Cobalt
D
Alpha manual - Table of Contents
3, 4, 5 Introducing Cobalt Alpha Box, Cobalt Alpha Central, Cobalt Alpha & Cobalt Alpha Power: (Overview, connection details)
6 The “Unique control panel creator” option: Cobalt Alpha, plus Alpha-Switch etc. (With guide to connections and features)
7 Operating instructions for Alpha products. What the switches, buttons and other things do and when to use them!
Especially for DC users who do not want to use DCC to drive their trains.
8 Diagram 1 – General overview of ALPHA installations for DC users. Digital for DC!. Making wiring easier for DC users
Especially for DCC users who have entry-level DCC-Starter sets.
9 Diagram 2 – Alpha + Alpha Box – adding an ALPHA digital accessory bus AND connecting multiple ALPHA products
10, 11 Diagram 3 &4 Alpha + Alpha Box – Overview - Simple system upgrade or full system expansion for ANY brand!
12
Diagram 5 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Detailed connection diagram for users of Bachmann EZ command DCC.
13 Diagram 6 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Detailed connection diagram for users of Hornby Select, Elite or E-Link DCC.
14 Diagram 7 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Detailed connection diagram for users of Gaugemaster (MRC) Prodigy Express.
Especially for DCC users who have full-feature DCC starter sets or larger DCC systems.
15 Diagram 8 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and more power to NCE Power Cab.
16 Diagram 9 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and more power to NCE Power Pro.
17 Diagram 10 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to LENZ systems.
18 Diagram 11 – Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to DIGITRAX systems.
19 Diagram 12 - Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to ESU EcOS.
20 Diagram 13 - Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to ROCO MAUS systems.
21 Diagram 14 - Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to Z21 systems.
22 Diagram 15 - Alpha + Alpha Box – Add ALPHA Accessory control, protection and full power to GM Prodigy systems.
23 Diagram 16 - Marrying tradition and Digital – using Alpha with Cobalt-S Levers.
Additional information.
24, 25 Tutorial - Building a control panel with ALPHA Switch. (Full photo-story, step by step)
26 to 29 Range info - Essential Alpha Accessory items. (Brand Interface adapters, Accessories, Control & Power devices)
30 to 32 Notes pages plus warranty and contact Information.
The Cobalt
D
Alpha Range
Cobalt
D
Alpha - the core of the range:
Cobalt
D
Alpha evolved from a desire to make the wiring of layouts easier
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control panel design and creation, greatly reduces the complexity of layout wiring and most importantly, allows both DC &
DCC users to simplify control panel creation and easily add a digital accessory control bus.
By the
way - while we have created Alpha
D
Switch as a companion product to make control panel creation quicker and
simpler, traditional modellers do not have to change to use it! Cobalt
D
Alpha accepts ANY form of momentary switching as
its control input, from Cobalt-S levers to push-button switches, “Stud & probe” ...and even diode matrix connections!
Cobalt
D
Switch and Accessories:
These are the key to elegant yet very quick, easy to create, almost totally
“soldering-free” control panels with unprecedented wiring simplicity. We are certain that every modeller can install Alpha
D
Switch as its all “plug and Play” - the wiring equivalent of building with Lego! Once you’ve created your panel the rest is easy
too, as adding the Cobalt
D
Alpha control unit then reduces the need for “panel to layout” wiring to a single plug-in cable!
Cobalt
D
Box:
Created to provide a versatile and almost totally “DCC brand independent” link between control panel,
control system and operations, the super-versatile Cobalt
D
Box is the real key to seamless integration of the entire range.
Cobalt
D
Box is many things and it does all of them well: It is the perfect power source for a DC modellers “Digital Accessory
power bus” and the perfect interface between Cobalt
D
Alpha and any DCC Digital Accessory power bus.
It is a carefully crafted, conservatively rated 5-amp power booster with an on-off switch (most don’t have one!) and it has
sophisticated overload protection that gives both visual and audible warning of overload or short circuit.
In concert with Cobalt
D
Alpha, the Cobalt
D
Box is able to add high power and digital accessory control abilities to even
the most basic of starter-sets and also enhances the system power and control versatility of full DCC systems of all brands.
Used alone Cobalt
D
Box is a versatile upgrade for every brand of DCC system -adding full 5amp power and system growth
potential to basic low power “Train-set” systems, intermediate “Starter sets” or state of the art DCC-digital control systems.
Cobalt
D
Power:
This is a high quality 5 amp regulated DC power supply with overload protection. As you know, a
power supply that is properly matched to the systems it supplies is essential for achieving the best possible performance with
digital devices, so while design-matched to Cobalt
D
Alpha and
D
Box, it’s also a great choice for any 5 amp DCCsystem!
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