Hi Ron, I watched your video and it's where I got the idea from, though my old DC controllers way back in the 80's had bulbs in them for overload protection, which lit up like Christmas trees on the old Athearn locos! They work a treat but having them in one spot is not ideal so I like your way better, having them at the load and not back at the power source. As for the bare joints......yes they touch from time time!! Typical electrician i say, thats my excuse ! Thank you for watching Sir. Cheers Gregg

Hello Ron, I remember that video, could you link it, I erased my history last week. Thank you Ron.

how about pdf lost me

bigdon1a1@gmail.com

I will do a wiring diagram in the next video Don! Gregg :-)

Thanks Thomas , glad you enjoyed the video! The auto bulbs are ok for quick indication , just like the NCE bulb set up. But DCC is a lot more than just voltage on the rails , so having a short for long periods can damage components in the system..depending on the current of course. I feel that a combination of ECb's and bulbs is the best option. Cheers Gregg.

Hi Bob! Always something to do ..LOL Not a bad idea to have at least 2 power districts so the whole layout doesn't shut down on a short.Thanks for watching and the support. Cheers Gregg

Thank you Sir! Further testing has proved these to be a failure for a large layout, as I suspected. They will be fine for yards but circuit breakers are the go for proper protection. Cheers Gregg.

You're welcome Joe! Pity I had to find out the hard way ...and I hate it when I'm right..LOL Cheers Gregg.

Thanks Shaun! This system , with all the bulbs in one place has drawbacks and I'm not happy with it. The bulbs placed at each district around the layout will work much better and I will replace these in the future, plus some electronic breakers as well. Cheers Gregg.

Like I have done for a few years Sparky!! Thanks for watching mate. Gregg.

Me too >LOL. I will pass on your message to Lord Stan and thanks for watching. Gregg :-)

Thank you ! Glad you liked the video and got some tips from it. Cheers Gregg.

Hi David and thanks for the support! I will be getting EB-1's but I wanted to try this as a experiment which was a interesting result for sure! ! On smaller layouts, ECB's are the go I feel but if you want local overload protection , the bulbs are a option but used with ECB's for short protection. Plus don't be lazy when you wire your layout..like me..LOL Cheers Gregg.

Thanks Terry! Even if you break the layout into 2 districts with 2 CB's and then you can have some local bulbs off each section. The booster is at 5 amps so that will fry stuff before it trips out..LOL I shall pass on your regards to Lord Stan. Cheers Gregg.

Thanks Vinny! . Never happened to me before, because the booster would cut out and remove the power, but with the bulbs the power remains on! Pros and con's with each method so it's best to have both I think. Cheers Gregg.

You have it on your command station, but it's best to break it up so the whole layout doesn't shut down with a short. Cheers Gregg.

You're welcome !

I was indeed Glynn! The bulbs just divert the current but the short is still there, so having a mix of both CB's and bulbs I think is the way to go! When I get the power sorted I will let you guys know so we can have a run! Cheers Gregg.

Thank you ! More to do yet to get it right! Cheers Gregg.

amen on getting it right

I'll second that!

That is food for thought Neil, though I think bulbs will be around for a while and electronics are becoming cheaper by the day, so we'll be ok I reckon. These are new so I don't know how long they will last but under normal conditions they technically aren't working? Lord Stan does get around though I think the flower business is a front ..LOL Cheers Gregg.

Hi Glen , 12 AWG is fine for the Bus, but I don't recommend using solid wire anywhere except for maybe data transfer . Insulfrog are ok for DCC, but do wear out as the tip of the frog is plastic , but it does take a while so if you have them you may as well use them? Having a dead frog can cause issues with small 4 axel units, especially in complex trackwork. As for beginners, watch my videos..LOL. There are loads of beginners videos out there! Cheers Gregg.

@@FishplateFilms thank you very much. Yes have been watching your videos and very entertaining. Were you also a Casey Jones fan as a kid. Thats of course along with the Flower Pot men and Mr Squiggle of course.

Hi Edward, You are spot on and I am finding the limitations with this system the more I test it. I have doubled up all the feeds so 2 bulbs power each section but even then with a few trains with 3 locos pulling up grade , they still get warm. So as I said in the video, I feel local bulbs are the go for quick faults with indication in the field but the whole system needs protection with circuit breakers. But it was interesting to try it out. I did think about larger bulbs but you have made my mind up saying they damage the board! Thanks for watching and your thoughts and findings. Cheers Gregg

Thank you Sir! I see you have another video so I will check it out! Cheers Gregg

Yep same here froze for that time

Thanks Neale! DOn't know what happened there?? My internet is so slow this video took 16 hrs to upload!! Australia has some of the slowest speeds in the world...and that's a fact!! You only missed the bulb glowing in the dark , so nothing too interesting! I will be doing a video on a local bulb being installed so that will make things a bit more clear! Cheers Gregg.

I'm glad I'm not the only 1. Yeah, I'm supposed to be getting the NBN in December and I've been told it won't be much quicker than now, but only time will tell I guess

Meant to be January here but I'm not holding my breath! So many complaints about it already! Gregg.

