If you've ever broken detail off by handling ...

If you've ever broken detail off a nice car or loco from handling, yes, there's good reason to minimize handling your locos.

These days, there's also ops mode programming - or programming on the main as it's sometimes called. Most of the time, that's sufficient and you can get by without using the programming track. If you need to debug a decoder and read back the settings - the programming track is your only option.

You can connect the programing track off of a switch.

You just gap both rails for the programing spur and install a double pole double throw switch to the spur.  In one position it connects to the main, in the other position it becomes the programing track.  Then you don't need to handle locomotives on and off the programing track, and you have the programing track available if you need it.

While that works, be careful

While that works, you can blow the programming circuits in your command station if a loco ever bridges the gaps between the regular layout and the programming track while you're trying to put things in programming mode.

The safer option is to use a 4PDT toggle and wire in a longer than a loco length dead section. That way you'll never accidentally blow the programming circuits in your command station because a loco bridged the gaps accidentally.

Here's how to wire the 4PDT for programming:

And here it is set to "run":

Good Idea

I should have noted that my issue with the turnouot for the program track spur is that it is outside of the hidden track room because I do not want to put the turnout within the workroom (helix) as I wanted to eliminate any chance of an operator waiting for the train to re-emerge from the hidden area, only to find out it was on the floor in there. This is also the problem I invisioned for the spur turnout on the outside of the room. I was worried that if an operator intended to send the train to the hidden helix and actually sent it to the program track ... uh-oh.

Joe, your idea would solve that issue. If the wrong route is selected, the train would stop on the program track, actually before the program track, not the floor. And, no hand crane needed. As always, you da man.

Thanks,

Allan Beechey

I have taken Joes advice

I have taken Joes advice about the programing track and have put it near the engine terminal on a spir dedicated to Programing.

I run which ever engine I want to program onto to this siding and Have a DPDT switch connected first to a isolated 12 inch intermediate section before reaching the programing track that has a red and Green light attached to the 1st of 2 DPDT switches when the Green lamp is lit standard DCC is on the track I flip the switch and the red lamp is lit  No power is on this 12 inch section of track.

beyond this 12inch section of track is a an 18 inch section of track also Isolated from all power except by another  DPDT switch and with the same arrangement of lights so as long as all lights on the DPDT are Red the two sections of track have no power.

Finally I have a 3rd DPDT switch and a white light that comes on when the 18 inch section of programmer track is live and ready for programing and is red when no power is on the rails. The three lamps are also wired so that if the lights on either or both of the first two lamps go to Green a relay automatically shuts off the Program track and activates a Buzzer. I have no intention of shorting out my system and frying any of my decoders or my DCC system.

the schamtic looks very much like Joes except my ends at a dead end!

I a firm believer in its better to be safe than to be sorry.

Dan

Thanks Dan.I am curious as

Thanks Dan.

I am curious as to the purpose of the two dead sections, or am I overthinking? You did say that you were xtra careful. Is this it?

Also , can you describe how you wired the indicator lights?

Thanks

Allan Beechey

dead sections...

The dead sections prevent engines from rolling into the programming track accidently and becoming reprogrammed.

The dead sections prevent "shorting"

The dead sections prevent "shorting" the programming track with the main track bus power.

The bus power is full power, while the programming track is very low power. If you bridge live programming track rails with live main track rails (easily done by metal loco wheels), you risk blowing the programming circuits in your DCC command station.

The dead sections prevent that bad event from ever happening because the dead section is longer than your longest loco wheelbase (1.5 times just to be safe).

The 4PDT toggle lets you throw the toggle one way to "run" and all rails, including the dead sections, are connected to the main power bus and act like normal track on the rest of the layout.

Throwing the toggle the other way to "program" makes the dead sections go dead, and connects the programming section in the middle to the programming feeds out of the DCC command station.

My bad, I thought Dan meant

My bad, I thought Dan meant he had 2 dead sections THEN the program track. Need to read more carefully.

AB

NCE System

Sorry, but I'm back. I just read (somewhere) that the NCE PowerPro system shuts down all trackpower when in programming mode. I am planning on using Joe's wiring (above) anyway, but was curious if this is true (I have not upgraded to the NCE system yet.

thanks,

Allan Beechey

Preceng I wired Mine

Preceng I wired Mine exactingly like Joe did in his picture above.

The difference is My track Ends at a Dead end and I have DPDT Center off toggle switches and when the toggles Hit the center Off position they light up a Red light to let me know no power is going through that toggle to any track.

Once they all become Red and my engine is setting on the Programming track I can then flip the last toggle past center to activate the Programming section and I don't have to worry about shorting any thing.

Dan

For Allen...

I think confusion sets in.  The NCE systems that have the command station or booster with separate sets of wires for the main and the programming track  will not turn off power to the main to use the programming track. 

The confusion stems from the Power Cab. It has only 2  wires from it's command station.  So to program on the program track it needs to kill the main and go into program mode as it is using the same wires.  They tell you to add a DPDT switch to make life easier and safer as all programming done will be sent on all tracks, unless you have the DPDT switch or have removed all the locos from the layout as the manual states.

To resume any booster or command station with double sets of wires , one for the main and another for program track, will not kill the main while programming is going on. At least that is how I read it. 

