gunrunnerjohn posted:rtr12 posted:How large would a layout need to be to need one of these? If I ever get to my expansion plan I will have about 16' x 22' L shape with a yard of about 6' x 16' added on somewhere if I can fit it in. I have only a 6' x 16' layout now and everything works well. Just thinking about getting one just in case. It's also gonna have 2 levels if I ever get to it.
It's not really how large, it's whether you have the specific issue that this will correct. You'll probably have to build the layout to find out if you have an issue. I've seen layouts considerably larger that had no issues with TMCC. Folks like the NJ-HR or Elliot (Big_Boy_4005) here in the forum have layouts the size that will likely benefit from this buffer.
In my case, I have over 3000' of track spread out over 1900 square feet. I'm guessing a bit here, but I would say that if you have less than 1000', your layout probably shouldn't need one.
That said, there could be track configuration issues which might make the booster necessary. I agree with John, build the layout first. If everything works, great. If not, try some of the other well documented fixes first. If you are still having trouble, it would be a good idea to build the signal strength test car, and map the layout with it, then go for the booster.
For the record, even the booster has not solved all of my problems. I still have a number of engines that don't like certain spots, but the booster has made it possible to run most of the engines over the entire layout.
