Skill Level: Simple for frogs - just requires knowledge of soldering feeder wires to track. Wiring crossovers and complex trackwork may require understanding of DCC wiring.
DCC Polarity Reversal and Power Routing (Frog Juicers)
For how to wire different types of turnouts an excellent resource is Alan Gartner's Wiring for DCC website. Wherever you see a power routing switch, you can susbstitute a frog juicer.
Keep your frogs happy with our frog juicers!
DCC Mono Frog Juicer (polarity reverser for frogs)
For all DCC systems including NCE PowerCab. This board is an automatic polarity reverser for a single frog. Setup is simple, connect two wires to the DCC bus and one wire to a frog. The frog should be fully isolated. When a train crosses the turnout and the frog is the wrong polarity, the frog juicer will reverse the polarity so quickly that the train and the rest of the DCC system will never notice. Should not be used with boosters over 5 Amps. See the Dual Frog Juicer for 10 Amp boosters.
MFJ003U $17.95
DCC Dual Frog Juicer and Auto-Reverser
For all DCC systems including NCE PowerCab. This board can be configured to use as an automatic polarity reverser for two frogs, a reversing loop, a turntable, a wye, or a crossing. It uses the same basic design as the hex frog juicer but has 33 Amp transistors so it can be used with multi-unit lashups and 10 Amp boosters. Setup is simple, connect the input to the DCC track bus, and connect the output wires either to two frogs or two rails. A jumper controls whether the two outputs act as a pair (i.e. an auto-reverser) or independently (i.e. a pair of frog juicers). Another pair of jumpers controls the current set point for switching, either 2 Amps or 4 Amps.
This is the same board as the Dual Frog Juicer but confugured to work as a circuit breaker. When there is a short it will cut off both rails at once. This solves some problems where only one rail is cut off and wheels bridge to another active rail. Also the auto-reverse has been disabled - this gets around the issue of having an auto-reversing section and frog juicers within the district powered by the circuit breaker. Cut off current limit can be set to either 2 Amps or 4 Amps with jumpers. LEDs have been changed to indicate green for normal operation and red for a short. You can also add a remote LED to indicate a short. It has 33 Amp transistors so it can be used with 10 Amp boosters. Setup is simple, connect the input to the DCC track bus, and connect the output wires to the district to be protected. Note: you can convert a Circuit Breaker to a Dual Frog Juicer by removing the "CB" jumper or convert a Dual Frog Juicer to a Circuit breaker by adding the jumper.
CFJ003U $43.95 USD
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DCC Hex Frog Juicer - power 6 frogs
For DCC systems 2 Amps to 8 Amps including NCE PowerCab. This board can be configured to use as an automatic polarity reverser for six frogs, or a reverser for one to three reversing loops, turntables, wyes, or crossings. Setup is simple, connect the input to the DCC track bus, and connect the output wires either to six frogs or rails. Two jumper controls whether the two, four or six outputs act as pairs (i.e. an auto-reverser) or independently (i.e. a pair of frog juicer). Should not be used with boosters over 10 Amps. See the Dual Frog Juicer for 10 Amp boosters.
HFJ003U $98.95
How to wire a large complex layout with Block Detectors and Circuit Breakers.
Please note - Frog Juicers are DCC (Digital Command Control) devices ONLY. They will not work with DC or 3-rail. They will work with most all DCC systems, Lenz, Roco, NCE (including the PowerCab), Digitrax, Zymo, MRC, CVP. If you don't see your DCC system here, don't worry, there are just too many to list them all!
Alas, they will not work with the Bachmann EZ-DCC system or the SPROG II as they do not have enough power to reach the 1.7 Amp switching threshold. However, if you use one or our boosters then you can use frog juicers and other auto-reversers with these systems.
Peco Electrofrog Update- All Frog Juicers work with Peco electrofrog turnouts without any modification to the Peco turnout. The same applies to other power-routing turnouts (e.g. older Shinoharas). You still need to insulate the Peco electrofrog turnouts as in the instructions that come with the turnout. For a normal turnout, that mans using insulated rail joiners on the 2 rails leaving the frog.
Peco Insulfrogs do not need a frog juicer as the frog is plastic and cannot be powered.
Trouble with your PSX ciruit breakers shorting faster than the frog juicers?
Older versions of the PSX were slower and the frog juicer would trip before the PSX ciruit breaker. Newer ones are set faster than the frog juicers. You can slow the PSX down by programming it. Thanks to Larry Puckett and his website DCC Guy for this tip:
"The solution is to slow down the PSX and give the Frog Juicer enough time to do its job. On the PSX set CV55=1 and CV65=128, and the PSX delay should work with the Frog Juicers."
I designed this board originally with the prompting of Ted Pamperin and Craig Bisgeier. Ted was so thrilled with the product that he and Dave Ramos made this video testimonial.
