Explaining the installation and use of the Digitrax SE74. Clarify the confusion about how to wire and operate this complex signal and turnout motor control device.
@@ringersmadchamp The SE74 works just like the SE8C. If you want true signal logic, you need JMRI and block detection. But if all you want is turnout position indication, you can skip the SE74 and just wire the signals to the switches on the tortoise or similar.
No problem! Most people bought the SE8C to control signals! Thus, most never thought about the turnout control. The SE74 has been touted for both capabilities. If you like to control the turnouts with a pushbutton, or from a throttle, or even from JMRI, then both the SE8C and SE74 will work nicely for this purpose. If you have no need for any of that capability, then the old cross-wired toggle switch is simpler and cheaper.
Okay? Yes. Recommended, NO! The problem with model railroading is that you never know when you might change your mind about how you operate the layout! I never intended to get so far into computers and tv screens and iPads/iPhones. I had to re-do some things when I got interested. The base ID of 253 is high enough that you won't run into problems if you decide, for example, to use a Smail, with built-in decoder, to operate your turnouts instead of a Tortoise or other slow motion machine. The Smail can be set to any desired operating switch number (the base ID of 253 is setting the switch numbers that control the SE74) and you typically will want to use the turnout number of the turnout from your track diagram. Most like to start turnouts with 1, or 10 or some other low number. On my layout, I use use 10-19 for turnouts on one mainline, 20-29 for turnouts on the second mainline and 30-39 or 40-49 for local lines. It just keeps the low numbers available for use later if you decide to "re-model!"
It's a digital device! Digital is supposed to read from right to left. That said, I understand what you're saying but, as someone who works with digital stuff, I always have trouble with devices that put pin #1 on the left. Then again, the directions are correct except for the upside down label. Digitrax!
OK! I'll give you that one! But 90% of model railroaders are NOT engineers nor do they spend their time working with "digital devices." For those of us who have enough knowledge to get into trouble, things should be written left to right! My digital computer keyboard puts the numbers left to right! The decimal system can be read right to left, but how many people read "25" and "5 and 20?" (That was all in jest 🙂) However, this is not! User manuals should be written so that people of ordinary, maybe slightly above average intelligence can use the material so published. Digitrax has made science out of writing their manuals to be treated as "from one engineer to another engineer!" Engineers are the only ones who can decode them! Sorry to harp on that, but when a sizeable portion of the model railroad family shies totally away from installing and operating signals on their railroads because they don't understand the first thing written in the device manuals, I find it a significant deterrent to the sale of more equipment! That was the basis for my deciding to do a series on the SE74 and how to hook up and make the signals work. Thanks for your comments!
@@jimworcester981 Agreed! Hope I didn't cause offense, I just couldn't help myself. I bought a Block detector and just could not figure out how to wire it. Digitrak's support is absolutely non-existant. Finally figured it out but spent more than an hour doing it. I guess that's why I got a level of amusement from your situation. Misery loves company and all that.
