I had received another Soundtraxx decoder and got it all installed as the sound for the road switcher in Carlin but was trouble programming it. I would get a "No Ack" error message on the DT402 throttle I was using to program.
After viewing a YouTube video presented by George at Soundtraxx I learned that programming voltage is half of what track voltage is and that Soundtraxx decoders in particular are sensitive to this issue. Soundtraxx had made a booster circuit for programming but it seemed to be out of stock and perhaps was no longer being made.
What I had not considered was how all this extra wiring running around the layout would degrade the programming signal so I decided to abandon the programming bus idea and instead use a jumper cord to program the sound decoders.
I found these great 3D printed panel mounts for Power Pole connectors on ebay and installed them on the fascia next to each of the sound control panels.
A 1 inch diameter hole was drilled through the fascia next to each of the sound control panels.
The panel mounts fit neatly into the hole. The wires from this connection are connected to the program position on the switch.
Then another connector replaced the existing Cinch Jones connector that my bench programming track plugs into and I made a long enough jumper cord to reach from the programming track output to anywhere on the layout. The lead for the programming track also got it's Cinch Jones connector replaced.
