Well, it is Thursday and I am still waiting on track pieces to arrive. In the meantime the Amtrak P42 Phase VI set showed up. Here is my initial first thoughts in the form of a mini review of it:
The rig is packed in what I believe is the standard packaging for Kato multi-car sets. The CN starter set had the freight cars packed in a very similar package.
The locomotive and cars are nestled nicely in form fitting cut foam. The first thing I noticed was how long the passenger cars are. The are also lighter than I expected. I accidentally dropped one of the passenger cars on the carpet and it dismantled itself very readily to my surprise. The damage looked worse than it was and everything reassembled easily - the top, the trucks and wheels all snapped in place. I did notice that the trucks have connections to copper strips that run the length of the car to the other set of trucks. Presumably this is to bridge power or to power an interior light. I'm thinking it must be for a light accessory. Yup, a quick google search and Amazon confirms that Kato sells a lighting kit for these cars. Link to kit
The locomotive is solid, heavy and looks like it means business. Can't wait till we have some track down so we can see how well it runs.
There has been some effort to cleanup and re-arrange the office community space. The train table has been a challenge to find a spot that allows for access from several sides and isn't in the way. After trying several locations, I think we landed on a spot that isn't too bad.
The table really needs someplace to put the power pack and turnout switches. This picture is a spoiler of the next post so ignore the track for now :) I think I'm going to hang a piece of 1x4 under the table, maybe on some drawer slides. That will give us something to wire to.
I have done some more research into DCC. The system seems super flexible and the right path to adding sound to the locomotives. After a lot of reading, and this is a good reference, I decided to go with the opensource DCC++ project instead of a commercial solution. The DCC++ software looks straightforward to implement and allows the use of different controllers/throttles. Plus, it runs on an Arduino which always makes thing more fun. The Arduino is paired with a motor controller shield which it uses to create the encoded signals.
Here is a rundown of the main components of DCC and what I am going to use with the DCC++ system.
Power Supply
DCC++ uses a DC power supply between 12-14v and up to 3 Amps. Many people seem to find old laptop power supplies suitable. I put out a call to my work colleagues to see if anyone had old laptop power supplies laying around. Being we are all techies, this was the right crowd to ask. Dop came up with an old Dell laptop power supply that puts out 19v at 5 Amps. The voltage is a little high but we should be able to knock it down with a resistor and a smartly chosen zener diode - that design is still TBD. I want to take the power supply to the local FabLab and use their oscilloscope to see how clean the DC voltage is before committing to using it for DCC.
OR
I can just buy a 14v 3A supply. <sigh> I'll probably go that route if modifying the 19v supply doesn't work out or becomes too much of a struggle.
Command Station
This is the DCC++ software that runs on the Arduino and motor shield hardware combination. Since the Arduino project opensources their design, you can buy cheap Chinese knock-offs and get the whole setup for under $10. I wanted to support the Arduino project so I purchased the components straight from the Arduino store. The parts arrived quickly and look to be well made. I haven't actually tried to power them up yet.
Booster
My understanding of the role of the booster is to combine the encoding from the command station with the base voltage from the power supply. You can add additional boosters to provide additional feeds to the layout. I think that is only needed if you want to provide more current, otherwise you can run more feeders from the same booster to provide more coverage.
Throttle
The throttle or cab control is the unit you use to drive the trains and control sound and turnouts and anything else DCC enabled. The DCC++ system comes with Throttle software you run on a PC that is connected to the Arduino. But you can also use the JMRI opensource project and create wireless throttles using cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc. I'm thinking the JMRI route is the way to go.
Decoders
The decoder lives in the locomotives or turnouts or anything you want to control with DCC. There are many manufacturers of decoders and I haven't yet started to figure out which ones I will need to fully enable my small locomotive fleet with DCC. The Bachmann 44 tonner has DCC built in so that will become my test locomotive as I build out the DCC++ system.
It has been a couple days since I started this posting and most of the track has arrived as well as the riser/incline set. Also the Electro-motiv locomotive was delivered. Now to drop all this off at the office and hopefully we will get to assemble a layout this weekend.
