July Update

The extent of my activities were curtailed somewhat again this month as I was "down with a bug" for another two weeks.  However activities have included an Ops session, power problem solving, a weekend with Spacky & Jock in Pt Augusta, Rosslyn's DecoderPro and attempting to solve a control panel indication Issue.

Ops Session 1st July

Chris, Barry, Don, John, Peter J, Peter S, Wayne and I gatherered to run session 4 and we commenced the session.

Wayne

Peter S and Barry

Barry

John, Don, Peter S & Chris

Chris, Me (well my back anyway), Barry & Wayne

About 30 minutes in and the gremlins started appearing as one section of the layout powered by "Booster B" was irregulary dying and all power going AWOL.....

Below is the result

The session was abandoned....


Afternoon tea was held a couple of hours early.....

A rerun is required after a fix is found and implemented.

Booster B Power Capacity Issues

I installed a Tam Valley Dumb Booster immediately downstream of the existing 2.7A booster and still had the same problems as outlined above.

I commenced a technical dialouge with DCC Specialties via email detailing my configuration, including all the versions of PSX's & PSX-AR's I have installed and spares I am holding.  Then I detailed the issues being experienced.

Power District B

Installed PSX Version

Installed PSX-AR Version

Spare PSX Version

Spare PSX-AR Version

The result of the back and forth emails seems to come down to two issues: the booster capacity; and the booster reaction time to a short circuit.  The Tam Valley Frog Juicers and the PSX-AR's induce a spike of around 1.5A during the activation and operation sequence. With my maximum current draw for trains at 4.2A the booster needs to tolerate a peak of 6A whilst the PSX-AR's/Frog Juicers operate.

I suggested I could separate the feed to PSX's 4, 5, 6 & 7 and feed from a from a separate booster as they all feed the upper level.  However the technical advice was it would be better to install a more robust booster suggesting a Lenz LV102 which would withstand the peak and have a slower reaction time (100ms) relative to the reaction time of the PSX-AR's/Frog Juicers.

Roco have a new product - 10789 Booster Adaptor - which will allow the implementation of a high capacity booster with the control system I run - the Multi ZENTRALEpro with 10765 Boosters.

Connection Details by System

I will replace "Booster B" a 10765 with the Adapter and the CDE Booster (LV 102).

I will report back when the bits which have been ordered arrive and have been installed and tested.

Pt Augusta Weekend

I had the opportunity to go stay with Spacky & Jock for a weekend and we had a fun time.  There were several different activity sessions during my stay which I will briefly outline below.

Spacky's Lighting Installations

Spacky has taken to separating his number boards from the headlights in some locos and has been removing the factory insalled stuff and reconfiguring so he has sepate controls for lights and number boards etc.  His use of small LED's looks great - far more detailed than I have attempted to date. Sorry I forgot to take photos.

Trainmasters TV & Train Videos

We enjoyed many hours of Trainmasters TV broadcast from from my laptop to the bigscreen TV along with some of Spacky's DVD's.

Jock Relaxing

Spacky Relaxing

Me too...

Introducing Podcasts

Both Spacky & Jock had not listened to any of the podcasts apart from an excert from Model Rail Radio I sent them in the past.

I setup iTunes for both of them and they now has the usual suspects to listen to.

We called into Model Rail Radio Show 160 should you want to hear the boys have a chat with Tom.

BBQ

Saturday night was feast night with Jock cooking a great BBQ, Spacky had done his usual potato bake and we did have some salads.  Afterwards I was full as a goog....  A couple of bottles of fine red wine were consumed too.

Nothing like watching the footy when different family members barrack for different teams.

Spacky was allowed red wine.  Why? you ask...

Spacky's Potato Bake

Jock doing the cook up

I could not get any more on the plate - Yes we did have seconds....

Thanks for a great weekend boys - I look forward to the next one!

Rosslyn's DecoderPro

I spent a day with Rosslyn and we got his old laptop going and updated his Java and JMRI version to what the old laptop will run.

It was a hard lesson to learn when Rosslyn discovered we needed to know what particular deocder or decoders are in each loco - a lot of work to take shells off ahead....

Rosslyn has many locos with two decoders as he added sound when it became available but no decoder locking has been implemented so some desolder and resolder work ahead too as they are virtually all hard wired.

We agreed I need to come back for another fulll day toget him upto speed on using Decoderpro to configure sound levels and speed settings.

Control Panel Indications

I have had issues with the LED indication for the top level double crossover near Onka Valley.  They were showing both diverging and stariaght through indications on one side.  Wayne gave me a hand with fault finding and the offending LED's appear to be getting fed from the adjacent power district - looks like I wired it wrong when I retrofitted the indicators.  Murphy is at work as the connections and wire ID's are behind the main loom - fun times ahead....

I will get to this sometime next month.

That's it for now so untill next time.....

-ooOOOoo-

June Update

This month has seen a shakedown run at Rosslyn's Sandgate and Southern, more planning for session 4, a potential solution for my power problem and Don's layout at the Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition.  The extent of my activities were curtailed somewhat as I was "down with a bug" for nearly three weeks.

Shakedown Run - Sandgate & Southern

Six of us got together to have a shakedown run only using the main lines and we were able to run four concourrent trains and Rosslyn did a few shunt movements too.  Don took the photos and videos that I have put together below.

L-R Barry, Peter S, Rosslyn, Me and Don

L-R Barry, Peter S, Chris, Me and Rosslyn

Here is a video showing the trains we ran.

Ops Planning - Session 4

I have to get this completed before my next operating session on 1 July.

The plan now shows 40 scheduled mainline movements and 17 Hornertown Yard movements.  They have been plotted on a train grapgh to prove it works.  I still have to prepare the job cards and switchlists.

Power Capacity Issues

During Session 3 and the Fun Run there were times when Booster Section B has been drawing too much current in total - all the PSX's remained open but the Booster Shut down.  During session 3 I counted 12 "alive locos" all running off a 2.7A continuous 3.2A peak Booster.   More power is required so after checking in with Duncan McRee at Tam Valley Depot (who hosted Rosslyn & I for an evening back in 2016) I ordered one of his 5A boosters and Power Supplies.  I will install it immediately downstream of the existing 2.7A booster and see how it goes at the next operationg session on 1st July.

Crystal Brook (Warnertown end)

I mentioned last month that I spent a day helping Don with some wiring for his display layout. Well I went to help set it up on the Friday of the long weekend and during the afternoon came down with a "nasty bug" that laid me out for the next three days - I missed the show.

I did manage to take a few photos on the Friday and have copied with permission photos from Don's Facebook page.  I was dissappointed that I did not get to operate during the show so I will have to wait until next year.

Don modelled the start of the double track section that runs from Crystal Brook to Coonamai, just south of Port Pirie. The section modelled is known as Warnertown End by train control, even though it is some 18 km south of Warnertown on the Adelaide to Port Augusta mainline.  He ran prototypical trains of today.  He depicted himself and Rosslyn trainspotting and filming on one section and a train crew waiting for a crew swap at another.

Reports were many could easily recognise the section of track, its features and the train consists.

I think Don did an excellent job - well done!!!

Sorry I was not at the show long enough to take phtos of other exhibits.

Till next time.....

-ooOOOoo-