DCS Implementation with Atlas Terminal Joiners

 No, but I have used smaller wire right at the track for easier less obvious, connection. Try to just use a few inches or less. Wasn't a problem.

Last night I soldered #14 wires right to the track. I'm getting lazy.

Feeding power through rail joiners is shakie at best.   The fit is not long term solid.  Rail moves through the seasons, resistance can accumulate.  It can work and it can be a problem, how sure do you want your effort to be?

 A clean well adhered proper soldering attachment is the only long term solution with which I am comfortable.

Good soldered connections will make continuity checks easier over the years.

I too occasionally cheat with direct 14 ga connections on my RR.  Just form the wire a tad:

A little squeeze with the flat spot on you needle nose.

Tom, I never thought of doing that! Nice.

Smeds posted:

I'm currently working on a new layout using all Atlas O track.  I also plan to use DCS on the layout.  I'm using the Atlas O  wired terminal joiners for the feeds for my track power at each block.  I plan to run 14 gauge wire out to the feeders.  The wire on the Atlas terminal joiners seems to be 20 gauge.  Per Barry's book, this may be a problem for a good DCS implementation.  Has anyone successfully used the Atlas terminal joiners with a DCS implementation.  Appreciate any feedback.

I read 10 throughout my layout.  All Atlas and use supplied joiners with 20 gauge.  I feed with 14 gauge.  You will have no problem based on what I use compared with what you intend.

If you ballast, it should lock everything in place.

Engineer-Joe and Tom Tee  -- thanks for the feedback.  I've decided to forego using the Atlas wired rail joiners and go with soldering.  Found an entire discussion on the forum from 2014 on power feeds for Atlas O track.  Some vey interesting approaches.  I haven't done a lot of soldering, so this will be a learning experience which is part of the fun of this hobby.

That short bend  of 14ga. through a tie hole works OK with stranded also.  I still prebend the turn with stranded but press the flat spot with a straight screw driver tip.  It clears a NMRA gauge nicely on the inside of a .148" rail when the drop is near a view point.   Overkill of course,  normally 18 ga is  fine if I have the right color.

A touch of "rust"  or "tie brown" makes solder joint appearance recede.  

Soldering to Gargraves track, already in place.   

Clean/remove paint  from track.  Don't remove tin plate/galvanize from track. 

Position wire, hold with a small screw driver. 

Apply heat with a high wattage soldering gun

Holding the wire with the soldering gun, switch the screw driver to the solder roll.

Solder applied, again, hold the wire with the screw driver, until solder is solid, after removing the heat/solder gun.

Similar application to Atlas track, the plastic ties can be melted, less heat/less time with the solder gun.  

When DCS became the operating system for the Fort Pitt Highrailers. We did a solder upgrade to every track joint.  Loose track connections tended to coincide with poor DCS signal.  Soldering each track joint, with a small copper wire jumper, improved signal.   

Here's the method I used to wire my Atlas track. This link has a list of all the parts you need and some pictures. Drill sizes are for #16 stranded wire. I found this to be very easy and works quite well. It's also easy to move things around should you want to make any changes to your track power. I made a couple. If you put it on the inside of the rail (away from the view angle) it's barely noticeable, at least to me anyway.

The original idea came from Ingenerio No1's layout build thread. He came up with the original idea. There are also lots of good tips in the thread if you want to read it all, and some more tips on laying Atlas track as well. This thread helped me a lot when I was laying my Atlas track. Luckily I found it just before I started on it. Alex has a great layout too, it turned out very nice. Check out the links at the end of one of his posts and to his youtube channel. Well worth looking at all the links.

Good Luck with whichever way you choose. 

RTR12 -- thanks for the info.  I actually found your discussion on this from on an old posting.  I played some with soldering yesterday on a test piece of track -- didn't go well.  I went ahead and ordered the #0 pan head screws from Micro Fasterners and I'm going to paly with this approach to see if this is more suitable to my abilities.  Thanks. 

I think you will be impressed with this method. Can't tell you how much I appreciated finding Alex's thread before I did my wiring. Also note that the whole drill size, screw size etc, was based on #16 stranded wire. I believe Alex used the wire OGR used to sell and I had already ordered the same thing for my layout so it worked out perfectly for me. Another forum member, Gilly (can never remember his posting name), posted a source for wire that is very similar (maybe identical?) to the old OGR wire. It is available at Monoprice, I'll see if I can find that link and add to this post.

Edit: Link to Monoprice Wire - comes in #12, #14, #16, #18 and different lengths, 50', 100' etc. It's good quality, all copper wire and perfect for wiring DCS systems. Thanks to Gilly for the link!

Also, just as a FYI, for soldering to the Atlas track (which I never got around to trying) I think the key is to use a large soldering gun like the big Weller's (100/140 watts? or something like that?) and heat fast and solder quickly so you don't melt the plastic ties. Others here have successfully done it and described this process as the way they do it. 

Any track joints in tunnels I soldered them together using a jumper wire.

I took some new joiners and soldered 16ga wire to them.

RTR12  -- wanted to let you know I received my microfasteners today -- wow are they small.  So I'm going to press ahead with the methodology you laid out in your previous response to my post.

I also have another question.  I saw in a 2016 post, you indicated you  purchased some of the WeHonest dwarf signals.  I just received some today and I was attempting to test them out on the bench before installation, but I'm having zero success in getting them to work.  I'm using a wall wart that outputs 12v DC.  I know it is working because it successfully drives a 12' ribbon containing white LEDs.  You said your WeHonest dwarf signals tested out on the bench.  Can you tell me what you  used to power the signals?  Thanks.

Smeds

Sorry for the delayed reply, had some health issues and just now slowly getting back into things. Hope the track power method is working for you.

Did you get the we honest signals to work?

I do have some of their dwarf signals, but I don't recall what I tested them with, but they did work as stated. Soon after I got them the project got sidetracked and they went under the layout for storage...where they still reside. I'll try to dig one out and retry it, then report back. May take me a few days though as I only have one working hand (and not the dominant one of course).