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Wiring to Power Busses and Soldering Track
Damien posted this question:
“I am planning to solder my track in sections and am aware how a drop in voltage can cause issues. What size wire should I solder to the rails going back to the area power busses? I presume I should run the maximum wire size my DCC controller will allow to my power busses? Advice on wire size and methods would be good.”
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5 Responses to Wiring to Power Busses and Soldering Track
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Actually, smaller is generally better for the feeder wires, 20 or 24 gauge would be fine. The trick to good track power isn’t larger wire but having more feeders. Drop a pair of feeders from the rails to the busses every three or four feet. Save the larger wire, 12 or 14 gauge, for the power bus and, if the layout is large, consider a DCC power booster.
In addition to what Dale says, keep the feeder wires short. NCE sells wiring packs and the feeder wires (22 gauge) are 16 inches long.
I used 22 gauge for feeders 3 ft apart no need to go bigger. The biggest lroblem with electrical transmission is dirty track. I also find no need to solder track together. Of your feeders are 3 ft apart you will have ample current
Lightly twist your buss wires, as recommended. Leave this buss wire “ring” open. Do not close this ring to avoid possible reflections of signal on the lines. I use 14 gauge buss and about 20 gauge droppers droppers. Consider placing your DCC power pack about in the middle of the buss ring to cut down on cable length to the “ends”.
I put a dropper on every track sectin, and do not solder the joiners. How would you eve get this stuff apart without destroying it?
I like stranded wire and tin it before joining it. It is more flexible to work with.
Pass feeders down thru the deck with soda straws so the wires do not hang up in the hole.
One important item needs to be mentioned regarding wiring for Model trains power. Because of the “computerization” of out trains, it is important to use stranded wire for the power. By using stranded wire, any control signals that go through them will have the best minimal resistance to the various frequency control signals that are now used. Even if the control signals are transmitted through the air, the “RF ground plane” for the system will be the rails. If you put down grounded copper foil under the tracks to improve reception, it still must handle the RF signals between the ground plane and the AC ground. RF needs stranded wire to get a good ground across the RF spectrum that is used.