I was talking to a tech guy at telstra and he was saying the fibre optics isn't even going to your door. Only too the node and then the old copper stuff to your door, ridiculous

They are yummy Carmine!! DCC is a different animal for sure but OHM's law still applies though with all the digital stuff on the rails as well, it gets a bit tricky. I think the best compromise is to have CB's at the command station, feeding local circuit if thats what you want?. It was interesting to see that no decoders were damaged, as all the current went through the axel. I was lucky but never should leave a loco running on a layout unattended! Thanks for watching. Gregg.

You indeed got lucky Gregg! That will probably be my plan as well, CB at the Command Station, and 1156 bulbs around the districts. From what I remember, 1156 are 40 watts, and 1156NA are 45 watts. The obvious difference being the NA is Amber, for turn signals. I'd love to see yours after retrofit. Carmine 🚂

We sure are Les..LOL . I'm looking at a few different CB's to add to this, as I feel having both is the way to go. The NCE is pretty bullet proof alright, I have come back to the layout a few times and it's clicking on and off with a short!! Thanks for watching. Cheers Gregg.

Don't let it get away from you too much Scott, or you'll have to go back and do things again! Cheers Gregg.

LOL.....cooking plastic!!

Hi Stu, NCE fail to say that and that does make more sense , as I started out with a power cab on my temporary layout and it would only run about 4 locos. ECB's are the go along with local bulbs for a quick indication is the go I feel. Thanks for the feedback! Cheers Gregg.

LMAO....thats about when I lost interest as well!! Thanks for watching Peter. Gregg :-)

The NCE bulbs are a problem Steve, as are all bulb ideas, OK for a quick short, but a CB is what is needed to really protect your layout! Cheers Gregg.

Yes I did Skip and I see you found part 2 !! The bulbs have their place as a local warning but you need ECB's for proper protection. Cheers and thanks for watching. Gregg.

Hi Frank , This is a RMS meter and I checked the values with my work Fluke as well. It seems with further testing that the bulbs are not suitable and there is too much voltage drop across them, which I always thought might happen. Since this video I have done more testing and this is a failure for a layout of this size, which I suspected , so a lesson learnt and some ECB's will be installed and these bulbs will be used in yards and industries. Cheers Gregg.

Yes Bryan! As it is it cost me a new truck, about $40 .00 and could of literally caused a fire or at least fried a decoder! So a rethink of this system is needed I think. Thanks for watching. Cheers Gregg.

Yes, that was my fear on the loco that derailed! Some of the layout was still powered but a few other locos were on the section. Could of been a lot worse, so I was lucky...should've followed the "6P'S" >LOL Cheers Gregg.

Thats' true Art, the power still remains on and the bulb takes the "shorts"current, which if wired correctly, should be around 1 amp. As I mention in the video, I feel ECB's should be used for the main protection and bulbs for local overload protection if required. This loco sat for nearly 2 hrs shorted out with no damage to the Tsunami 2 decoder, but destroyed a truck! A ECB set at 2-3 amps would of prevented this for sure so I do agree , hence the video ! Cheers Gregg :-).

I am a Journeyman Electrician, and I totally agree with you Arthur. Just save up your money and buy an EB-1( or other name brand DCC Breaker) for each of your power districts. They may be $40 ea. in Australia, but I pay between $20 and $24 ea. for mine. The EB-1 also has a connection for an LED panel indicator.

Thanks Russ, this was a test to see the limits of this system as I had my doubts on how it would handle all my locos. It has proven to be underrated for the job as I suspected but it was a interesting experiment! I still feel the lamps can be used in a small area with little traffic, such as a industry or small yard? But as I stated I also feel ECB's are the go for the main protection of the layout as you say, so they are on the shopping list in the near future. Cheers Gregg.

Thanks Greg. You did come to the right conclusion towards the end: bulbs are much better for overloads, not short circuits, especially a dead short. The only solution for a dead short is to open up the circuit instantaneously before it causes damage to equipment. Usually at Model railroad low voltages, fire is not an issue. It could be though, if the current gets high enough with a spark and combustibles under the layout. A bulb would work ok in a true overload situation, such as the Loco hitting a physical obstruction and locking the motor up causing it to draw locked rotor current. The bulb in theory, would lower that current in the Loco back down to a safe level, giving you time to remove the obstruction and keeping your feeder wires from heating up. The circuit, however, would remain on for other users. As an Electrician, with over two decades of training and experience I would use either fuses or Breakers for short circuit protection even with low Model railroad voltages. I think you will be much happier with the electronic circuit breakers. And instead of having to look under your layout for indication, you can have remote LED indication in your panel if you want to.

Thats correct and I feel having both is a good compromise especially f you have a lot of power districts. Cheers Gregg.

yeah the eb1 and psx1 are very dear here in aus got one of both

Thanks Kim, A glitch in the upload, it should of been video with the bulbs glowing, but my internet is so slow it's too painful to repost it! As I say , I feel ECB's are the go for main protection and bulbs can be use for overload on small sections. Thanks for the comments and watching. Cheers Gregg