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Installing the LocoNet Into Your Module - Page1 Now that we've come this far, we're ready to install the RJ12 telco jack into our module. We'll take you on a trip from one end of the module to the other. This will give you an overview of what an installed LocoNet system looks like. This will give you some ideas as to how you can install the LocoNet into your module or your permanent layout. In building our module, we cut out openings on both sides of the module frame to insert either RJ12 6-wire telco jacks or UP3/5 panels. I use RJ12 telco jacks, instead of UP3/5 panels. However, the idea of connecting UP3/5s is the same as for RJ12s. In both cases, we run some 6-wire Loconet cable from one end of the module, over to one throttle jack, across to the other throttle jack and out to the other end of the module. In the case of UP3/5 panels, there's two female jacks in the back of the UP3/5 panel. Wiring is simply a matter of running cable from one end of the module to one of these jacks, another cable from the other jack to the next UP3/5, and so on. Wiring RJ12 telco jacks gets to be a bit more complicated but the cost savings can be substantial if you've got a lot of jacks to wire into your modules. To give you an idea of what this looks like, let's look underneath the module starting at the left end and work our way to the other end. Wiring the Loconet - An Overview At left end of the module, you'll see an RJ12 male jack. At the other end of this wire on the top is an RJ12 double-female extension cord. The double-female extension cord has made my life a lot easier to install the jacks. If you don't have access to the double-females, you might be able to use a combination of components. Or, ultimately, you'll have to wire the cable directly into the jacks.
The photo below gives us a close-up of the top of the module.
Let's take a closer look at that RJ12 double-female extension cord.
Let's move to the other side of the module. |
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