How to Use Panel Connectors on Your Layout
Steve BarkleyDescription
Once you’ve wired the trackage on your model railroad layout and programmed your locomotives with onboard decoders, it’s time to hook up throttles to the digital command control (DCC). To do so, you’ll need to install panel connectors, which are available in a few basic types, and the type you choose dictates the kind of railroad you run.
In this lesson, modeler and DCC expert Steve Barkley teaches you how to pick the right kind of panel connectors for your railroad. He walks you through the three most common connectors you’ll find in stores — plug-ins, radio receivers and infrared receivers — and explains some of the pros and cons of each option depending on how you want to operate your layout. You’ll also learn how to select the proper amount of panel connectors to hook up to your DCC based on the size of your layout and the number of people you plan on operating your railroad. With this expert advice, you’ll know exactly what you’re looking for when you go out to buy your own panel connectors!
Now let's talk about how you actually connect throttles to your digital command control system. You do this through panel connectors, and there are three basic types of panel connector. The first is a basic plug-in connector. I have one of these in front of me. You simply plug your throttle into the panel connector and run your train. A little fancier version is either a radio or an infrared receiver. This particular one here is a radio receiver. It has an antenna on the back, and it connects to a power supply that plugs into a wall outlet, because it does require an external power supply. This receives radio signals from radio throttles. It will also act like a normal plug-in connector. The final type of panel connector is an infrared panel receiver. It looks just like the radio receiver, except it does not have the ability to receive radio signals. When you are deciding on panel connectors for your layout, first, you want to make sure that the type of panel connectors you choose matches the type of throttle that you're going to use on your layout. If you plan on using only tethered throttles, then you really only need basic panel connectors. If you want to use radio throttles, then you're going to need one or more of the radio receiver panel connections. The number of panel connectors you require is going to depend on the size of your layout and the number of people that may be operating your layout at any given time. For instance, on my layout, I have panel connectors spaced about every six feet, which means that wherever people are operating in my layout, they have easy access to a panel connector if they're using tethered throttles.
Is it now to be assumed that we all will be using the Digitrax system? What about other systems? Why are there no examples or support for those of us who use other systems?