Flashbang

Hi Yes, wiring is needed from the solenoid point motor to the pulse output of an Accessory decoder (see below). You need a DCC system that is able to operate Accessory decoders (most are) and then an Accessory decoder to interface between the DCC and the actual solenoid motor. Hornby produce a four-output accessory decoder R8247 https://uk.hornby.com/products/digital-accessory-and-point-decoder-r8247 Or you can use other makes too some have less outputs while other have more than four!

I have to agree RDS. Best safe practice says.... Do Not allow any connection to occur between a DCC and a DC powered rail. You severely risk destroying the DCC system controller if DC is allowed to connect to the DCC system. END.

Cat 5 Cat 6 etc data cable is still too small a wire gauge. The best option here would be to double up cores assuming the cable is at least 6 core, making it a three core cable. Rule of Thumb..... MINIMUM wire size is 16/0.2mm - 0.5mm2 or 20AWG. But thicker wire is also fine. Thiner wire equals volt drop and that can result in poor operation of solenoid motors especially if two are operating together as is a cross over pair.

Try here? http://www.hornbyguide.com/publication_menu.asp

Telephone wire is to thin! hushed Moving the PAD closer to the point motors has overcome your small wire gauge size. As I stated in my post above, the very smallest wire I recommend for reliable solenoid point motors is 16/0.2mm (0.5mm2 or 20AWG) This is my recommended minimum wire size, thicker wire can of course be used.

I read your inital post as that two solenoid motors are wired to one PAD port (Output group) One motor moves over correctly but the other one only just moves and the points over centre spring returns that point back to the starting place. If so, then..... 1) Try disconnecting one motor and then test the remaining one. Does it work OK? If so, then reconnect the other one and disconnect the one that just worked OK. Now does the second motor work OK. If each work on their own OK, then... 2) Is the wiring from the PAD to each motor and the returns in ideally in 16/0.2mm wire (0.5mm2 or 20AWG)? Using a smaller gauge of wire can easily lead to a fail to throw. You can use a three way piece of terminal block located near the motor to terminate the factory wires in one side and the new wires from the PAD in the other side. 3) As previously stated, the Hornby PAD only has one CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) for all four outputs and is a little under powered, plus you need to pause point movements for a couple of seconds to allow the internal CDU to reach a fully recharged condition after each operation. Can you move one motor to another port on that or another PAD? Or obtain a non-Hornby pulse output Accessory decoder that has a dedicated CDU per output. Edit: Typos corrected.

