Installation Guide

Installation Guide
RAILbooster plays well with all manufacturer’s DCC systems. If your
system isn’t covered here, please contact Railstars for specific
instructions.
Connecting RAILbooster to your layout is easy. Only three or four
connections are necessary for RAILbooster to do its job:
•power
•track
•digital command station
•booster ground bus (only if you are using multiple boosters)
Because RAILbooster’s primary function is the routing of power to your
trains, please be careful while installing RAILbooster. In particular, please
familiarize yourself with the following instructions before attempting
installation.
RAILbooster Installation Guide 20120206, ©2012 Railstars Limited
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Diagram
The following diagram locates the various inputs and outputs necessary to
set RAILbooster up with your layout.
Power Jack
Track Voltage Adjust
Command Station
Input
Status Indicators
Common Ground
Track Output
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Connecting Power
RAILbooster requires a power supply to operate. A supply with a 2.1mm,
center-positive plug, and that can provide between 14 and 16VDC at 3A or
more will suffice. Use a power supply that provides about 2V more than
the desired track voltage. Please note that RAILbooster is not compatible
with AC power supplies such as the Digitrax PS315.
Simply insert the power supply plug into RAILbooster’s power jack, then
plug into the wall. When first powered up, the status indicators should light
like as below:
Power Jack
Status Indicators
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Connecting Command Station
RAILbooster is compatible with a very large range of DCC systems. This
document covers only the most popular systems, so if your system is not
listed here please contact Railstars for specific instructions.
First, locate the DCC input terminals on RAILbooster, marked “DCC IN”:
Command Station
Input
Status Indicators
Next, identify the booster output on your command station, and refer to
the diagrams on the next page to connect the booster output to
RAILbooster’s DCC input. Once you have connected and powered on your
command station properly, the “NO DCC” status indicator will go off, as in
the diagram above.
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•Digitrax Loconet: Connect a LocoNet cable with one end cut off to
the “DCC IN” terminals on RAILbooster as below:
•NCE Control Bus: Connect a Control Bus cable with one end cut
off to the “DCC IN” terminals on RAILbooster as below:
•Lenz: Connect a pair of wires from the “CDE” terminals to the “DCC
IN” terminals on RAILbooster as below:
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•MRC Prodigy Advance and Prodigy Advance Squared:
Use a CAT-5 (Ethernet) cable, with one connector cut off. Plug the
connector into the “Factory Use Only” port of your Prodigy Advance or
Prodigy Advance Squared, and wire the other end to the “DCC IN”
terminals RAILbooster as below. Notice that there are two standards for
color-coding CAT-5 cable; if you aren’t sure which kind of cable you have,
simply try both methods and one should work. There is no risk of
damaging RAILbooster if you make a mistake.
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Connecting Track
Now, locate the track output terminals on RAILbooster, marked “DCC OUT
A” and “B”. The terminal is located nestled next to one of the large
heatsinks.
Track Output
Wire the terminals on RAILbooster marked “DCC OUT A” and “DCC OUT
B” to the rails of your layout. To check that short-circuit protection is
working, with RAILbooster powered up and receiving a signal from your
command station, place a quarter on the tracks. The “FAULT” indicator
should come on, and remain on as long the quarter is on the tracks.
Remove the quarter, and the “FAULT” indicator will go out in approximately
3 seconds.
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Multiple Boosters
If you are using multiple power boosters on your layout, you must insure
that each booster is wired to the track in the same orientation. A failure to
do so will cause a short circuit, and hence will cause your trains to stop
running when they move between power stations.
WRONG
CORRECT
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When used on a layout with other boosters, RAILbooster must be
grounded to the other boosters on the layout. RAILbooster provides a
special “GROUND” terminal for this purpose.
Common Ground
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Connect the “GROUND” terminals on each RAILbooster to its neighbor
using heavy-gauge wire. If using Digitax boosters or NCE boosters that do
not provide a dedicated common ground terminal, connect the “GROUND
terminal on RAILbooster to one of the Digitrax or NCE booster case
screws.
Heavy (12 gauge) wire
“GROUND” terminals
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Setting Track Voltage
You can measure the track voltage in two ways. You can use a standard
voltmeter or multimeter, with one lead on one rail (it doesn’t matter which),
and the other touching the “GROUND” terminal on RAILbooster. Multiply
the measured voltage by two to obtain the actual track voltage.
A second method is to use a specialized DCC voltmeter such as the
popular RRampMeter.
First, make sure that RAILbooster is fully installed, and is receiving a signal
from your command station. Remove all loads from the track. Now, locate
the track voltage adjustment trimpot.
Track Voltage Adjustment
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Adjust Track Voltage Down:
To adjust the track voltage DOWN, use a small screw driver to adjust the
track voltage adjustment trimpot COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. It may take
several turns before you see a measurable difference on the track.
Adjust Track Voltage Up:
To adjust the track voltage UP, use a small screw driver to adjust the track
voltage adjustment trimpot CLOCKWISE. It may take several turns before
you see a measurable difference on the track. Notice that you cannot set
the track output higher than about 1–2V below the power supply voltage.
Voltage Down
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Voltage Up