Here is a summary of the locomotives acquired so far:
The locomotive and cars are nestled nicely in form fitting cut foam. The first thing I noticed was how long the passenger cars are. The are also lighter than I expected. I accidentally dropped one of the passenger cars on the carpet and it dismantled itself very readily to my surprise. The damage looked worse than it was and everything reassembled easily - the top, the trucks and wheels all snapped in place. I did notice that the trucks have connections to copper strips that run the length of the car to the other set of trucks. Presumably this is to bridge power or to power an interior light. I'm thinking it must be for a light accessory. Yup, a quick google search and Amazon confirms that Kato sells a lighting kit for these cars. Link to kit
The locomotive is solid, heavy and looks like it means business. Can't wait till we have some track down so we can see how well it runs.
There has been some effort to cleanup and re-arrange the office community space. The train table has been a challenge to find a spot that allows for access from several sides and isn't in the way. After trying several locations, I think we landed on a spot that isn't too bad.
I have done some more research into DCC. The system seems super flexible and the right path to adding sound to the locomotives. After a lot of reading, and this is a good reference, I decided to go with the opensource DCC++ project instead of a commercial solution. The DCC++ software looks straightforward to implement and allows the use of different controllers/throttles. Plus, it runs on an Arduino which always makes thing more fun. The Arduino is paired with a motor controller shield which it uses to create the encoded signals.
Here is a rundown of the main components of DCC and what I am going to use with the DCC++ system.
Power Supply
DCC++ uses a DC power supply between 12-14v and up to 3 Amps. Many people seem to find old laptop power supplies suitable. I put out a call to my work colleagues to see if anyone had old laptop power supplies laying around. Being we are all techies, this was the right crowd to ask. Dop came up with an old Dell laptop power supply that puts out 19v at 5 Amps. The voltage is a little high but we should be able to knock it down with a resistor and a smartly chosen zener diode - that design is still TBD. I want to take the power supply to the local FabLab and use their oscilloscope to see how clean the DC voltage is before committing to using it for DCC.
OR
I can just buy a 14v 3A supply. <sigh> I'll probably go that route if modifying the 19v supply doesn't work out or becomes too much of a struggle.
Command Station
This is the DCC++ software that runs on the Arduino and motor shield hardware combination. Since the Arduino project opensources their design, you can buy cheap Chinese knock-offs and get the whole setup for under $10. I wanted to support the Arduino project so I purchased the components straight from the Arduino store. The parts arrived quickly and look to be well made. I haven't actually tried to power them up yet.Booster
My understanding of the role of the booster is to combine the encoding from the command station with the base voltage from the power supply. You can add additional boosters to provide additional feeds to the layout. I think that is only needed if you want to provide more current, otherwise you can run more feeders from the same booster to provide more coverage.
Throttle
The throttle or cab control is the unit you use to drive the trains and control sound and turnouts and anything else DCC enabled. The DCC++ system comes with Throttle software you run on a PC that is connected to the Arduino. But you can also use the JMRI opensource project and create wireless throttles using cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc. I'm thinking the JMRI route is the way to go.
Decoders
The decoder lives in the locomotives or turnouts or anything you want to control with DCC. There are many manufacturers of decoders and I haven't yet started to figure out which ones I will need to fully enable my small locomotive fleet with DCC. The Bachmann 44 tonner has DCC built in so that will become my test locomotive as I build out the DCC++ system.
It has been a couple days since I started this posting and most of the track has arrived as well as the riser/incline set. Also the Electro-motiv locomotive was delivered. Now to drop all this off at the office and hopefully we will get to assemble a layout this weekend.
Here is a summary of the locomotives acquired so far:
| prototype | road name | manufacturer | tech | DCC decoder | sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GE 44 Tonner | Generic | Bachmann | DCC/DC | Bachmann | None |
| "GEVO" ES44AC | CN | Kato | DC | tbd | tbd |
| Electro-Motiv SD-60 | Generic | Atlas | DC | tbd | tbd |
| Amtrak P42 | Amtrak | Kato | DC | tbd | tbd |
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