Calgary Free-mo: Standards And Guidelines

Electrical

1. Track Power Bus. 2 #12-#14 AWG wires.
2. Accessory Bus. Wire as above.
3. Digitrax Loconet Bus.

Please note that this is the North American Free-mo standard, and may be used within Calgary Free-mo layouts, however, we are encouraging our members to follow the Anderson Powerpole Recommended Practice for wiring.

Track Power Bus:

The track power bus is a two wire daisy-chain bus that powers the mainline track.

Power is supplied from the Digitrax booster(s). Feeder wires are soldered to the rail and connected to the track bus. At the end of each module there is a pigtail with two Cinch Jones connectors . The pigtails must be 12" long minimum and terminate within 6" of module endplates. They must be made with 12 - 14 gauge stranded wire. The bus wires terminate on a barrier block as described below.

See the sketch above. Note the male and female connectors are wired differently at either end of the module. It is recommended to define "directions" for a module, i.e. North/East/South/West, to use as orientation keys during wiring. And a good way to verify that the pigtails are correct is:

When facing the module endplate the male connector's pin 1 (the large blade) and the female connector's pin 2 (small receptacle) must both connect to the left-hand rail.

Connect the bus to each segment of track rail with 18-22 gauge feeder wires

Digitrax DCC and Loconet Bus:

Digitrax is the only manufacture of boosters and throttles that are currently accepted for Calgary Free-Mo. Any NMRA compatible decoder can be used in the locomotives.

Digitrax LocoNet must be wired through all modules.

Any modules with turnouts on them must have a Digitrax UP5 panel connected to the track power. It is recommended that all modules have one. The UP5 must be mounted neatly on any one side of the module, with a two outlet 6 conductor 6 pin telephone jack neatly and firmly mounted on the opposite side. This double jack would be wired to the auxiliary port of the UP5.

1. Terminate with a 6 pin telephone plug at each end of the module, wired "one-to-one" so that pin 1 of each plug is the same at each end. A double ended 6 conductor inline female telephone jack must be provided for both ends. Use 6 conductor ?satin? cord for cables. Wire as shown.
2. Terminate with a 6 conductor telephone jack at each end. Screw terminal or IDC type connections are acceptable. Provide a 12", minimum, 6 conductor male to male telephone patch cord for each end. Use either satin cord as above or round, twisted pair cable, 6 or eight conductor.

Accessory Power Bus:

This is a two wire bus constructed of 2 - #12-#16 AWG stranded wire, each wire to be a different colour to differentiate polarity. Each wire is to be terminated at the ends of the module onto the barrier terminal block as shown in the accompanying sketch.

Each pair of wires then has a pigtail connector made up of a two pin trailer connector. Ensure that polarity is maintained at each end. These connectors are sold as a short cable with connectors on both ends, cut the cable in half and construct the pigtail so that it is at least 12" in length.

Module end Terminations

Barrier terminal blocks shall be used at the module ends; connect the buses on one side and the pigtail connectors on the other side. Use crimp on spade lugs or tin the bare wires to terminate.

See diagrams below for connection details.

Barrier Block

Loconet

Shopping List for Electrical:

2 - Cinch Jones S302-CCT socket connectors

2 - Cinch Jones P302-CCT socket plugs

2 - Curtis 1506 Barrier Terminals (or equal)

2 - 2 pin trailer connectors.

Misc. crimp on spade lugs #6 stud.

All of these materials are available from B & E Electronics in Calgary, Regina and Saskatoon. (www.be-electronics.ca)

Other suppliers include Electrosonic (www.e-sonic.com); Digikey (www.digikey.com).

The two pin trailer connector is also available from most department stores and Canadian Tire.