I for got that the one you have has the doors. It is already
braced. This also means that you do not need plastic boxes unless you
remove the door structure. Either is OK. The door system is a little
heavier than the boxes but both work. I broke out the longitudinal on the
one I redid recently and it is difficult. Do not worry about it .
Scott,
Stranded 18AWG it is. The difference in
resistance for 100 feet of wire is about 0.4 ohms. Not much, but
wire's cheap. The weight difference will be about 2 ounces. I will
keep the pigtails in the center of the module.
I
don't quite understand what you mean about a 1X2 brace. Right now there
are two 1X2 cross braces, plus the two sliding door boxes at the ends. Do
you want a longitudinal brace between the centers of the short sides? Should
it run below the two cross braces? The clearance below the cross
braces is about 1.25". I could perhaps notch a longitudinal
brace over the two cross braces. However I do not see that the scheme
will do much to alleviate any sagging. I have new K-Line one piece
tracks to install, and I will acertain the level before I tighten them
down.
For
the connector boxes, it is easy to remove the hardboard, but the 1X2 frames
are glued in place. Should I leave them alone or chip them out? I
guess the four of them together weigh abouit 20 ounces.
Finally, I do not think that I will need to add much
paint to the module, but I would like to touch it up in a couple of
places. Does anyone have a couple of brushfills of standard paint for me
to use?
I
have attached a sketch of the existing ans proposed frame.
Regards,
Mike
Not that I disagree with what everyone else is saying, but it is
probably not required to change the wires out unless you want to do
that. The original spec was for 20 gauge and that is what is on most
modules. WE recently decided to have any new modules go to 18
gauge. We probably loose more power in the plugs than the wire.
Since the wire is looped, the current can get through the 20 but 18 is
better. I am not sure about the 70" length. 48" plus a foot
extra is only 60 ". The 70" may be a hold over from when we plugged
the wire together for transport. Since we now use boxes for the plugs,
the wires can be as Ira said, about 60", unless you fix them to one side and
the module you are matching with has them on the other side, 2' apart.
The 60" assumes they go down the middle. if they go around the
edges, more wire is needed to get back to the center.
I have found some nice cheap plastic boxes at Michaels.
We do not want solid wire!
If you really have this all apart, a 1x2 brace across the center is a
good addition since the 1/4" decking has sagged on several modules over the
years.
I like the Velcro pole idea. Look forward to see how it
works.
there was a interesting article in CTT just awhile back on
ballasting. They put tape over the ties and ballast on top of the
tape. Very little volume of ballast required since it was void under
the tape. This may not be appropriate for the club due to the abuse
the modules take.
Scott
Hello Mike, there is no rush to get your module
done. If you don't have it by GATS that is Ok, unless you
want it done by then.
It is usually easiest to solder the jumper wires to
the track sections before they are attached to the module. Sounds
like you are having fun with the module.
Adrian.
Ed,
Although I have almost got all the technical specs nailed, it
would be nice to have an electronic copy of the module spec if you have
it in that form.
I have quite a lot of wire so I'd better look around before I put
in an order. We have been having a lot of fun with this
module. We will probably take on another next year for Hugh's
contribution, but I won't make the mistake of crowding that holidays so
much again.
I have another idea to offer, which I had seen on some other
club's layout. I got a dozen plastic open wire telephone
polse. I saw one club's layout where these were installed at the
velcro edge of the modules. Even if you don't string them with
'wire' they tend to form a bit of a fence for the
public.
Hugh and I are coming to the Fun Run on Saturday. Hope to
see you then.
Regards,
Mike
Mike, as long as it isn't aquarium gravel I think it will be
ok.
I do have all the colors of wire available in 18-gauge stranded
spools. I think I paid between 7-10 cents per foot for the 100
foot spools. I can get you whatever you need for $5 for the
whole module. There are 10 wires total and you need some short
connector pieces. I also have some of the jones plug connectors
if you need replacements. There may be more in the
trailer.
I can print you a copy of the module specs if you like.
Ed
Pauwels Mike-rycl90
<Mike.Pauwels@motorola.com> wrote:
Ira,
I
was experimenting with depleted uranium since it is denser than
lead. ;o)
Seriously, I have an 8 ounce bag of ballast and I
do not expect to use it all. I have selected a light brown
indoor/outdoor carpeting material which will allow me to minimize
the actual ballast used. I will weigh the left over and let you know
how much I
installed.
Regards,
Mike
-----Original
Message-----
From: ttat-members-owner@aoot.com
[mailto:ttat-members-owner@aoot.com]On
Behalf Of Ira
Schneider
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 5:05 PM
To:
ttat-members@aoot.com
Subject: Re: Module Information
Please
Mike,
Here are some answers to your
questions:
1. The TTAT Draft Module Specification specifies
the wire is 18 AWG (see page 17 - Materials List).
2. We
strongly suggest using stranded wire, since it is more flexib! le
and will work better at the connectors.
3. The TTAT Draft
Module Specification specifies that each piece of wire is to be 70"
long. This
allows for approximately 6" at each end for the
pigtail.
4. The wires are to be individual lengths of 18 AWG
stranded wire, not bundled cables. We keep the
wires separate so
they are easier to see, easier to connect to in the middle, and easy
to spot
problems. When I constructed my module I encased the
individual wires in spiral wrap for neatness,
which was totally
unneccesary. Ed Weltens had spools of wire of all appropriate
colors. If he still has
some of this wire, I am sure he will be
happy to sell you the wire you need at cost.
When you
experiment with ballast remember that ballast adds weight to the
module.
Good
luck.
Ira
------
TTAT members
reflector.
------
TTAT members
reflector.