Electric Uncouplers with DCC

Miles

New Member
Hello everyone,:wave:

I just have a question about the using an electric uncoupler with a DCC set up. In any way could the electric uncoupler for HO track interfere with the electric in the track and or could it also interfere with the DCC locomotive decoder?
 

jim currie

Active Member
:wave: welcome to the gauge Miles :wave: not running DCC but working on industral systems I would say that a AC powered magnet would induce a 60 cycle hum into the rails and it could interfere with the decoder if close to the loco.DC powered magnet I'd think would be ok.but I'm shure that the DCC boys would know for shure.
 

pgandw

Active Member
Shouldn't be any problem as long as the circuits are kept separate. I assume you are building/buying an electromagnetic uncoupling rig for Kadee/knuckle couplers that use magnets to uncouple. You must use DC to power the electromagnet - Kadee and other knuckle couplers depend on a particular magnetic pole configuration to work.

The only interference problems I have seen or heard about in HO is free rolling cars with steel axles being attracted to fixed, permanent magnets. Going to electromagnets is a way to prevent this problem, since the magnet is only on during uncoupling operations.

yours in coupling
 

Old 'n' Weary

New Member
A few years back, I designed a coupler spring made of shape-memory alloy that could be activated via DCC, but I never put it into practice. I did see that someone else had, but I can't find the site. You might look into that instead of using an electromagnet.
 
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