POWdrummer Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Basically, i have a dcc layout and it all runs fine but as soon as i open a certain point from the that point to another point the track is dead but as soon as you go past those points its live again its as if there is no power meaning it to be dead but there are clips in the between the points which should carry the power as its all dcc. Somebody please help ive been trying to find an asnwer for weeks. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Have you got these fitted to your pointshttps://www.hornby.com/uk-en/hornby-digital-electric-point-clips.htmlRob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 If the R8232 Digital Point Clips were missing or not making connection then you would be experiencing the exact same symptoms. Also, just having two rail joiners that are loose, tarnished or corroded on the same rail in that section will have the same effect. So as well as looking at the point clips as described below, systematically check each and every track joiner in that section as well..The points act as electrical switches and only switch power to the route that they are switched to. Without the clip, the point also relies on the physical contact between the side of the moving rail and the side of the fixed rail. If the contact areas between the clips (R8232 clips) and the side of the rails become loose or dirty then power is lost to the section of track between the points. Do not rely on your eyes, what might look to be a good connection may very well be microscopically dirty..Remove the clips and clean the side contact pressure points of the rails with a chemical cleaner such as IPA (IsoPropyl Alcohol) on a cotton bud. Then replace the clips with NEW clips to be sure of good clean electrical contact. Also take the opportunity to clean the side of the switch (moving rails) where they make contact with the side of the stock (fixed) rails. If these clips are carrying a significant amount of power through them, they can overheat and tarnish. The tarnish accelerates this loss of electrical continuity through the clip and the point..If you want to be 'belt n braces' then you could supplement the power connection to the section of the track that becomes dead by fitting an additional R8201 link wire kit. The R8201 kit is basically a pair of R8242 DCC power clips with a short length of wire pair that allows you to bridge the suspect dead area of track to an adjacent known good area of powered track. Fitting a R8201 kit will also eliminate the reliance of the R8232 clips for electrical continuity, thus reducing the risk of further tarnishing due to higher than ideal current flowing through them..Many members on here do away with the need to rely on the R8232 clips altogether by installing a DCC Bus to evenly distribute DCC power to all sections of the layout. A DCC power BUS is basically a pair of thick wires that run under the baseboard under the track route to which thinner track droppers are connected at strategic locations. These thinner dropper wires are then soldered to the underside or outside of the track rails. The BUS and droppers are not official Hornby orderable parts as they are a 'user' custom modification but easily implemented if you have soldering skills. The principle is similar to the R8201 link wire kit idea but neater and more extensive across the layout, plus you don't have the big physical R8242 track power clips on show..DCC is far more susceptible than DC to poor track electrical conductivity. So not only do the points provide a typical DCC electrical failure location. The track joiners themselves can become loose and tarnished. Installing a BUS, if done to the extreme overkill of providing droppers on every individual track piece, means that the track joiners are just relegated to the function of holding the track together in alignment with the BUS providing ALL the power distribution and electrical conductivity. A BUS implementation does of course, mean that the layout has to be permanently fixed to a baseboard as it cannot then be easily dismantled at the end of a play session..TIP: You must get the wires of the R8201 the right way round, if they are fitted in reverse, you create a short circuit. See this drawing below for details on connecting them correctly../media/tinymce_upload/b4f6fa66a516bc667da4cd0ee8b2ce74.jpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog RJ Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 It would be really helpful if you could upload a track drawing or photo of you layout to help diagnose your problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWdrummer Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Ive fixed the problem the track clips to transfer the power, one wasnt in correctly alll works fine now though thanks alot for your help everyone :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissaf Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I assume that our answers above helped you to focus on the point clips as your issue. The reason I say that is because you said you had been trying to resolve the problem for weeks, and I find it strange that you didn't consider the point clips as the problem sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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