Demystifying PM42 Charts & Programing & Wiring 🚂🚋
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
- We Will Be Demystifying PM42 Charts & Programing & Wiring This Digitrax DCC Component. Sometimes charts are hard to decipher for any modeler since the team that creates the chart already knows what it's all about. But the reader isn't that well versed on the subject.
I take the charts and break them down for anyone to understand. I also tell you how to wire the PM42 by breaking it down into each section. Then I do a step by step procedure of programming the PM42 for each available function.
The Digitrax PM42 can be used with any DCC system, not just a Digitrax System. It is useful to divide your model Railroad into Districts or Sub-Districts for easy troubleshooting and operation. It can also be used in a reversing loop or section of track in anywhere from 1 to 4 sections.
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Intended for viewers over the age of 14
Buy the Accu-Lites breakout board for the PM42 to make your wiring sooo much easier.
Way ahead of you. But I love wiring and soldering
Good video, I think this is a must have if your layout has a lot of switches...
It keeps things separated and prevents your entire layout from shutting down when you have a short.
Excellent. Now I understand! Thank you for the clear explanation. Brian
Your welcome Brian, glad I can help.
thank you for sharng
My pleasure
THANK YOU...for sharing.
Your welcome
Tom. This is understandable only by people who already understand. E.g. op switches? I hope you have a different intro to the PM42.
Op switches are a Digitax standard feature on all their devices. to program Have you read the Digitrax instructions? Those instructions are why I did this video.
I have an entire playlist of Digitrax videos.
@@TomsTrainsandThings Tom. Thanks. I have read the manuals and used this Digitraxx product for district management and reverse loops for many years. My comment was meant to be helpful. Your video will be more useful to people starting out if you did not assume they read the manuals, as those that do read them should not need a video.
@@timdreisbach6858 Thanks. The reason I did the video is because I had so many viewers express confusion reading the Digitrax Manual. I have other videos explaining other features of Digitrax. I cannot start fron scratch on every video explaining every detail, that would take hours. No one sits through a video that long!
@@TomsTrainsandThings ✅
Hi my name is Neil schwerdt from west valley city Utah I've got four blocks on my ho lay out.
I've got digatrax on the lay out and a pm 42 work for the block s.
So the pm 42 keeps the 3 block s keep running & the four one has a short.
Do I have the right thing for my lay out ?.
Thank you for your help from Neil schwerdt
Yes the PM42 is what you need to seperate blocks. You need to clear the short on your 4th section.
Thank you Tom I hope that you have a great weekend .
Your video s are very good to watch .
Again a big thank you.from Neil schwerdt
Tom I’m a complete rookie, in this illustration you show the rail a wire from the booster being split into 4 sections (one for each block section attached to the device, I get that part). How do you physically split the wire into four sections? Do you use the wire from the booster as like a ‘main bus” and use suitcase connectors to run feeders to the pm42? Also does the pm42 connector limit the gauge of wire you can use? I’d like to use fairly beefy wire into and out of the pm42 to keep the signal strong. Thanks!
Take a look at the actual wiring at 15:36 in the video. I have the wires coming off my program switch and use crimp splices to connect the wires. When you say beefy, your not going to get a 14 gauge wire on the solder terminals of the board. There is a breakout board for the PM 42 if you wish not to solder the wires to the edge connector but I'm not sure how big of a wire you can use on the terminals. I don't have or use one.
What gauge wire should I use to solder to the connector? Digitrax suggests 16AWG. Is this the best option?
Many thanks.
16 will work
Hi it is Neil schwerdt I have a question you show us where the wirer,s are coming from and where way connect to .
And where does the power come from to the PM 42 .
Could you explain that for me from Neil
External power supply... www.digitrax.com/media/apps/products/power-management/pm42/documents/PM42_revise.pdf
Hi it's Neil schwerdt what was the books you talking about wiring a PM 42 ? ( 4_6_22)
Check the Digitrax website for the instruction manual for the PM42
I have two Acculites Breakout Boards for my PM42s that require a 12-18 volt AC or DC power supply to operate. I also have four wall warts that supply 12 volts DC with varying amperages: 500mA, .8 A, 800 mA, and 1 A. My question is, 1)can I use these (does the amperage matter) to power the breakout boards and 2) do I need to power the breakout boards separately or can they be run from one wall wart? Thanks in advance. By the way, I have learned a lot from your videos, especially the arduino projects.
Since the PM42 requires a minimum of 125 mA output from your wall wart, I would say it's safe to use the 500 mA wall wart to power both. make sure you maintain the same polarity to both break out boards. Also, Digitrax recommends that you do not power any other type components from the same wall wart you use for the PM 42s.
