I am building my first z scale layout. I am not going DCC, just simple DC, at least for now. Should I just stick with the power feed cables they have or wire it directly. It is a 2'x2' up and over twice around. I was trying to emulate Rokuhan's briefcase layout, but with larger radius curves. The track length is 10' total. I have a preliminary mock-up and need to test things next.
one feed is plenty for operating two locos on that loop if using the C001 controller if using the C002 controller it will handle 2 or 3 geeps or AZL locos fine but not an AB set of MTL F7AB unless they are the newest. This is because the motor in that engine can draw more than 200 milliamps, sometimes as high as 350MA of power. The over current trip on the C002 is .75 amps so 2 x 350ma is 700ma so very close to the limit. I see no power loss on my 2 x 4 layout with two loops with a single power feed. To connect two feeds to the track requires soldering and soldering to the track unless you are good can lead to damage that impacts how your trains run on the track if you use two track fees you have to make sure they are put in from the same side of the track otherwise to create a short as it depends on which side yout power fee i pushed into the slot as to which rail is plus and which is negative. You can join the two wires in one plug to go to the controller if you get the pin extractor tool from Rokuhan on their web site. If you need more help just ask and I will be glad to respond
Thanks guys. I did some testing earlier and the feeder worked just fine with my AZL Santa Fe RDC. Looks like it is just dirty track. It's still very new, but I got an amazing amount of grunge off it. The RDC is very nice. It runs very smoothly and creeps with very little throttle.
You could also drill a hole through the roadbed just outside the rails. Make the holes just big enough to get some 22 gauge solid wire through. Solder the wires to the outside of the rails and make your connection underneath your layout. Hides the connection very well.
Or use an xacto knife to remove some material to get access to the rails. It's soft plastic so go slowly. See the attached pic. Near the center of most track pieces there are 2 nodes that drop down. These are part of the rails. Continuity check it and see for yourself. They are a great place to solder with a 1/64 long conical tip. Continuity check your work before dressing the connection with a little 30 minute epoxy. Just a little. You don't want the epoxy oozing down under the rails. This bond puts the stress on the epoxy before the solder joint.
I use pretty much the same technique. Here it is in detail, with lots of photos: http://ganddinz.blogspot.com/2011/02/electrics.html
