New Corners

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

Yesterday we used the new corner modules for the first time and set up an L-shaped layout.

Despite my skepticism as to the usefulness of this layout, even I am now convinced this is
a good thing for the club.  It was interesting to see a long freight train snake around the
double-reverse-curve inside the L.

The new corner modules (thanks Ed and the others who helped out) work, but have a couple
of problems which need to be addressed before we use them in a show:

1.  Most legs won't fit in the module marked C5.  It looks like Ed used the new "appearance grade"
     1x2s from Home Depot for the spacers in the leg pockets.  This lumber is thinner than standard
     1x2s and most legs, including ones made from the same lumber, won't fit.  These leg pockets
      need to be redone with standard 1x2 spacers.
2.  Both corner modules should have two (2) trailer connectors on the inside so we can use
     them interchangeably as power or auxiliary power (i.e. the diagonal module where the power
     harness is connected).  Right now, only one module (I think it is the C6 module) has one trailer
     connector mounted in it, and the connector is not wired.
3.  We need a special wiring harness for the inside corner.  Either we need to add a special harness
     to one of the new corner modules (or both if we want symmetry) or we need to construct
     separate crossover harnesses for the inside corner.  (See below).

I had originally calculated that we would have about a 2" gap in both directions when constructing
the L-shaped layout using the new corners inside the L.  When we got to the last module joint,
there was a gap, as predicted.  We didn't measure the gap but it looked like a couple of inches.
We were able to close the gap by moving the modules around, as we thought we could.  So, even
though the dimensions are not exact, there is enough play in the module joints to allow us to
close the L-shaped figure.  However, we do have to remember to use both new corner modules
on the same side of the figure (i.e. one has to be the inside corner and the other has to be
an adjacent corner).

Now for the wiring.  There are two ways of wiring the inside corner.  (The colors in the following
lists correspond to our standard connector wiring colors.)

1. Add new harnesses to both sides of the corner module.  The 4-pin plug goes on the end
    of the module where the normal 4-pin socket is, etc.  The new harnesses are wired as follows:

     4-pin connector
          pin 1: brown (mainline 4 power)
          pin 2: orange (mainline 2 power)
          pin 3: black (common)
          pin 4: red: (mainline 3 power)
     6-pin connector
          pin 1: white (mainline 1 power)
          pin 2: yellow (unused)
          pin 3: blue (accessory power 2)
          pin 4: gray (accessory power 1)
          pin 5: black (common)
          pin 6: green (turnout power)

2. Construct two (2) crossover harnesses which can be connected between the standard
    plugs on the inside corner and the adjacent modules.  In the following description,  one side
    of the harness contains the A plugs and sockets and the B side contains the same kinds of
    plugs (i.e. one harness has a 4-pin plug and a 6-pin socket on each end and the other
    harness has a 4-pin socket and a 6-pin plug on each end).  These harnesses have to be wired
    as follows:

     4-pin connector A:
          pin 1 (white): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 1
          pin 2 (red): connected to 4-pin connector B pin 4
          pin 3 (black): connected to 4-pin connector B pin 3
          pin 4 (orange): connected to 4-pin conector B pin 2
     6-pin connector A:
          pin 1 (brown): connected to 4-pin connector B pin 1
          pin 2 (yellow): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 2
          pin 3 (blue): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 3
          pin 4 (gray): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 4
          pin 5 (black): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 5
          pin 6 (green): connected to 6-pin connector B pin 6
          
There is a third method for handling the wiring.  We can construct a passthrough harness with
a 4-pin plug and a 6-pin socket on one end and a 4-pin socket and a 6-pin plug on the other end
with all of the wires connected straight through (i.e. 4-pin plug pin 1 connected to 4-pin socket pin 1, etc.).
This harness can be connected ACROSS the inside corner module, routing the power between
the adjacent modules and bypassing the inside corner module.  The problem with this scheme is
that the tracks on the inside corner module would only get power through the bridge tracks.

I would suggest that we build the harnesses described in method 2.  This gives us the advantage
of being able to use ANY corner for the inside corner, not just one corner that we add a special
wiring harness to.  It does have the disadvantage that we have to store the new harnesses some place
and remember where they are when we are wiring the layout.  I think we can keep these harnesses
either in the main or auxiliary power box or in the egg crate with the test harness we use when we
are connecting the modules together during setup.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on this subject?


Ira