I've sussed out how I'm going to make my own power taps for my layout but have a question. My duel pit lane is directly after my start. Where would folks recommend I start my first tap? it looks like I would have to crack the APB to tap directly and there are 4 lanes for my pit. Any tips appreciated.
how long is your track? i'd probably put a feeder tap going out from a piece very close to the APB (possibly the last piece before the APB) running those feeder wires to a hub. from the hub, i'd run jumpers to every 10th or 15th piece. since it sounds like you have a complex pit lane, i'd probably put a jumper at the first track after the exit so it gets power direct from the APB on the entrance side and the jumper from the exit side.
there are a lot of different ways to do it. i would use a terminal strip. you run the feed wire into one side and install a jumper so it gives power to all the screws on the opposite side, and then run the taps out from the screws on the other side. if you only need one or two jumpers tracks, i'd just use wire nuts.
terminal strip:
jumper:
Last edited by boopiejones; 10-26-2012 at 07:06 AM.
That's great thanks Boopie, very straight forward. Off to Jaycar.
Even simpler is to run your taps to the hub location and solder your wires together and insulate with heat shrink, this saves the trip to Jaycar, and the fiddling around of either soldering or crimping lugs on and then connecting them to the connection block, I run Carrera and I also connect connect all of my displays etc to this connection
I was suffering from all types of power problems and considered using taps, but instead used a suggestion I found on this board or the other board regarding using short sections of wire forced between the rail and the plastic to bridge between track sections. I took this a step further and ran a strand of 24ga. solid copper wire around the entire track on the outside between the rail and the plastic. It was relatively easy to do using a small plastic tool to force it into place and it instantly solved all of my problems. Hope this helps.
It's a temporary thing, as I change my track every couple of months, but I've just started limited copper foil taping - just half an inch stuck on the rail across (not inside) each connection - took a couple of hours and does tear sometimes but most seem ok after a month's use.
I just used the cheapest conductive tape from China and it does the job, and it also makes a smoother track.
Took me a couple of hours to do all the rails on a 65' track. I bought the wire at a local hardware store for a couple of dollars and it solved all of my power issues instantly. It was also a lot easier than taking everything apart and trying to bend the tabs tighter.
Have you noticed any areas where cars get stuck more easily? My main concern with this technique (and similar ones) is that the slot will narrow in places. You might only notice if a car stops at just the right spot, or if you drive really slow, and it will only happen with some cars that have thicker guides. It's a good idea, though, and one I'm considering, though I may test it with just short bits right at the joins.
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