Lets get some electrical facts right then move on. AC (Alternating Current) in the UK is at 50Hz. (60Hz in some other countries). There are two main values associated with AC - The RMS value which is what is read on a meter and usually referenced to as the supply voltage and then there is the Peak voltage which is 1.4 times larger than the RMS. Peak isn't usually referenced but it needs to be kept in mind when dealing with AC. As an example..... If you pass 16 volt AC RMS into a Full Wave Rectifier (Bridge rectifier) you will get out a reasonable DC which will be minus 1.4 volts the RMS read voltage of the AC. So, if you read exactly 16v AC then expect to obtain 14.6 volts DC - each rectifier in the bridge reduces the voltage by 0.7volt. There are always two rectifier diodes in circuit in a bridge rectifier. While this output is DC is not that smooth and really isn't suitable for powering electronics. Here and for a smoother DC a capacitor is installed across the DC output. This will lift the DC volts to the AC Peak value which is 1.4 times that of the RMS value minus the diodes in the bridge. So in our 16v AC RMS example adding a capacitor (Usually an electrolytic type) it increases the DC voltage to..... 16 times 1.4 minus the volt drop in the diodes or 16 x 1.4 = 22.4 - 1.4 = 21.0 volts DC. This is what a CDU uses in Solenoid point operation and it would charge to if the input were exactly 16v AC. Please bear in mind that 16v AC isn't always the case even if the items rating plate says it is! It can be more or less than the rating. As for LEDs, while the standard LED can work on AC ideally with inverse diodes or a series diode, they are IMO best operated from a separate regulated and smooth DC power source. "Regulated" means the output volts remain at the rated voltage regardless of load, up to the maximum current rating of the power supply. Example... A 12v 1.0 amp power supply can power well over 100 lit LEDs with suitable series resistors fitted. These wall socket plug-in power supplies are readily available and are quite cheap to buy. eBay, Amazon etc have plenty and are at times sold under the heading of CCTV power supplies or LED power supplies. What voltage to use? Many will opt for 12v DC but you could use 5 volts DC or whatever you decide upon. Whatever output volts you decide on, always fit a series current limiting resistor to your LEDs. Failure to fit a resistor will where the supply volts are above the LED rated voltage destroy the LED in a split second! Using the same voltage as the LED rating is playing somewhat with luck, as not all LEDs have the same forward voltage rating and without a series resistor you will run the LED at its maximum current, with a series resistor you reduce that current to a level far more acceptable - often 5 milliamps (0.005Amp) per lit LED or at time even less. I would argue against using a Train controller as its all too easy to reverse the supply polarity and these devices usually provide way above the supposed 12 volts, frequently they can reach well above 20 volts with little load such as a few LEDs. However, here the series resistor will help protect the LED(s). What value resistor? It all depends on the supply volts and the rated If (current forward) and Vf (Voltage forward) of the LED. A rough rule of thumb is on 12v DC I use as a minimum a 1K (1000 Ohm) 1/4 watt series resistor and more so a 2K2 (2,200 ohm). By increasing the resistance you reduce the LEDs brightness and current drawn to around 5 to 10 millamp. You can often go to 10K (10,000 Ohm) or more before the LED fails to illuminate. It doesn't matter which lead of the LED the resistor is fitted into, but do try and keep to the same throughout for simplicity. LEDs with wire leads will have the longer lead as the Anode (Positive).

Ah, the 'Black Art' of soldering! Actually, it's not a Black Art at all. But you do need to be aware of several things. I do not recommend using Lead Free solder! Instead, look for lead content resin cord solder, usually referred to as 60/40 Tin/Lead. Lead free solder requires a much higher iron temperature to melt correctly which many domestic irons and particularly older ones can't quite reach. 60/40 solder is readily available online and in some electrical stores. You normally do not need any flux. Its already built into the solder. Never use acid based flux for electrical work, as acid flux has to be washed off once soldering is completed and that is not possible with electrical soldering work! There are some flux compounds sold specifically for electrical soldering DCC Concepts and Carrs sell them but generally you really don't need them! Ensure your soldering iron tip is in 100% good condition. If its pitted or black either replace the tip if that's possible or obtain a new iron. Use a damp sponge to wipe a hot irons tip onto to remove previous solder residue. A tip reviver (Brass shavings in a small pot) will also help. But if the tip is really bad then replace the tip or iron. Use a soldering iron with at least a 25 watt element or higher wattage. Fitted with a tip that's ideally about 1.5 to 2.5mm across. Or is a pointed tip. Allow the iron to reach its working temperature. Turn it on and keep it safe, ideally in a special soldering iron safety stand. Then wait for 5 minutes. Once time has passed the tip should be at the optimum temperature. Apply a little 60/40 solder to the tip and then wipe off that solder on the damp sponge (The sponge is damp not wringing wet!). Ensure the items to be soldered are spotlessly clean. A fibre pencil is ideal for scrubbing the rail clean - Even brand-new rail should be cleaned! However, you can use a small piece of fine Emery cloth or even the blade of a craft knife to scrape the area to be soldered. Once both items are cleaned, coat the irons tip in 60/40 solder and then place the tip onto the area where soldering is to take place. Allow a couple of seconds for heat to transfer then feed in a little of the cored 60/40 solder onto the heated area with the iron still in place the solder should flow onto the heated item. Remove iron, wipe tip and recoat and apply solder to the other item (usually the stripped end of a wire). Wipe tip again and apply a little more solder to its tip, then place wire onto the previously coated rail and apply the irons tip onto the two. Allow a couple of seconds for the heat to melt both solders and if necessary apply a little more solder with the tip still in place. Once the solder is seen to melt and form a liquid all around the joint, remove iron and hold the wire still until the solder solidifies - usually within 5 seconds. Wipe tip and replace in safety stand. Job Done. But do thoroughly wash your hands after soldering work is completed where lead content solder is used. :-) Edit to correct typo spelling error!

