silly question time ( maybe)

[the flying hodor]

hi  again  guys

so  at  the moment  i am  on  dc

i  have  a basic  twin oval  set  up  with  a few  sidings 

i use  a two  controllers  for  this set up

  the  points  that  connect the ovals are  connected with  insulated fishplates to stop  any shorts  

as i said before in another  post i am going  to go dcc  

do i need  remove  the insulated  fishplates  with  normal  ones

to run  dcc

 

cheers  one  again  dave

ps  i know  i have to use  some  clips  on the points

[Chrissaf]

Basically for DCC all the track needs to be live in a single power circuit. That is the function of the point clips, so you have two options. Option 1, change the insulated point joiners with normal metal ones and fit point clips. Or option 2, do away with the need for changing joiners to metal AND fitting point clips**. Install a few droppers (small wires soldered to the outside of the track at strategic locations) and connect them all together under the baseboard back to your DCC controller output. Strategic locations would be on each of the sidings and each side of the points on the two main ovals. That way there would be no need to lift track to change joiners. Your layout would then have multiple power connecting locations, spreading the power load and minimising fault libilities. If you go for option 2, make sure ALL the droppers are the same way round else you will create a short.

.

Note ** there are other posts on here that suggest that point clips can fail over a period of time and cause electrical overheating with the result that the plastic in the points melt.

[Fishmanoz]

While what Chris says is best practice, many users on here have run large layouts without doing this and without melting their points over extended periods.  If I were you, I'd start just by removing the IRJs and putting back the metal ones, and fitting DCC point clips and see how you go.  I wouldn't even think about the dropper approach to make a DCC bus until you have decided on a layout you want to develop and not change for some time.

 

And no question is silly, except for the one you don't ask.