My Participation in the SAMRA Model Railroad Jamboree

["Ira Schneider" <ira_schneider@iname.com>]

Hi,

Due to family problems, I will not be able to participate in the SAMRA
Model Railroad Jamboree this weekend.

Tomorrow, I intend to put several items in the trailer in support of the show:

1. The cable used to connect the setup transformer to the new buss cable
2. Extra sets of shower curtain rings to suspend the buss cable
3. One 25' section of buss cable.   There are already five sections in the
    trailer.  Six sections should cover all modules in the layout
4. Two (2) new power strips to replace the two old power strips we use
    under the layout
5. The set of hanging name tags.  There are three (3) bundles of names in
    the bag:
    1 - members who have signed up for the show
    2 - other members who participate often but have not signed up
    3 - "extra" name tags (without holders) - some of these are active members
         who have not participated in a while, some are duplicates, some are
         former members.  If your name tag is not in a holder, it is probably in
         this bundle.  Take the holder from a "non-participating" member and
         put your name tag in the holder

The new buss cable should be installed during setup.  Here is the procedure:

1. Start at the module you are using as the "anchor".  Uncoil the buss cable
    section with the male connector (with the locking collar) at the left and
    the female connector at the right.
2. Suspend the buss cable from the two (or three) shower curtain rings
    attached to the D-rings on the module.  A set of pigtails on the buss cable
    should be in the middle of the module.
3. For the 90 degree corners, there will be some extra cable which will droop
    at the ends of the module.
4. For the 45 degree modules which comprise the inside corner, there will be three
    pigtails on the cable - one near the center of each module and one near the
    junction between the modules.  The excess cable will droop between the
    holders.
5. For the 45 degree modules which comprise the outside corner, there will
    also be three pigtails on the cable.  Arrange the cable so the pigtails on
    the cable are near the pigails attached to the modules.
6. For the pass-through module, arrange the buss cable so that two (2)
    pigtails are on each side of the module - one near the top and one
    sitting on the floor.  The section of cable which goes on the floor
    parallel to the base of the module will not have any pigtails.  Arrange
    the cable near the base and put the carpeting over the cable.  The
    extra cable should be placed on the floor, under the ends of the module.
7. When you get to the end of a cable section, uncoil another section and
    connect it to the already installed cable.  To join the cable sections,
    place the male and female connectors together and rotate them until
    you feel the key engage in its slot.  Hold the connectors together and
    turn the locking collar on the male connector.  It will draw the two
    connectors together.
8. When you reach the starting point, coil up the excess cable under the
    layout and attach the final cable segment to the starting segment.
9. As you proceed joining modules together, connect the pigtails from
    the corners and 45 degree modules to the buss cable.  (The pigtails
    are tucked in under the wiring - you just have to free them.)  The
    8-pin connectors don't have to be pushed all the way together (since
    they are tight).  Just make sure they are connected as tightly as
    possible.  Make sure you use the set of 45 degree modules which have
    the Plexiglas holders on both edges for the inside corners.  These
    modules also have the new buss cable pigtails on the inside and outside
    edges.
10. The setup transformer should be connected to the buss cable with
    the new setup cable.  This transformer can be anywhere on the
    layout.  It is probably most convenient to continue to place the
    setup transformer on the "anchor" corner and start working from
    there.  The new setup cable has both male and female 8-pin
    connectors, allowing the transformer to be connected both to
    the buss cable and to the module behind the cable.
11. Once the layout is complete, remove the setup transformer and
    connect the cable from the back of the power cart to the buss
    cable.  The power cart can be placed anywhere on the layout, 
    not just at a corner.  It should be located somewhere near the
    middle of the layout to allow the shortest distance from the handheld
    controllers to the receivers on the power cart.  Note the cable
    on the power cart has both a male and a female 8-pin connector.
    This allows you to connect the power cart to the buss cable at the
    same point where a module would normally be connected to the
    cable.  Connect the male connector from the module to the
    female connector on the power cart cable and connect the
    male connector on the power cart cable to the buss cable.

When using the new buss cable, do not connect the old orange and green
cross-layout power cables to the trailer connectors on the corners.  Also,
do not connect the round trailer connector on the power cart to the corner
module.

Temporarily, the buss cable is supplying power to just the corner and
45 degree modules.  You must still connect the 4-pin and 6-pin Jones
plugs under all modules, including the corners and 45 degree modules.
You still have to use the special setup cables to connect the 45 degree modules
used for the inside corner to the adjacent modules.

The above procedure sounds much more complicated than it is.

I would strongly recommend using the new buss cable to power the layout.
The old cable structure may not work correctly since I had to disconnect
the trailer connectors from one of the 90 degree corner moduls (it is either
C5 or C6), so connecting the orange and/or green cables to this module
won't work any more.

Good luck and have fun at the show.


Ira