john_m0ers Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hi, I've read peoples problems of points melting for un-discovered reasons, and other problems regarding shorts. Is it ok to use resettable fuses on a dcc layout that has power zones? I see banks of car light bubs used as short protectors, which also indicate the problem area. If its ok to use resettable fuses, would it be also ok to add an led with resistor across the fuse?Thanks & regards john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poliss Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Do you mean circuit breakers?Allan Gartner says "It is not the intent of this website to talk you out of buying circuit breakers. Since the bulbs are much less expensive than electronic circuit breakers, you can afford to have more of them. This allows you to sub divide your layout into smaller electrical pieces in an effort to more quickly localize a short when one occurs. This is why I and others use bulbs instead of circuit breakers. It's a choice you have and thought you might like to know about it! "http://www.wiringfordcc.com/track.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rog RJ Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 As far as I know, resettable circuit breakers aren't suitable for use on DCC as they interfere with the DCC signal and cause problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 As far as I know, resettable circuit breakers aren't suitable for use on DCC as they interfere with the DCC signal and cause problems. I quote from a book, DCC - the comprehensive guide to DCC - by Stan Ames and others from the NMRA, referring to use of resettable fuses:"...A resettable fuse is a miniature electronic fuse. These relatively inexpensive devices can provide extra protection for the decoder by shutting down the power if a current overload develops. If current draw exceeds the rating of these switches, power to the decoder is shut off. Resettable fuses are available from many electronic suppliers such as Digi-Key (it is a fairly old book so others are probably available now). Resettable fuses react slowly and while useful for overload protection, will not react fast enough if a direct short circuit occurs. When using a resttable fuse choose one rated below the decoder rating"Unfortunately it doesn't say which of the decoder's rating, presumably the max intermittent load not the max continuous load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2e0dtoeric Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Max intermittent load is usually greater than Max continuous - it's all about the heat being generated by the loading. So if you must fit a fuse, choose one that is LESS than Max continuous. (Bearing in mind that then you cannot use the supply at max load!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howbi Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 My Elite controller seems to shut off extremely quickly when a short occurs, is this not sufficient protection? Incidentally, further to my quest for information last week regarding converting my Dublo 2-6-4T to DCC, I followed forum advice and now have a superbly running old Tank engine, still on 3-rail which I will incorporate into my layout and control seperately with my Select. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishmanoz Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Yes, it is sufficient howbi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDS Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 ... Incidentally, further to my quest for information last week regarding converting my Dublo 2-6-4T to DCC, I followed forum advice and now have a superbly running old Tank engine ...That is good that your conversion worked. If you haven't already done so, it would be helpful if you added your 'success' statement to the original thread just for completeness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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