Using a siding as a programming track

CommandStation-EX has additional command support to enable you to operate your layout with a siding as a programming track. This enables you to program or read CVs of a loco on your programming track and then drive the loco away onto the main layout.

There are standard hardware guidelines for this using a manual DPDT switch here Link needed! but a software implementation allows an automation process to for example: Read the cab number of a loco on the programming track. Switch the programming track to main. Drive the loco away.

The command <1 JOIN> is used to switch the ingternal signal generators so that the main track DCC data signal is transmitted through the prog track.

For most simple motor shield setups and locos, this is sufficient and there is no extra wiring or hardware required. However there are a couple of issues which you may need to consider:

1. You may find that your prog track and main track are wired at opposite poles. This is easily solved by swapping the prog track terminal connections.
2. If you have separate power drivers for the two tracks, they may not be electronically compatible or have a common ground to the two tracks. This can be solved by introducing a software driven DPDT relay which switches the programming track rails between the two power sources. To Control this relay you can introduce a single line of code to the mySetup.h file to call

DCC::setJoinRelayPin(pin);