Building a OO-Gauge Model Railway (A How-to for Beginners) Part Three
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Ай бұрынThe wiring is regarded by many as the most worrying part of the hobby, but it’s only as complicated as you choose it to be, and as your confidence grows, it actually can become a fascinating part of the hobby in itself, adding another dimension of realism to a layout.
Notes:
1. Solid core wire has a single strand of copper wire, and is used in model railway wiring, and for its size can carry a higher current, but it is less flexible that stranded (multi-core) wire. Some DCC systems recommend solid wire for certain applications.
2. Most DCC systems output at 5-8 amps, and the wiring should be rated for that, and minimal voltage drop is a very important factor. To make sure that you have covered any potential short circuit issue, carry out the coin test - ie, go around your layout and place a coin on the track and make sure the DCC command station cuts out immediately. If it doesn't, then the wiring at that point is inadequate.
3. Wiring lights for buildings, etc, in series on a layout means less current will be received by the bulbs furthest away from the power supply, and the dimmer they get, and if one bulb fails, all the rest will turn off as the current will have been broken by the dead bulb.
4. When using 3mm LED bulbs, the 1k Ohm resistors that must be soldered to the anode are rated at 1000 ohms which reduces a 12 volt supply to 1.2 volts. Red LEDs have the lowest voltage, yellow and green are a little higher. Blue and white LEDs have the highest voltages.
Flashing LEDs look like ordinary LEDs but they contain an integrated circuit as well as the LED itself. They are designed to be connected directly to a particular supply voltage such as 5V or 12V without a series resistor. Check with the supplier to find the safe supply voltage range for a particular flashing LED. The flash frequency is fixed so their use is limited, and you may prefer to build your own circuit to flash an ordinary LED, for example, using a 555 Timer Integrated Circuit in an Astable operating mode.
LEDS can be wired in series but have to be of the same type as they pass the same current. The power supply must have sufficient voltage to provide about 2V for each LED (4V for blue and white) plus at least another 2V for the resistor.
Never connect an LED directly to a battery or power supply because the LED is likely to be destroyed by excessive current passing through it.
Music:
Flying in a Dream by Grand_Project
Pixabay user_id:19033897
Photos:
Platform - pixabay.com/
LED Strip - ledstriplightmanufacturer.com/
Rail Wires by Ian Robins - www.flickr.com/photos/dales-p...
Soldering Resistors by Dave Bodnar
davebodnar.com/railway/LED_lig...
LEDs Parallel Diagram from / @jrelectricschool
Track Leads from www.trains.com/MRR/
Other photos by the Author.
Sources:
electronicsclub.info/leds.htm
Intro Music:
Flying in a Dream by Grand_Project
Pixabay user_id:19033897
@neilmacgillivray9892 9 күн бұрын
I’m just starting out on building a model railway. This video is so clear and very helpful. Thanks
@MaboPete 9 күн бұрын
Thank you Neil, I found that when I was in the construction stage myself and looked for examples, it seemed that the basics were mostly overlooked for some reason - and it took a while to work things out, not least the footprint, where I was determined not to have things roll underneath never to be seen again... I've still got a lift-out section to construct which will go across the shed door so the layout will not stay as an end-to end (apart from the shuttle line), but have some more bus wire/droppers to connect up and test as I go first. Will you be posting images or video of your progress?
@neilmacgillivray9892 8 күн бұрын
@@MaboPete Hi, I’ve only just constructed my 6x4 baseboard and now working out my track plan so a long way to go yet.
@MaboPete 8 күн бұрын
@@neilmacgillivray9892 Getting the basics right is worth spending time on. Seal it both sides and the edges with the 50-50; it dries quickly, and stops any splintering later on when scenics are added. The battens will also keep it fro any possible sagging. You didn't mention the thickness of your baseboard, but over 2-foot sections or so need battens underneath as well for additional support. I drill the holes in them as well before gluing/screwing them down to feed the bus wires through. It soon turns into a rat's nest underneath, lol.
@neilharbott8394 26 күн бұрын
There is now a third point type - Unifrog. It's sort of a hybrid, where the plastic bits of an insulfrog are replaced with isolated metal rail, which then has a feeder wire like an electrofrog. You can use them without connecting the feeder wire, and they function like the insulfrog, with the potential for shorter locomotives to stall on the frog. Or you can connect the feeder wire to a switch machine or frog juicer to provide corrected power at the frog. They can also dispense with the need for insulated rail joiners as the frog is completely isolated.
@MaboPete 26 күн бұрын
Hello Neil, Thank you for your comment. I haven't actually had any experience with the Unifrog points, so I didn't want to get out of my depth by describing them inaccurately. I understand that they work for both dcc and dc, but for the latter require 'some additional work'. My own layout (Mable End) is dc and I use electrofrog with seep motors/CDUs (I found the 9g servos a bit too fiddly to line up even with their brackets). It's still early days though. Thank you again for jumping in. Peter
Dr. Becky
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