DCC Block Detection

Until recently our club had only really experienced the standard DCC system setups. We may all have our preferences as to what DCC System is the best, but at the end of the day they all ultimately end up doing the same thing.

Within the last 18months a new member owned layout “Lockerbie” started to appear. Layout details can be found on the Layouts page.

There ended up being a discussion as to what Lockerbie was to achieve. Amongst lots of suggestions, one of them was to provide an intense operating schedule for visitors at exhibitions so they weren’t watching “another static display” more commonly found with layouts modelled on real life locations.

The decision was pointing towards Computer Control. So the steps were taken to incorporate this into the building plan.

Without touching on Computer Control on this page, the plan is to show that DCC Block Detection wiring isn’t hard, and if planned correctly can make your layout a much more fun experience,

So, here goes……….

Digikeijs DR4088CS

There are lots of different DCC systems on the market, each having pros and cons, and it's all down to personal preference and how much you intend to spend. On Lockerbie, we have a Digikeijs DR5000 as the main command station. For the price, and the functionality it was my personal favourite bits of kit.

This bit of kit here though, connects using an ethernet cable, and is the brains behind the DCC Block Detection part of the system. It provides 16 output sections to your layout, and runs on “current sense” technology. If a train runs into a section it will start to draw some current. This smart module knows which output the power is being dragged from, and reports back to the DR5000 command station. These modules can be daisy chained for however many sections you plan on your layout.

How it’s Wired…

Here is a breakdown of how you wire the system in to your command station. Care must be taken when wiring your layouts that for each individual blocks you plan to have you must electrically isolate from the next section, generally done using isolating fishplates.

And that's it!

The next section to look out for is the computer control page. From there we will be able to follow on, and link the feedback signal coming into the command station, and link it to our preferred software “iTrain”, so keep an eye out for that.