Dcc booster

Question

If a DCC booster is added to a 5×12 HO layout is it still necessary to use feeder wires?

in progress 0
3 Answers
0

Answers ( 3 )

    0
    2024-01-15T14:41:24+00:00
    Reply

    The answer is yes, you still need the feeder wires.
    Multiple feeder wires are there to compensate for the track resistance and losses.
    A booster will only make a higher total current available for your layout, but has no effect on the distribution over the rails.

    0
    2024-01-22T07:38:59+00:00
    Reply

    When I started to put my plans into action for my garden layout I decided to use surplus heavy duty copper cable as a track-bus and attach every length of track to it via droppers. As my main track loop is about 200Ft in length I used 6mm cable as the main feeder and 0.75mm as the droppers from the track to the bus wire, this has virtually eliminated the usual voltage drop that would normally occur if the track joiners(fish-plates) were used as power connectors, the fish-plates are still used but only to align the track connections correctly. Cable size for your track bus depends on the length of your track runs, I used the ‘old-fashioned’ rule of what will do a lot will do a little, it worked for me.

    0
    2024-01-22T19:48:35+00:00
    Reply

    I agree with the above. My last two layouts in HO scale are around 12 ft x 5 ft and my rule of thumb is no more than 6 feet of track for each feeder. My layouts are DC but the voltages don’t care about DC or DCC, they only care about length of track and size of feeder wire. So one drop for every two full sections of flex track. If you are using a bus then I would use at least 16 gauge wire for the bus and consider either 14 or 12 gauge depending on how many engines you want to run at once. I would suggest 20 gauge for the feeder wires. It is small enough that soldering it directly to the rails in the outside webs or on the bottom isn’t too painful and doesn’t impact the total resistance too badly. I use wet paper toweling folded over 4 or 5 times to 1 inch squares on the ties and rails beside where I want the wire to go. Alternately, solder the drop wire to the bottom of a pair of rail joinders in the middle of the section.

    Good Luck and Have Fun. Ray

Leave an answer

Browse
Browse