Bill,
My three SMOD modules, including the one I just added to my home layout, were
built with Tortoise switch machines controlled by Wabbit (basically a two
decoder Hare) running on the DCC power bus. The Wabbits are about mid-range in
cost per turnout, but offer lots of useful options.
One is that they can be powered by DC if you are planning to have lots of stall
motor controlled turnouts on the layout and are concerned about the DCC
boosters
power budget. You still connect them to the DCC bus for command signals, but
the
power for the decoder itself and the turnout motor it controls comes from the
DC
feed. They also allow you to connect either toggle or pushbutton manual
controls. If you use momentary contact manual switches, then they still allow
the throttle(s) to change the switch position. If you use latching contacts on
the manual switch, then they act to lock the Wabbit and the stall motor into
the
position selected manually. If you want to control both turnouts in a crossover
simultaneously from the DCC throttle, you can just give them the same address.
Wiring the manual switches in parallel to both input controls on a Wabbit (or a
pair of stationary stall motor decoders from any manufacturer) would accomplish
the same thing on the manual control side.
A really nice feature of using decoders is that most of them (and the Wabbits
certainly) can be programmed to respond to more than one address. So you can
have a unique address that only throws one turnout, while having another that
sets a route through your yard containing any number of turnouts. Each Wabbit
can be programmed to select straight or diverging route based on the throttle
command, or you can set one or more to do the opposite of whats being
commanded,
or you can specify which route to set the turnout controlled by a specific
address without regard to whether the throttle is commanding straight or
diverging. For example, if you have five turnouts between the mainline on one
of
your yard tracks, you could assign a common"route" address to all five of the
stationary decoders controlling the switch motors -- this is in addition to
having a unique address per decoder so you can still throw them independently.
They also have several timing and occupancy detection options that can be used
to automate turnout operations if you want to run your railroad that way. I
haven't used any of those features personally.
Final comment is on DCC accessory decoder address space. On my Lenz system, the
accessory (i.e. stationary) decoders have a separate addesss space from the
engines. This is a fairly common feature of DCC command stations, though there
may be some that don't have this provision. Most allow at least three digit (up
to 999 unique) addresses for accessory decoders. So if you want, you can have a
loco with address 20 at the same time you have one or more stationary decoders
responding to address 20. When the throttle is in loco control mode, the mobile
decoder in the loco will respond to address 20. When you switch to
accessory/turnout mode, the stationary decoder attached to the turnout motors
will respond to address 20. Each decoder will ignore address 20 commands sent
in
the opposite command mode.
Regards...
Peter
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