Hi Dapol Imperium decoder are reset to manufacturer defaults including address to 03 by entering CV8 and a value of 4. See Dapol Imperium manual, a copy can be found here ... https://wicknessmodels.co.uk/slarti/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Imperium_instructions.pdf The decoder may also be locked, if so, carry out the unlocking settings..... CV15 = 0 CV16 =1. Edit to correct typo.

The club is hosting its annual two-day exhibition on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2023 at:- The Abbey School. London Road. Faversham. Kent ME13 8RZ. Opening times are Saturday 10:00 to 16:30 and Sunday 10:00 to 16:00. Admission is cash only - Adult admission is £6 and Children £3. Under 5s are free. We have 18 layouts and 13 Trade support stands. All spread over three halls. Free On-Site Car parking. Hot or cold drinks and light refreshments are available on both days. Ten-minute walk from Faversham railway station. Up to date information can be viewed here www.favershammrc.org.uk/2023.html

Sorry, but the OP question was about a TT power track! item TT8001. So please dont tell me I'm wrong! Where a DC controller has come from? Well its anyones guess but the altered post one before mine on page `1 my explain.

Looking at the product images on the Hornby site, the packet does not have any cable/wire in it and the last of the three images for the product shows just the track section and no cabling. The product description 'Whats Inside' states 1 x Power Track. Therefore, its sold without any cable/wire.

Logic seems to defy Hornby and some other manufacturers IMO. Simple wire insulation colours - Red, Green and Black work for 99% of all items the modeller encounter. Solenoid points Red and Green are the two operation feeds (left or right directions) while Black is the return - Not all manufacturers follow this! Two Aspect Colour light signals - Red = Red aspect feed. Green = Green aspect feed. Black return for both aspects. Hornby do not follow this! All other accessories Red for a feed. Black for a return. DCC Accessory outputs - C - Common feed while A & B are the operation returns. Simples IMO smile

Coming to the "party" late, the following may help if it's not too late! Some basics re Solenoid point motor operation. 1) You normally only move one or two motors at any one time. Therefore, it doesn't matter if you have 1 or 50 motors on the layout as only the one or two move at once. 2) To ensure 100% operation I always recommend that each motor is feed via 16/0.2mm (0.5mm2) equipment wire or similar. Smaller wire sizes can easily lead to motors failing to move or only partially moving. 3) The input to the CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) should be ideally 16v AC at around 1.0Amp or greater amperage. DC can be used, but it needs to be at around 19 to 21 volts DC. 4) Where more than two motors are to move at once (Route setting via a diode matrix etc) then increase the common return wire going to all motors to 32/0.2mm. You can always locally tap off this larger return wire with smaller 16/0.2mm to the motor keeping the smaller sized wire run as short as possible. 5) Always allow a second between switch operations to give the capacitors on the CDU time to fully recharge. Avoid operating any point switch over and back instantly. Don't use multicore Telephone style cable or Alarm cable, which may seem like a good choice, but the conductors inside are really too small! Equally computer readymade cables are too small in wire size. Toggle switches of the (On)-Off-(On) should only be used, NEVER use On-On or On-Off types with a CDU. These switches are not that expensive and can retail for around £1.40 each. See this example link, but there are many other suppliers. Item SW112. https://www.bitsboxuk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=116_127&products_id=876 There are some wiring examples on my web site that may help?.... https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical-Page-2.html#pointmotorwiring Post edit to correct typo!

Hi As I stated.... The Peco 3 way Electrofrog point MUST have two sets of separate frog polarity switching used. The middle (straight ahead) routes right hand frog and track beyond the frog is feed from the first frog switching and the second frog polarity switching deals with the opposite sides frog. Both need to be set correctly. It may be, and I'm guessing here as I can't see your actual layout or how its been wired, your loco is possibly able to span the frog in the left hand turnout direction? While the right hand is controlled by the one polarity switching you already have. The middle straight route needs both switching means to be set correctly. grinning