enginear joe Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I'm using mainly Aristo 332 stainless track. I have Splitjaw rail connectors holding the joints. I believe that my weak point is where and how the power connects. I was at first focusing on the track connection and that's why I went with Splitjaw products. For me they held the joint better than other brands. I believe my wires are corroding at the connections. I had tried crimp type connectors and was not satisfied that some would slip. So I soldered the next connectors on. I believe that the sun and weather are taking their toll on the wires at the track where they're exposed. So now I'll be looking for some type of all weather connectors that can attach to the Splitjaw clamp screws. That's a fairly small eyelet connection that I'd prefer to solder on. It still needs to be weatherproof to protect the wires. I believe that the newer copper coated wires don't stand up as well over the years. So what do you guys use outside at the track? I was contemplating making up my own track connections covering the fasteners to wires with silicone caulk. I would make these as short jumpers that could quickly be replaced. They could go to connection boxes protected from the elements. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman4449 Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I haven't had to touch my connections since I deployed them in 2006. Here is what I used and how I did my wiring and the kind of terminals, wire etc: http://www.rayman4449.com/Wiring.htm The key to me has been: - Soldering your connection between wire and ring terminal - Using screw and nuts to hard bolt them to Split jaw clamps tight - Using ring terminals that don't overly corrode(not sure how you can know that ahead of time but the ones I used from Ace hardware have worked great) - Make sure to tighten the clamps enough so they dont ever work loose. (If you have clamps loosening up you don't have them tight enough.) - Last step for me has been to tune the layout (for DCS) as I have noted on my DCS Tips page. (http://www.rayman4449.com/DCS_Tips.htm) While not really required on my 235ft ovals I did it to get perfect signaling all the way around and I dont have signal issues. Note: Use the same metal clamps for the rail you have. If you have brass track use brass clamps. Stainless rail use stainless clamps. While stainless steel has a very low dissimilar metal reaction rate, it isn't zero. - Brass clamps that I had on my original stainless steel oval showed signs of dissimilar metal reaction after a couple years. (Something I did only as a stopgap measure when I first built the oval and when i didnt have immediate access locally to SS clamps at the time) While the reaction was very minor and never caused a problem for me (and don't think it would ever be a material issue for anyone else), you really should use the same metal for both. If you do all these steps and have a problem you have something else going on or you haven't done one of the above I've listed and need to. In your case I know you are using Bridgewerks, and using the 'To Track' outputs for power so you are using the best you can for power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 You using brass or stainless Split Jaw clamps?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 I had brass as recommended. I'm switching to all stainless as I find they are stronger and stay cleaner. I'm in the process of narrowing down where my signal is suffering. I still haven't cured it. Everything is suspect until I find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 OK, I believe I used the wrong choice of words on another post. The brass clamps were not loose. They did not slip. They failed when the roadbed was soft and were continually stepped on. I'm only talking about one or two! I have a habit of tightening the crap out of them so they don't slip. I had to learn just how much the track shrinks in winter. There must be like 100 degree + swing in track temp. Summer sun to winter freeze. So I had to put in the rail expander sections to accommodate the changes. I need more of those too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 That seems to have worked for now. I replaced about 20 some brass joiners with stainless. That's all I did so far. Now the engines respond better. BTW, I had another engine snap it's proto-coupler. I stopped a train where the lead engine didn't get the message. It tore off of the train. That's somewhere around six of them that have broke. I reported it to MTH. Kristen responded saying that's the first she's heard of any breaking. So if you've had any of the MTH electric proto-couplers fail, please tell them. Last year I lost three in one session when MTH released a new DCS version (5.x). There was a bug where lash-ups did not all start in the correct direction. Unless you toggle the direction button they claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yeah mixing brass & stainless isn't a very good idea as galvanic corrosion will set in and definitely cause issues. Only problems I've ever had with the electric protocouplers is them coming open under load...the locking mechanism wasn't very good on some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yes, that's what I'm describing by the couplers failing. I should have said they release when loaded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Well you run some big long trains and wouldn't have been surprised if you actually did snap a few in half Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 I swapped out many of the brass joiners as I bought and all's well for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enginear joe Posted July 1, 2017 Author Share Posted July 1, 2017 It's an event for us. We never had this before. Now we are excited! Life is simple here for now. A new addition to the RR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Sr. Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Nice Joe, I'm getting ready to experiment with a few pond plants. Hopefully I'll get one to live. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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