Hello, I do not know how to paste a photo here, so I ask you kindly to view my last photo on: http://moshken.smugmug.com/ This is a photo of the wires under the table, and it is a mess. Any idea of how to organize them so they wouldn't be in the way? Also how can I past a photo in my message? Thanks. Mo [ February 13, 2006, 03:27 PM: Message edited by: Flash Blackman ]
Radio Shack has wire clips that you can fit wiring through to make it look "finished. You have quite a bit of slack in most of the wiring which could be reduced and that alone would make it look more presentable to you. Stay cool and run steam.....
also you can use some zip ties (available at any home depot or electronics store), to bundle the wires togeather. I use them alot under our layout board, and boy do we have alot of wires.
Another consideration is color coding. When you have a problem, it's alot easier to trace a wire that doesn't change colors along the way. If you look at the Atlas wiring book, they make good suggestions for color coding feeders, switches, etc. Consistency is the key. Cam
I hate to say this but to get neat wiring you have to start from the beginning, not clean up when you're done or mid way. I know this is not much help to you but may be for future wiring jobs.
Thanks. Could you please explain this better and in full detail. I have another table and I would like to know how I should I do it. Thanks. Mo
[/QUOTE]Thanks. Could you please explain this better and in full detail. I have another table and I would like to know how I should I do it. Thanks. Mo [/QB][/QUOTE] The best advise I could give you is to plan your wiring just like you plan your trackwork. You need a plan and then follow it. Stay cool and run steam.....
"The best advise I could give you is to plan your wiring just like you plan your trackwork. You need a plan and then follow it." Hi Bob, I do not get it! What plan and how can I plan where the wires go? Any more detailed info would be appreciated. Thank. Mo
For starters the wiring should follow your trackplan. If you use common bus lines, both bus lines will follow your track around the layout. Your feeders will drop from your track to the common bus lines. One bus line can be one color (red). The other bus line will be another color (black). All feeders to the black bus line are colored black. All feeders to the red bus line are colored red.. Black is for one rail. Red is for the other. If you happen to mix a red feeder on a black bus line, you wired the feeder incorrectly to the bus line. Having a 4x6' table this is easy to accomplish. Use less wire to make each connection. Once your feeders are properly wired to your common bus lines, then you can wire your special situations ,connections such as reverse loops, wyes and turntable. You also have to consider the blocks on your layout and how they'll be wired. In DCC we wire blocks to the common bus lines as well and use plastic rail joiners to differentiate the beginning and end of each block. You have to think it out. After you make a few connections test your layout by running a train through the area you just wired. You don't wire the entire layout first and then run a train to test it out. If you run into a problem how do you know where it is. If you make four connections test run a train through. If you have no problem, you know that it's wired properly. Then move on to the next group of wires. Proper wiring and connections is the nerve center of your layout. If you plan it out and then exercise your plan, you'll have trouble free operation for many years. Have fun.... Stay cool and run steam..... [ February 13, 2006, 10:43 PM: Message edited by: Powersteamguy1790 ]
Thanks Bob, That is exactly what I did. As you see from the photo all the wires are hanging and my concern is there a way to make them look neater than that? May be it looks that way becuase if how may layout is? Thanks. Mo
Mo, last winter, I re-wired the DC (including electronics) in my aging 30' sailboat, and learned a great deal about how low-voltage wiring is being done professionally these days. Now that I've taken an interest in model railroading, my impression is that there's still a lot of outdated advice out there, and it often results in messy, unreliable wiring. I hope to find time to write up my recommendations in more detail, but they boil down to this: 1. Use Euro-style pass-through terminals to eliminate multiple wiring runs (see Eurostyle connectors for examples. To use one of these terminals to distribute power, make jumpers using short sections of wire. Run one wire to an area where several track feeders are needed, and then run the feeders from the connector. 2. Run your wiring through conduits whenever possible, and especially where the wires would be subject to abrasion or interference. You can use 1/2 inch PVC pipe for this purpose. Use screw-mounted brackets to hold them in position securely. 3. Instead of soldering wires together, use crimp-style butt connectors (see butt connectors). You'll need an inexpensive crimping tool, which you can get at Radio Shack. These connectors are inexpensive and easy to use. If you're building a railroad in a damp location, such as a basement, consider using marine-grade stranded wire, terminals, and butt connectors, which you can purchase at West Marine (a chain with hundreds of stores). These materials are much more expensive, but they're rated for reliable use in conditions that range from damp to sopping wet!
