I am completely new to Digitrax so please excuse this question if it sounds trivial. I need to wire up my layout and also would like to install Loco Buffer. For this purpose I need cables, which are referred to as Telco in the U.S. Since I am from Germany and Telco is not an available brand here, my question is: Are there generally any off the shelf type cables one can buy, i.e. telephone cable (receiver to phone), Network cable (Patch or Crossover) ? Thanks for helping.

-- Sebastian Daeunert (daeunert@t-online.de), June 16, 2003

Answers

Sebastian,

Telco is not a brand, but is short for telephone company. It is used for a lot of things having to do with telephones. So you do not need to worry about buying a specific brand.

I assume you have not bought your Digitrax system. When you do, you will find that it is a 6 conductor flat cable. I have no idea as to whether it is available in Germany.

Digitrax does not require that you use this type of cable. Of course, if you do not use this cable, you will need to convert between Digitrax and whatever you use. My main point is that you can pretty much use whatever cable you have available. For example, through the walls of my home, I use computer network cable that is referred to as "CAT-5" or catagory-5. It has 8 wires, of which I use 6, and the cable is not flat. It is basically 4 pairs of twisted pair wires. I have a 6 pin jack on my walls at both ends and plug the Digitrax cables into these jacks.

Should you need to order some 6 conductor cables from the United States, you can buy the cable, connectors, and a tool for putting them on from Mouser and Digikey. See my web page: http://www.WiringForDCC.com/parts.htm I realize that ordering from the US is perhaps a lot of trouble. Fortunately you can buy 33m or more, all the connectors you can want, and the tool. In US dollars, the cost is not high. You can then make all your own cables whatever length you need them. That is how I do it.

-- Allan Gartner (bigboy@WiringForDCC.com), June 16, 2003.

Allan

Thank You for your help. If there are any more readers from Germany I meanwhile found out that a 6 wire telephone cable is available in Germany too and it should have the right plugs. It is available at Conrad Electronic (www.conrad.de) 921442-41 for 3 Meter Cable 921442-42 for 6 Meter Cable 921442-43 for 10 Meter Cable I have ordered a few samples and will let you know if this works. If it does it would be quite inexpensive, 4.70 Euro for a 3 Meter cable (roughly 5 Dollars for 3 yards, plugs already factory attached). Sebastian

-- Sebastian Daeunert (daeunert@t-online.de), June 20, 2003.