# Can I add an extra jack to my system with phone wiring?



## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I have a NCE Power Cab. Just received an NCE 04e cab. I have noticed that the cable on the NCE 04e only has 4 wires. I have a spool of phone wires and a few jack left over from an other project. Is there any reason that I cannot just use a phone jack for the o4e? I have to leave the PowerCab plunged into the same port at all times but the other cab would be free to move this way.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

There's no reason why you cant use that cable as long as the jack is the correct size. The two outer wires when six contacts are used is for track power.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Cycleops said:


> There's no reason why you cant use that cable as long as the jack is the correct size. The two outer wires when six contacts are used is for track power.


Thanks, that is what I was thinking. The spare jacks and wire I have left are all 4 strand. Since the PowerCab stops everything when unplugged I have no plans to move it from the main plug. Since I have the other parts for an hour or two of my time I can have a plug by my desk and one in another location. Also great not to have the kids tangling the two cords when they are using it together.


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## Mark R. (Jan 26, 2013)

Just make sure the plugs are oriented correctly ....










Mark.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Thanks all for the help. I added two jacks today. Total cost was an additional $5 and 30 minutes. I used a 15ft crossover cable and a 10 foot regular cable that I already had. Home Depot had a nicer face plate than I was going to use so I bought two of those. The back had four slots with screw terminals to attach the wires. I just cut one end off of each cable and striped the wires then attached them in the proper terminals. Drilled an 1.5 inch hole in the side of the table and it looks like I put a box in a wall. Works great.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

This is great to know because I have tons of extra phone lines and accessories that I can use on my NCE Power Cab system. I had been wondering about that too because the line plugs looked like typical phone line & jacks to me and I couldn't see shelling out all that dough for something with a brand name (NCE) just so I could have other hand stations set up. I kind of figured this would work and now I know for sure so thanks to all of you for the insight.


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> This is great to know because I have tons of extra phone lines and accessories that I can use on my NCE Power Cab system.


one thing to bear in mind is that the phone company learned long ago that twisting pairs of wire significantly reduces susceptibility to noise and helps carry signals further with less loss. This is still true for ethernet cables today.

so when using phone cable, identify the pairs in the cable that are twisted together and make sure one pair is used for the signals and a different pair for power.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> This is great to know because I have tons of extra phone lines and accessories that I can use on my NCE Power Cab system. I had been wondering about that too because the line plugs looked like typical phone line & jacks to me and I couldn't see shelling out all that dough for something with a brand name (NCE) just so I could have other hand stations set up. I kind of figured this would work and now I know for sure so thanks to all of you for the insight.


Ya, just make sure it's a six strand wire in the same pattern as the NCE wire and you are good to go! 8 strand is for power cab only, 6 strand for command bus only.

Also make sure the wires are in the same pattern at both ends, some phone wire has the connector reversed at the other end, I don't know why, check em CLOSE!


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

Don't have to go too crazy with the POWER wiring on an NCE system, my PowerPro is keeping 500 feet of track plenty hot enough to run 9 locos with load, lights and sound at the same time with one power feed, the only reason I'm extending my COMMAND BUS is for convenience. I have no plans OR NEED to extend the power bus anywhere beyond the ten inch wires from the command station to the terminal piece of track it is wired to. On this track pattern there is no spot on the layout more than 60 track feet from the power feed and I have had NO problems in the six plus months it has been up and running.

NCE DCC uber alles!


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

Chip said:


> Ya, just make sure it's a six strand wire in the same pattern as the NCE wire and you are good to go! 8 strand is for power cab only, 6 strand for command bus only.!


only two pairs of wire, 4 conductors are needed to extend the NCE cab-bus from PCP/UTP to UTP. On the power cab panel, the two outer conductors are for the track connection from the Power Cab requiring 6 conductor RJ-12 cables. The diagram below shows the UTP connections and that the outer connections (1,6) are spare.

many phone cords only have 2 pairs of wires. Some only 1 pair.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Chip said:


> Ya, just make sure it's a six strand wire in the same pattern as the NCE wire and you are good to go! 8 strand is for power cab only, 6 strand for command bus only.
> 
> Also make sure the wires are in the same pattern at both ends, some phone wire has the connector reversed at the other end, I don't know why, check em CLOSE!


