well, my DCC++ basestation prototype suffered an attack by cat. normally i keep the cat out of my basement electronics workshop, but somehow she got in while i was at work. granted, it was a spaghetti wired mess before, but it worked great. wires pulled out of the breadboard, and chewed (it was unpowered at the time). I guess this would be a good time to solder up the prototype. good thing i had a schematic drawn up to remind me where the wires used to go. I think it is also time to figure out how to cat-proof my workshop. ~Travis
Cat proofing can be as much of a challenge as owner proofing. Yep, that was sarcastic. You aren't the only one dealing with such a problem. I have a mouser that is absolutely the best cat in the world. She leaves the layout alone and makes war on the mice, gophers and ground squirrels. No that isn't in miniature that's the real deal. She covers the train shed quite nicely. Empathetic with your situation. There is supposed to be a cat repellent available at most pet stores. You might want to check into that.
Cats love string, yarn, wire, all of it. It pays to keep your wiring tightly connected to the bottom of the board. If it doesn't hang down and swing in any little breeze, they have no interest in it at all.
I was thinking along the lines of a full door, as opposed to a half-height door for cat-proofing, though then i will have to run heat in, or make it a screen door. as it was just a prototype, wires were run willy-nilly, and just inserted into a breadboard. it was time to solidify the design anyway. I also plan to put it into an enclosure, so that should help immensely with that portion. Overall, it wasn't so bad as it was just the basestation, and i nearly have it repaired already. still spaghetti wired, but a little more solid now. ~Travis