@@TomsTrainsandThings thank you!
In looking over the instructions that come with the breakout boards, it seems the power for the PM42s is provided through the breakout board since it slides over the pin rows on the PM42 and a power connection is made only to the breakout board. I think i've got it now. I will use a terminal strip to make sure the polarities match. Thanks, again, Tom.@@TomsTrainsandThings
For the auto reversing on section 4 where did you get the 040 the change it to close
Thanks for catching my mistake Oscar. I said op sw 30 but then used 40 instead. It is op sw 30.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I just got my PM42 up and running for short circuit management for all four sections and it’s tripping all four districts with the quarter test instead of just the one. Rails are both gapped at each district. Is this normal? Thanks - Steve
May have some wiring issue going to the device. Recheck your connections. You should only trip 1 district with that test.
Thanks, pretty sure it’s wired correct but I’ll double check everything.
Tom, what does the Loconet connection on the PM 42 transmits back to the command station? Just curious why this device had Loconet on it. It seems like a standard DCC device. thx . Ok . .. I see why . . . programming. Never mind. haha . THX!
Hey Curtis, it transmits information to the loconet system and provides a connection point for other loconet devices. What information it provides I'm not sure! Yes, programming also! I'll have to run a test on it to see what happens when I disconnect the loconet cable to the command station. I'll let you know.
I found this in the user manual.
The PM42 will operate with no connection to LocoNet. To put your PM42 on
LocoNet, use the two LocoNet connectors on the PM42 to connect it to
LocoNet using 6 conductor cables just like any other LocoNet device on your
layout.
If connected to LocoNet, the PM42 sends information to the system as faults
are detected, cleared, and when auto-reversing occurs. If you wish to report
PM42 status information to LocoNet and attached devices or computers that
can interpret these messages, you must set up a unique board address for each
PM42.
Tom I have relatively small layout, like 45 feet of track total, a lot of that is turnouts and sidings. Actual mainline distance is maybe 30 feet, I’d still like to use the pm42 with my layout for short management. Is this a good idea? Overkill? Thanks for this btw.
My layout is not much bigger than yours but I use the PM 42 to tell where the short is. Not all shorts are caused by wheels across a frog. You may have something that has fallen across the tracks or a wire short out under your layout. The PM 42 makes it easier to troubleshoot where the problem is instead of trying to look for it over your entire layout.
Hi Tom. Please could you advise if possible. I am running my pm42 as an autoreverser for 2 districts. I find that the relays click on and off in quick succession as the loco passes the track break. Then on some occasions the relays do.t react fast enough and the command station trips. I have set the reaction to fastest. Any help would be hugely appreciated.
What command station are you using? Been having the same issues with AR1s. Haven't figured it out yet.
@@TomsTrainsandThings I am running a z21 with a bachmann 5A booster for the loops. I spent some time at a local free-mo group today and they run a large loconet setup. I managed to fix my issues by actually reducing the sensitivity to standard. I used the AR1s many years ago and I struggled with them to be honest.
I purchased a used PM42 for my NCE system power district management. Issue is that the sensitivity is too slow and the command station drops before any of the districts. I need the districts to trip faster, but I do not have a Digitrax system to adjust it. How can the PM42 be programed without a Digitrax system?
Hi Rich, I know what your problem is, but I don't know if NCE's communication between devices is the same as Digitrax's Loconet. If it was, all you would have to do is hook up your throttle and program a few op switches to lower the amperage and set the sensitivity faster. Sorry, I can'r give you a definite answer on this one.
You could also get a Digitrax PR3 to hook up to a computer with JMRI to set it up. If you have a local hobby shop the might be able to set it up for you.
hi Tom... does this unit not have the letter "G" when you were doing the demo i didn't see a "G"... any how good vid.. should help some people out.. vinny
They left out G,I,O,Q for clarity and to get it down to 22 for the pins on that side.
Would be much easier to use a PM42 breakout board from Acculites
What fun is that? Would be much easier to buy a pre built model railroad also. The fun is in the creating.
that has to be why i went with NCE system,, lol.. that just looks like way to much work,, math,, numbers letters.. mind you i am not into setting up districts yet.
The only reason I used it was to make it easier to find a problem. I was constantly having issues with shorts when I was working on a new section. You would think the problem is in the new section and look there, only to find out a day later the problem was at the other end of the layout. Makes troubleshooting much easier.
With all this stuff for DCC you need to take a degree course.
It's not that bad. The default settings are good for most modelers.