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Posted 20 hours ago

Hornby - Power Connect Clip

£9.9£99Clearance
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ZTS2023
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I have modified a R.487 to use with DCC, by carefully removing the clip base, which is held on with three small eyelets (rivets). Your description of the controller is a bit vague. Three step controller? If this is a Hornby product can you advise what the product R number is. If not a Hornby controller then what brand and model? For clarity, I have used three colours to denote the three separate controllers and associated power distribution. Turquoise for Controller 1 for the outer loop and upper sidings. Red for Controller 2 and the inner loop including the lower platforms. Blue for Controller 3 for the central sidings and TT area. If I could hazard a summary whilst avoiding Marmite (where I come from, the liking and promoting of Vegemite is mandatory):

So, am I safe to run the locos as normal, or was it a mistake to get the DCC power clips? I find it hard to believe a connector is doing this! I've read a little about DCC power and how it might fool a multimeter - is that all it is? With modern tv (satellite or cable, and uhf) the capacitors are really a waste of space, but as they are about 10 for a penny, they are still installed on a just-in-case basis.

Note also the Yellow Dots in my schematic. These represent Hornby R920 Insulated Rail Joiners. Do not omit to fit these at the locations shown. They are required to give electrical separation between the different sections of the layout controlled by the different controllers.

When designing power distribution of DC Analogue....... I am assuming Analogue because firstly, your post is not in the DCC forum and secondly you used the term Controller s as in plural i.e more than one. Including your first pinned down layout up to a couple of loops and some sidings - DCC point clips are likely to work fine for some time, noting their current-carrying limitations as above and that very long term this is likely to be made worse with some corrosion developing. Melting points can happen but rare (including gitter above, I can remember only 2 users with melted points on these forums, the other being yelrow). Having looked at the plan on your link, the best places (if you are using Hornby power clips rather than soldering your own wires) to supply power are on the far right hand side of both ovals - where the plan suggests a double level crossing (I think). This is assuming you have two power controllers, one for each oval. So you would have to do without the level crossing, and just use plain single straights + power clips.Similarly, the 'Bypass' loops in the main ovals will only have power when the points are switched into a particular path (route). Thus, trains can be parked stationary in those 'Bypass' loops when the adjacent points are set away from that path (route). You really do need to tell us more about your controller so that we can give a more targetted reply. Motor capacitors have to be fitted by all manufacturers to comply with current Radio Frequency (RF) interference legislation set by the EU and any country they export to. If you decide to remove them is up to you! You wont get arrested for snipping any out. But if you're a manufacturer you have to fit them by law! Points - insulfrogs do and will work for many but have the risk of stopping by short wheel base locos at low speeds particularly if points are not dead flat (need pinning in the middle). Remember the different geometry of some when thinking of mix and match. This the very first time I have ever seen this question raised on the forum, so either others have not seen this issue or they have resolved the issue themselves without seeking advice. I'm just wondering if you are trying to insert the wire terminal into the wrong place on the connector, hence my request for a photo.

Instead of a fixing peg [made of your own design and implementation] you can use the X8011 terminals I mentioned earlier.This connector does require the wires [if using bare wires] to be fixed in the holes with some form of peg arrangement as WTD describes. These pegs would normally be the manufactured terminals that are included on the end of current Hornby controller attachement wires. For example, take Controller 3 in the schematic below. The power connection location is positioned such that it feeds into all the 'Toe' ends of the cascaded points creating the central sidings and TT area. Whichever siding that has the points set for that route will have power. All the other sidings will be electrically dead. This ensures that any 'parked' locos on those other sidings will not move in error. The Insulated Rail Joiners located at the 'throat' of those sidings ensures that Controller 3 can shunt locos within that siding area without impacting upon locos on the ovals.

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