When I did this I only used 4 strand (2 pair) wire for the additional jacks. I only have plans to use the Cab04e on those jacks. I have no plans to move the Power Cab since disconnecting it shuts everything down. Once running it is stuck in the central location. Since I already had the wire and this was not an issue I just ran the 4 strand wire and have no issue with the Cab04e and the mobile cab.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

Chip said:


> Don't have to go too crazy with the POWER wiring on an NCE system, my PowerPro is keeping 500 feet of track plenty hot enough to run 9 locos with load, lights and sound at the same time with one power feed, the only reason I'm extending my COMMAND BUS is for convenience. I have no plans OR NEED to extend the power bus anywhere beyond the ten inch wires from the command station to the terminal piece of track it is wired to. On this track pattern there is no spot on the layout more than 60 track feet from the power feed and I have had NO problems in the six plus months it has been up and running.
> 
> NCE DCC uber alles!


Well you know I was wondering exactly how many feet of track the NCE Power Cab could run without problems and if you have 500 feet of track on one NCE unit then I'm in great shape, even if I connect both mainlines together. I'm running about 300 feet I guess maybe a little less and all the locomotives run just fine with no issues at all and I have 8 units not counting the steam loco I have for sale.

I see all these videos online with guys running all of these wires every so many feet down to a main wire but I didn't do that and my trains run perfectly fine without any power loss anywhere along the two mainlines. It's the same way on both mainlines with 2 different DCC systems so I don't understand all these guys running all that extra wiring? I have one connection on each mainline and all my trains run perfectly. How is that possible?

The only reason I was considering using the phone lines (which I have several types) with a second handheld was so I could actually walk around my layout without having to stand in one place but, I have no problem doing what I'm doing now. I guess maybe to keep working on the layout would be the only reason to do something like that in my case anyway. My layout is pretty much finished other than putting down landscape & trees and then it would be complete but... what is a guy to do then, lol?


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

tkruger said:


> When I did this I only used 4 strand (2 pair) wire for the additional jacks. I only have plans to use the Cab04e on those jacks. I have no plans to move the Power Cab since disconnecting it shuts everything down. Once running it is stuck in the central location. Since I already had the wire and this was not an issue I just ran the 4 strand wire and have no issue with the Cab04e and the mobile cab.


I was checking out your layout photos and that's a really cool old vintage looking layout the way I like 'em. It looks like most of your stuff is the older units, buildings, etc. and I love that older stuff. I have a complete set of those "Painted Ladies", those famous old Victorian homes in San Francisco that I haven't built yet and I don't know why to be honest with you, lol. They are all in the original boxes and I haven't seen those for quite sometime in at the train shows I've been to. Anyway, that's a great looking layout you have my friend.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Texas Hi-Railer said:


> I was checking out your layout photos and that's a really cool old vintage looking layout the way I like 'em. It looks like most of your stuff is the older units, buildings, etc. and I love that older stuff. I have a complete set of those "Painted Ladies", those famous old Victorian homes in San Francisco that I haven't built yet and I don't know why to be honest with you, lol. They are all in the original boxes and I haven't seen those for quite sometime in at the train shows I've been to. Anyway, that's a great looking layout you have my friend.


Thanks for the comments. I have converted several of the locomotives in those pictures to DCC. I am currently working on converting an old Mantua decopod.


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## Texas Hi-Railer (Jan 28, 2015)

tkruger said:


> Thanks for the comments. I have converted several of the locomotives in those pictures to DCC. I am currently working on converting an old Mantua decopod.


That's really cool you have the knowledge to do all of that. I have three of the older E7 & E9 locomotives like you have there on your layout that are DC like yours use to be and I have all the lightweight passenger cars to go along with them to make up really nice looking passenger consists on my old DC layout which I will probably keep running forever, or until the good Lord calls me home anyway, lol.

I still love the "old school" DC model railroads that we grew up with and while I do enjoy this newer DCC w/sound, you just can't beat the old DC system IMHO.


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