler711official Ай бұрын
Huh, too funny... The Apollo controller has a design similar to a certain PC train sim... Auran Trainz.... Both are from Australia... Coincidence I think not!
@hellgatebridge Ай бұрын
so when you switch from DCC to DC do you leave the DCC equipped locomotives on the layout. what happens if DC current is applied to a DCC decoder?
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
Most DCC locomotives will operate in DC mode when put on DC power. You can control them just like any other locomotive except that the starting voltage will be much higher than a regular locomotive.
@PaulSmith-pl7fo Ай бұрын
@@StevesTrains While DC operation of DCC , I believe that received wisdom is that you should do this - especially for long periods. Hence "your" solution to adding one or more DC controllers. @hellgatebridge's question wasn't truly answered - perhaps the subject of a future video.
@darylhitchcock7680 Ай бұрын
do your dcc switches still work in DC Mode?
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
I have them powered directly from the powercab panel so they receive DCC power whether the track is powered by DCC or DC. But I have to have the powercab on as well to control the turnouts with the buttons in DC mode.
@thomascanady1967 Ай бұрын
So Steve, what is wrong with a SD40-2? They are one of my favorite locomotives.
@1621billw Ай бұрын
Maybe he doesn't care for the manufacturer that makes a lot of the SD models?
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
More of an inside joke that I always complain about so many SD40-2 models around and I don't like them as much as some others. It just seemed like every manufacturer was coming out with SD40-2s and hardly anything else for a stretch there and I was just getting frustrated about that and refusing to buy them. lol
@choo-choosam Ай бұрын
@@StevesTrainsI have two in HO scale both made by Athearn, but one of them doesn’t like making tight left hand turns, but does fine making tight right turns, and the other works just fine making tight turns, left or right… weird, considering mechanically they are exactly the same.
@dennisbailey6067 Ай бұрын
There is no reason any layout cannot be both Dcc and Dc.One switch will do the job.
@rwissbaum9849 Ай бұрын
*Before* you apply DC power to your DCC bus, *please* carefully review your layout for DCC compatible electronics which might be connected to your DCC track bus. Do you have any stationary decoders (e.g. NCE Switch-It or Switch-8, or NCE Light-It) installed? Do you have any Frog Juicers installed? Do you have any block occupancy detectors installed? Do you have any power management circuits installed? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, proceed *very* carefully. At best, your DCC add-ons will not work. At worst, you may fry one or more of these components.
@StevesTrains Ай бұрын
Good points. My DCC layouts have never been that complicated. I have the digitrax DS74s on this layout connected to my NCE powercab, but not directly to the track bus. So I can power those with the powercab, or not at all, and the track power is selected by the switch.
@rwissbaum9849 Ай бұрын
I think the takeaway here is this: if a modeler wants to have a dual-powered layout, he (or she) should have, as a minimum: (a) a track power bus which will connect to either DC or DCC, (b) a DCC bus for those devices that require a digital signal, and (c) a DC bus for those devices (lights, etc.) that require DC power. Also, powering frogs requires some advance planning. Frog Juicers are great for DCC, but won't work on DC. Therefore, frogs should be powered through a BluePoint or Tortoise or some other turnout control that provides auxiliary contacts.
Steve's Trains
Рет қаралды 10 М.