Bruce You Have One Skill Most of Older Folks Don't

You can remember all the neat tricks that work for you long enough to write them down.  Thanks, this is a use of space in MRH.

DCC tricks

Great tricks as always,   thanks Bruce

Tips

Always something to learn in your column. It's not easy to come up with such neat stuff for you monthly tome,but you never disappoint. I look forward to your pointers every month and it is my first read before moving on to the  other articles. How's that for pressure to produce?

DCC Tricks

Every month, your column just makes me want to be a better modeler.

DCC TIPS

To determine the amount of space in a cavity or to find the clearance between the top of the weight and the inside of a shell, I use Plasticine. Put a small amount where needed, reassemble, disassemble and measure.

John

Block Detector Devices and Electronic Controllers

Bruce,

I am in the planning stage of creating blocks and determining the types of detectors needed for control.  My blocks will be used to route trains using the computer.  The detectors will be used to identify occupied blocks, run signals and stop the locomotive's momentum at the correct spot.  This may look as though I know something, but it is what I have read at the various software provider sites which leave open the type of detectors to install.  I am most interested in the various detectors and electronic modules available ready made from suppliers.  How they work.  How they must be set up on the layout and how they are best wired.  I would hope all suppliers would be willing to work with you on this project for the publicity?  I am sure others may be as confused as I am as to what choices are available and from whom.

Once we have an understanding of their uses, maybe we can test your expertise and build some SIMPLE electronic controllers from scratch.

Eye Drops

In your tip #10 you said that you kept a bottle of eye drops in your hobby room/workshop to bath tired eyes.

I would caution against this as many adhesives, paints and other toxic brews are contained in similar sized and shaped bottles.  I would be horrified to hear of a modeler with tired eyes using the wrong solution by mistake.

Eye drops belong in the bathroom or first aid cabinet.  A better alternative for the hobby room is a small first aid kit with some saline solution to flush the eyes in the event of an emergency.

Bruce.  I have used a hack

Bruce.

I have used a hack saw with great success trimming weight out of locomotives to make room for decoders. One good tip is to run wires in a channel cut into the frame with either a hack saw or a cut off disk in a motor tool. That works great on those half frame type of locos for running wires to the trucks instead of relying on the wipers.

Thank you for the articles and keep up the great job you are doing.

Pete

Detection

TIPS

Lots of great ideas to make life easier.

Detection

This is a planned column in the near future.

Lots of folks are becoming interested in signaling.

Note to any manufacturers reading this, I know of some detectors and single board signaling systems, but would love to hear from you if you think you have a product I might not have seen.

Apology

Thank you all for the kind words.

I must apologize for some aspects of this month’s column. I was preparing for a trip to Europe and working on finishing the column. I thought I put the correct amount of effort into it, but obviously not. Several mistakes made it into print. I was riding high speed trains in Italy when the issue was being created and was unavailable to edit the final cut.

So, here are (at least some of) the problems.

The wrong photo made it into the column for figure 1. I did a test photo just holding the work piece and that made its way into the column. In the desired photo, shown below, the work piece is being held in vice grip pliers. 

The paper cutter shown in figure 2 will cut styrene sheets up to 0.1 inches thick, way more than the 0.01 inches mentioned in the text.

The text near figure 8, dealing with gravity was backward. I put the light bar in the vise and stood the LED on it, as the photo shows!

Near figure 10, I should have said that I keep that bottle in the workshop, not on the workbench! As has been noted, you don't want to mix up eye drops and cyanoacrylic cement or some such!

That all said, my trip came when I needed to be working on July’s column. That, coupled with the anticipated coverage of the NMRA national convention, led to a decision that there will be no DCC Impulses column for July. Look for one again in August.

Tips 101

Thanks for sharing such useful tips.  Looking forward to the signaling column.

Tips

Thanks for your collection of tips.  Many will be very handy.

Thank you all for your support.

Dear Bruce - Do You Suppose It Might Be Because

you are providing outstanding ideas that even the slowest of us can following.  Your gift of clarity is such that no matter what the experience level of your audience, we all seem to be able to understand your ideas and we can learn from everything you have presented.  'Tis a true gift.  Thanks for coming through month after month.