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Re: New Corners
This
is a good summary. I agree that option 2 is a good choice. These plug
adapters would be useable if any module would be reversed in the layout
for what ever unknown reason. (Taking a module with switches on track 4
and putting it in so the switches are on track 1????)
This could also be done at home with out the modules or trailer.
Scott
On Sun, 09 Jun 2002 15:22:26 -0500 "Ira Schneider"
<ira_schneider@Iname.com> writes:
> 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
>
>
> ------
> TTAT members reflector.
>
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