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Why AUSTRALIA Amendments

Australia uses the metric system (meters, etc) of units and material made to the imperial system (feet, etc) either no longer exists, or requires additional expense and effort. Therefore alterations & an addendum to the NTRAK Specifications were necessary to order to meet the commonly available supplies.
 

The NTRAK AUSTRALIA Amendments

The following alterations to the NTRAK Specifications ensure that a module can be constructed from material from local timber/hardware suppliers.

• The common base board material, particle board and/or ply, is now available in the metric size in multiples of 300 mm, hence the once common 4' x 2' sheet is now 1200 mm x 600 mm, not 1220 mm x 610 mm.
• To allow a modeller to construct a module that will conform with another modules without undue waste, it is necessary that all dimensions are the metric equivalent of values shown in the manual. The only exception to this is the base board size, i.e. the size will be 1200, 1800 or 2400 mm long by 600 mm wide and skyboard widths to make 600 mm wide.
• Tee-Nuts, shown on several pages of the manual are readily available in hardware stores. They are available from NTRAK, as are the electrical connections. It is considered that the Cinch-Jones or Archer style of connectors is too expensive. The RCA type Phono Plugs and sockets are required by BINS (British Isles NTRAK Specifications) and are available at electronics stores (i.e. Dick Smiths and Tandy) as well as most Hi-Fi suppliers.

ADDENDUM TO THE NTRAK MANUAL

• BASE BOARD SIZE: metric values 1200 mm, 1800 mm, 2400 mm long by 600 mm wide. Other dimensions - metric values shown except as under.
• EXTRA MODULES WIDTH: make the 6 ins width 150 mm, NOT 152 mm.
• ELECTRICAL: low voltage connections to be RCA type Phono Plugs and sockets . Centre pin No.1, Skirt tag No. 2 pin. The 110 volt supply is to be replaced with a 240 volt supply. This high voltage supply is NOT generally required and may be left off. Any installation of the 240 volt supply is to be by a qualified electrician and tested by a relevant authority. Certificate is to be attached to the underside of the board/module.
• CANYON/VALLEY MODULES - SKYBOARD MODULES SIDE: make 8 ins, 4 ins, 12 ins values, 200 mm, 100 mm and 300 mm respectively.
• MOUNTAIN DIVISION: make 4 ins = 100 mm and 3 1/8 ins = 80 mm.
• CONNECTING TRAK: Atlas sizes vary. Preference is for Peco Flextrak be cut to exact length as noted or to that required at shows/conventions. Alternatively, modified Minitrix Expanding Track can be used.
• CORNER MODULES: the dimension 33 15/16 ins (862 mm) (i.e. diagonal of a 24 ins square) is to be 848.5 mm (diagonal of a 600 mm square). Full details of construction are contained in The NTRAK Module "How-To" Book.
• SKYBOARD COLOUR: the following colours are similar and are to be used representing sky colour on skyboards. Dulux - Azure. Berger - Polar Sky. Taubmans - Summer Sky.
• FRONT SKIRTING BOARD COLOUR: British Paints - GumLeaf or an equivalent. All in matt or flat finish.

RCA Type Phono Plugs and Sockets

FAQ

• Re: Electrical specifications using RCA type Phono Plugs and sockets. The our club has chosen to use mono 6,3 Phono plugs and found that the play in the skirt tag does not make for very good contact. There is the slightest amount of play as the pin goes into the plug. Can you tell me how you have found these plugs?  Are they working successfully, or do you have occasional problems?  There is concern that we may have electrical continuity problems around the layout.
• Please excuse me as I am not too clued up on these plugs.  It would appear that the Phono plugs and the RCA plugs are not the same.  Is this correct?  If so, could you give me a better description of the RCA plugs you are using.  What do they look like and where are they normally used for instance?

Comment

• Yes the Phono plugs do have play & that causes problems. This was one of the reasons why they were not a suitable replacement for the Clinch-Jones plugs & sockets listed in the NTRAK specifications.
• Phono plugs can be 2.5, 3.5 & 6.5mm in diameter and can be either mono (2 conductors) or stereo (3 conductors). The plugs are used for headphones on the music systems.  The RCA type are mono and only one size is available.  They are at the back of a lot of music systems for speaker connections and are also on VCR's and TV's for audio & video input.  Refer to the images below for the details of the plugs & sockets.  Check on your local electronics store or www.jaycar.com.au.

RCA Plugs (Red,Black,Yellow,White)	RCA Socket - Line (Red,Black not shown)
RCA Sockets - Chassis (Insert-Red,Ylw,Blk)	RCA Sockets - Phenolic (A)1way (B)2way
RCA Adaptors (A) 1xRCA Plug to 2xRCA Sockets (B) RCA Socket to RCA Socket (C) 1xRCA Socket to 2xRCA Sockets	RCA Sockets - Phenolic 4way RCA Sockets - Phenolic 6way