I use Digitrax. The Db150 has this issue. Not the DCS100 or the Zephyr.

Marc Fournier, Quebec

program track

Hi Guys

I'm new to DCC and have NCE. This discussion is very interesting and will probably save me some grief later. I do have a question now. I have read that programming is sometimes hard to get done but if I were to buy one of the electronic modules offered in the media it appears all my potential problems would disapear. Is this true, or would following the wiring suggested be all that is required.

Thanks- Ha4l

Simultaneous ops and programming

Dunno about NCE but my Digitrax Chief system can run the layout and the programming track at the same time. FWIW.

Charlie

?

Can you be a tad more specific about the  potential  problem you refer to and what electronics device you speak of.

Marc Fournier, Quebec

Some decoders (sound

Some decoders (sound decoders) require considerable "oomph" from the program track drivers. In some cases, the programmer drivers built into a command station are not capable of this much "oomph".  In this case you  need to buy a program track booster. You plug the program track into the output of the booster and ahd the programmer outputs of the command station into the input of the booster. Boosters have their own power (usually a wall wart power supply).  Voila! Enough "oomph".  Soundtraxx decoders may require these. Some Qsi decoders too. Your decoder manufacturer should have list of which devices require programming 'help'.

This does not apply to programming on the main (ops mode programming).

Charlie

program track

I presume that this post is a responce to mine yesterday.

If so, I am talking about a booster such as PowerPax from the DC/DCC dealers assoc ad in the March 2010 MRR mag (page 15).  I talked to a local dealer and he advised against this product in favor on one that he is selling for more money. The locos that I have are BLI and Atlas. I have not contacted NCE yet so maybe I don't have a problem other than lack of knowledge.

Thanks for any help.

Ha4l

+ +

The program track boosters, as Charlie is stating, are mainly require in the case of sound decoders; Soundtraxx, QSI.  If the locos are not sound equiped, no need for the program track booster. Digitrax sound decoders do not require any track booster from what I have read.

If you have sound equiped locos or plan on getting sound equiped locos or decoders, from my personnal expereince with both the PowerPax and the Soundtraxx PTB-100 led me  to drop the PowerPax and continue with the PTB-100 with my Digitrax systems.  The PowerPax worked with some. no with others. The PTB-100 workes with all I have so far. 

Marc Fournier, Quebec 

If you haven't purchased your

If you haven't purchased your DCC system yet Let me make one suggestion.

A little over a year ago I purchased My first DCC system after talking to what I now consider experts and I'm personally happy with what I bought. What I bought is The Digital Plus set 100. It contains the LH100 Digital controller and the LZV100 Command/Power Station. This system is a DCC system that will allow you to program any engine any place on your Railroad and actually states "DO NOT use any type of power booster to program any Sound or Power decoder as the LZV100 well exceeds any required power. I have since purchased the LI101F Computer Interface which allows me to use the JMRI computer interface system for programming all my equipment. and the LI101F also allows me to up-grade my LZV100 power station with the latest software with a simple push of a button. Digital Plus also sells a little device The XPA. The XPA allows me to use any cordless phone to operate my engines. So with my XPA I also have a totally cordless system and with a new up grade coming very soon I will be able to use My Blackberry cell phone to operate my trains too.

Just a suggestion as so far I have never had any trouble what so ever and now most all of my engines have DCC & Sound. Even though I do have a designated Programming Track I don't have to use it if I see fit.

All componets included I paid a total off $428.00 for everything but the Blackberry and the cordless phones and I bought the three cordless phones at a Yard Sale for $30.00.

Dan

program track

I have NCE. I am using BLI locos with sound. The booster makes sense as I have read somewhere that some sound decoders need more power to program. Is this true and will any booster work or is the higher priced local booster to be preferred.

Thanks again to all who responded.

Ha4l

It depends

The answer is, it depends on what system you have. Some systems, like the NCE Powercab or EasyDCC system (latest version) have what's called "blast mode" programming built in.

MRH Sponsor Litchfield has a nice summary page here of what systems need programming boosters.

Also, if you rely on Ops mode programming (programming on the main), then programming track boosting isn't an issue. These days, you can program just about everything on the main if you want - you just can't read back CV values on the main.

+ +

Again this all only relates to sound decoders.

NCE PowerCab, EasyDCC and the Digitrax Zephyr have blast mode programming.  On the Zephyr it is not documented but a change to an OPSW #7 enables the blast mode, then no need for the booster.  Blast mode has one draw back, it is sent out everywhere. So you must remove ALL other decoders from the track; main or program, or risk scrambling decoders and ruffeling a few feathers at the club..

The track booster is not required if you use OPS mode programming, but with tools like DecoderPro you would be best advised  to get one, so you can read back and save configuration variable settings.  Nothing worse than having to re-program 256 CV by throttle because you inadvertantly scrambled your decoders brains.   

Marc Fournier,  Quebec

Personally I'd rather be safe

Personally I'd rather be safe then sorry so if you ask me build an isolated spur and use it as a programming track. There is almost nothing worse than deleting all your engines programming at once or program every engine with the same address and push the go button and have 20 engines lurch forward or backward at the same time. Not to mention possibly smoking your command station

Dan

Pictures

Joe,

    Please see is the pictures can be reloaded.  I know I asked before and they reappeared, but this time not.

Thank you

USMick78