DCC SIG Newsletter #2a
Pre-Release: July 21, 1997 (Madison Edition)
DCC SIG Newsletter #2aPre-Release: July 21, 1997 (Madison Edition) |
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In this issue:
NMRA disclaimer notice
SIG type (as defined by NMRA):
The membership application has not been finalized yet, but will be after the Madison convention. A draft copy is attached to the end of this newsletter.
DCC SIG 3077 Williamsburg Drive State College, PA 16801-3016
listserv@lists.psu.edu
with SUBSCRIBE DCCSIG-L dccsig-l@lists.psu.edu
http://jdb.psu.edu/nmra/dccsig.html
This issue of the Newsletter is also available online from the DCC SIG's web page.
It has not been determined if future issues of the Newsletter will be available to the general public without first joining the DCC SIG.
Please send your comments to the email list to let us know what you think.
- If using bulbs that operate on 12 to 16 volts, nothing additional is absolutely needed. However, incandescent bulbs will surge when they come on. They will surge every time when first turned on, and can possibly surge up to 10 times their rated amperage. For example, a 40ma bulb can surge up to 400ma when first turned on. This is double the rating of the DH83 decoder. This probably won't kill the decoder on the first turn-on, or even the second, third, or three hundredth, but it will wear on it, and could damage it in the long run. To damp the surge, you could add a 47 ohm resistor in line. While this isn't enough resistance to dim the lamp too much, it will lower the surge amount, and help protect the decoder. And, if you can add more than 47 ohms without dimming the bulb below your requirements, so much the better.
Further information on decoders and other DCC topics can be found at Loy's Toys web page:
http://www.loystoys.com/
I start my Athearn frame DCC mods with an easy trick:
Trade the top and bottom brush clips on the motor to avoid
the burrs which occur when cutting the contact fingers.
Be carefull to keep all the brush parts contained when you move the clip,
otherwise they will end up somewhere on your workbench or floor where only
the desperate will search!
It is easier for me to solder to the brush clips when they are not on the motor also. This way I can "dress" out the wire from the end of the clip so that it does not interfere with any other parts.
Insulate the bottom clip with a narrow strip of electrical tape in the channel where the contact fingers used to press. It should be much less likely to short to the frame now, but check with an ohm-meter or other test circuit anyway to be sure!
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+1 423 899 4869 (NMRA HQ)
CRudder430@AOL.COM
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DCC SIG 3077 Williamsburg Drive State College, PA 16801-3016
The DCC SIG Newsletter is published two times (or more frequently) per year.
DCC SIG 3077 Williamsburg Drive State College, PA 16801-3016
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