Thanks Bryan. Eurostyle connectors still needs input and output and at the end it will be the same although you can shorten the length of some wires. My intension is to redo the whole thing again. If some one has some photos of how the wires look under the table, it might be helpful too. Thanks to all. Mo
Mo, Think of your wiring just as you think of your railroad: as a distribution network. In this case, it's a network for power rather than for N scale goods. I think beginners (and intermediates) often scrimp on wire, when it is one of the cheapest commodities on a road. For years, I took the shortest direct route from a bus wire to a feeder. This resulted in a rats nest in a very short time. This time, I thought of my bus wires as my interstate highways, with "entrances" at specific locations. At these locations, I connected my feeder wires. I thought of my feeders as "streets" in a city. Streets don't run all over the place (unless you're in New England): they follow a typically logical grid. By using a little more wire, I have my feeders follow the streets, which makes tracing far easier. There are some special wiring situations. I try to segregate those wires physically from ordinary wiring. I color code everything, and label the connections at the "entrances." I typically use sprinkler system control wire for feeders. This wire is available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and is far cheaper than wire bought from retail outlets such as Radio Shack. Yes, you have to strip the exterior insulation, but inside you'll find five to seven color coded wires of about 20-gauge. I think I got 100 feet of five-wire for about $10--that 500 feet in all. Good wiring is simply essential for good operation. I have a rather large layout, but doing things a step at a time applies to every layout. Because we are working with loops of track, it's easy to get confused about what's the power rail and what's the common rail. I wired things wrong at least a dozen times when I confused an inner (power, black wire) rail with an outer (common, white wire) rail. What's inner here becomes outer there really fast in most layouts. Good luck--and take your time! In the end, it will be the best value time you've spent.
Mo, Bob and Pete beat me to it so follow their advices. In addition, I want to add that there's nothing preventing you from running multiple busses if your layout is in such a shape that you need it. The key idea is to have busses that would minimize your drop feeders. I also run a separate "accessory bus" that will be plain 12 volts DC. All my accessories, e.g., lights, sound, anything motorized, etc. will drop feed that that buss.
Thank you so much Pete Nolan for such a good explination of the wires. I will try to do that. Do you have any photos of yours? Thanks. Mo
Assuming your wiring works they way it is now (i.e., all the connections are correct), then it is simply (?) a matter of bundling and routing. (Think a city street grid vs. point-to-point cow paths). I would try to loosely gather wires that run in the same general direction using either plastic cable ties or garbage bag twist ties, spporting them every foot or so. Run the bundles along a benchwork support. Don't hang them loosely across the layout but take them to a cross support. You may have some extra wire left over, but more than likely, you may find some won't reach...in which case, add wire! You may want to run separate bundles for track power and accessory power (turnout controls, etc.) depending on how your layout is configured. Where wire terminates on a terminal strip, leave a few inches of slack to allow easy connection and disconnection. Attach identifying tags at key points, and especially wire ends, to keep track of what is what. Radio Shack, Home Depot and others sell a variety of cable ties, wraps, etc. to clean up the rat's nest. Go browse the electrical section (beware, men shopping! ). There is no one best way to do it, but if you find that you are in danger of hanging yourself every time you go under the layout, you are probably doing it wrong.
Another suggestion for connecting feeders to bus wires is Scotchlok connectors, also solderless . You need to get the right type to match the wire gauges you are using. Organization will pay off the first time you have to track down a suspected wiring problem.
