reciever with short wires

[utdave]

new to the group and tell alot of you thanks for the info i have read on some issues to help me out  and learn .
heres the questions .
#1   how long can a wire be extended and what size wire    5 conductor  or backmann could make a extension plug and play with how many you can add
#2   can i add more than just 4 recievers or is there a booster for recievers to have 8
#3 has anyone tried to use a transmitter reciever used in home theator systems for hidden componets .

i have the dynammis +pro + 5 amp booster   around 400 ft of main track running the out edges of three rooms  which  would make it around a 30ftx12 ft .  i run long trains with muliple units to pull  with 6 trains running at the same time   sometimes more with  steam locos . ive been doing this for 3 years now  time to solve some little issues .  i allso been studing the 5 amp booster thread   i allmost ready to add my second 5 amp booster and its not looking good from what i read   was thinking of running one on service and one on main when i build on my second level when i win the lottery

[Doneldon]

Dave-

Welcome! I'm pleased to hear that you've found some good information here and I hope I can add to that.

If by "how long can a wire be extended and what size wire" you are referring to your power buss, there is no practical limit to how far a wire can run. However, you'll need some giant wire if you go all of the way to, for example, Greenland. For a 12'x30' layout you can use #12 awg wire (stranded is better and easier to work with than solid wire) for your entire run. If you plan to install a second booster as a second power district, you can go down to #14 wire if you keep the districts compact or stay with the #12 if each district will more-or-less extend over the whole 12'x30' area. Be sure to use lots of feeders up to your tracks and do not loop your buss wires back to your boosters in a loop.

I'm not sure what you mean by "receivers." You can use as many decoders as you could possibly run on a 12'x30' layout. If you mean the Dynamis IR wireless receivers, well, I can't imagine that you could possibly need more than four on a 12'x30' layout unless you have lots of floor to ceiling scenery or your layout extends into more than three rooms. Perhaps someone can give you a better answer if you explain what you mean by "receivers."

I have never tried to use a DCC system to control AV components and I haven't heard of anyone else who has, either. The reason for that is that the remotes which come with virtually all components and the universal remotes work so well that there's no reason to experiment. If you are wondering about controlling components which are concealed in an adjacent closet or something, well, that's a little different. In that case, there are IR repeaters which will detect the signals from the existing remotes and repeat them inside the enclosed space. These even work when components are in a cabinet in the room where the AV system is being used, but the cabinet is solid wood or the glass doors are so opaque that the IR doesn't get through. I'm thinking that you might be considering using an IR repeater in lieu of an IR receiver in some of your remote locations. (No pun intended.) I've never tried that but I'll bet it would work and I'll bet it would be cheaper than using extra Dynamis IR receivers. Somebody else on here has undoubtedly tried this so you should get a response about it. Does that address your inquiry?

Again, welcome to this board. I look forward to hearing from you again and maybe seeing some of your handywork.

                                                                                                                                                  -- D

[utdave]

thanks for you reply      its the IR receivers  i had to rewrite my post after it timed out  and i tried to specific    I'm hoping this brings great minds togather  and come up with some solutions .      it would of been nice if bachmann had extension cords 12 ft long and how many you can have in a row   and heres another question  is all the IR receivers hooked in parallel in the pro box  with out me tearing it apart to see   so if i ran one cable  and put multiple IR receivers to them  less wire less drop of signal.  i could use 8 in just one room to have great control    i think i outgrew the system  but dont have a budget to change  from the bachmann stuff (which i like alot of)  i do need to learn CV's yet  i whished i had someone right there to get me through some of it .    i use the ez command to change direction of a loco so there not all facing one direction,  but the sound locos wont accept it .   i do have great power to the tracks  every 8 ft has a connection to the power buss 16 awg extension cords  no slow downs for that and keeps good dcc signal on tracks i noticed that at the frist and a ez cure .    well  its time to get some loads and people to there distination on my railroad  without casualties.
Dave

[Doneldon]

Dave-

Eight IR receivers in one room, unless it's the basement of the Pentagon, is inconceivable. IR bounces around quite a bit so it's not necessary to have a direct line between the transmitter and the receiver. I suggest that you carefully test how many receivers you really need in each room. Disconnect all but two at the most and see whether you can control trains from any place where you might actually do so. You'll probably have better luck with receivers located around the perimeter of your rooms (not the edges of your layout) or near the walls because the few extra feet between the transmitters and receivers will allow broader broadcast and reception arcs. Finish on room and go to the next. Given your overall dimensions, I find it extremely hard to believe that all three of you rooms can require multiple receivers. You simply don't have enough square footage or volume. Indeed, absent a very peculiar floorplan, it's hard to imagine that you need more than one receiver per room, with maybe a second receiver in one if you have most of the layout in one space. Of course, the larger the largest room, the smaller the remaining ones and therefore the less need for multiple receivers.

I'm partly guessing, but you must have your receivers located oddly if you really need eight in one room with multiples in other rooms. Do a careful diagnosis of just what your need is. Good luck.
                                                                         -- D