Table of contents

BOD Card Quickstart

Overview

This Quickstart walks you through:

1. installing the BOD Card and its Block Breakout Board
2. wiring a single gapped block
3. applying layout power
4. validating the end-to-end event path, confirming that block-detection signals from the BOD Card appear as the expected Occupied/Clear LCC events on the CAN bus

The diagram below shows the flow of detection and communication through the system:

Track → Block Breakout Board → BOD Card → Node Bus Hub → Node Card → CAN Bus

Quickstart Checklist

Do these steps in order:

1. Insert Cards
   • Install the Node Card and BOD Card into a Node Bus Hub.
   • Power the Node Card.
2. Connect to the Breakout Board
   • Set the BOD Card’s COMM BUS (A/B) and COMM ADDR (1–7).
   • Connect the BOD Card’s J1 or J2 to the Breakout Board’s BOD/BSD CARDS port.
3. Wire Track and Blocks
   • Connect gapped Rail B for Blocks 1–4 to TRACK BLOCKS – GAPPED RAIL B (J1).
   • Connect layout Track Bus B to TRACK BUS B (J2).
   • If both rails are gapped:
     • Set JP1–JP4 jumpers
     • Connect layout Track Bus A to TRACK BUS A (J2).
4. Configure CDI
   • Match CDI COMM Bus + COMM Addr to the card’s switches.
   • Fill in Card Description and Block Descriptions.
   • Adjust Debounce only if needed.
   • Set the Initial Power-On State.
5. Verify Detection
   • Place a locomotive or resistor wheelset on the block.
   • Confirm: LED → Occupied Event → Clear Event after removal.

What You Need

• A LCC Fusion Node Card powered and visible in the CDI Configuration Tool
• LCC Fusion BOD Card
• LCC Fusion Block Breakout Board
• Wires
  • Card ↔ Breakout Board: Use CAT6 network cable
    • Safely handles short-duration block currents as a locomotive passes.
    • For higher sustained current, use 18–20 AWG with two RJ45 → Spring Terminal Boards.
    • For lowest voltage drop, keep the CAT6 run short by placing the BOD Card near the blocks:
      6× Node Bus Hub /w Node Card → (long CAT6) → 2× Node Bus Hub /w BOD Card → (short CAT6) → Block Breakout Board

  • Block Drop Wires: Match the gauge used between the BOD Card and the Breakout Board (e.g., 23 AWG when using CAT6).

  • Track Bus Wires: Use 18–20 AWG for reliable current delivery across multiple active blocks.
• Access to the layout Track Bus A/B
• Access to the layout’s gapped blocks
• A locomotive or resistor wheelset

Step 1 – Install the Node Card and BOD Card

1. Install a tested Node Card into a test Node Bus Hub.
2. Install the tested BOD Card into the same Node Bus Hub.
3. Power the Node Card.

Step 2 — Connect the BOD Card to the Block Breakout Board

1. On the BOD Card
   1. Configure communications to a unique setting across cards:
      • Set the COMM BUS to either Bus A or Bus B (JP1/JP2)
      • Set the COMM ADDR to 1 through 7 by sliding the switches (SW1)
   2. Connect a network cable to:
      1. BLOCK BREAKOUT BOARD BLOCKS 1–4 (J1) — for the first Breakout Board, or
      2. BLOCK BREAKOUT BOARD BLOCKS 5–8 (J2) — for a second Breakout Board.
2. On the Block Breakout Board
   1. Ensure the layout track bus is powered off.
   2. Connect the other end of the network cable to the BOD/BSD CARDS connector (J2).
      • This carries the gapped Rail B detection current to/from the BOD Card.
   3. If any of the blocks are at the end of the track bus, set the DCC BUS SNUBBER using a jumper.
   4. If a block has both rails gapped, then:
      1. Set the corresponding JP1–JP4 jumper(s) to enable that block’s current detection, and
      2. Connect TRACK BUS A (J2) to the layout’s Track Bus A.

Step 3 — Configure the BOD Card

1. Open the CDI Configuration Tool.
2. Locate the appropriate LCC Node.

3. Open the BOD Card segment.

4. Update the Card Description field
   • Use a meaningful name that tells you what this card is watching, for example:
     • Mainline Zone 54 Blocks
     • Staging Yard A Blocks
   • This makes it much easier to identify the card later when you have multiple BOD Cards on the layout.
5. Update each Block / Line Description
   • For each block input on the card, fill in a short description that ties it back to the layout, for example:
     • Zone 54, Block 1
     • Zone 54, Block 2 (East Siding)
   • Use a consistent naming pattern so wiring, CDI, and documentation all line up.
6. Set the Debounce value
   • Start with the default debounce time.
   • If testing shows noisy occupancy (flicker, rapid changes), increase the debounce value slightly.
   • If detection feels too sluggish, you can reduce it—but only after confirming the track and wiring are clean.
7. Set the Initial Power-On State
   • Choose how each block should report when the layout first powers up:
     • Some operations prefer all blocks to come up as Clear until detection says otherwise.
     • Others may want a more conservative behavior, depending on operating practices and safety preferences.
   • Actual operations on your layout will determine the best choice here.
8. Use the default event IDs unless you have a specific event mapping strategy in place.

Step 4 — Test and Verification

Place a locomotive or resistor wheelset on your test block.

Expected behavior:

• The block’s LED on the BOD Card turns on.
• The Node Card generates a On Event ID event.
• The CDI tool displays the event on the CAN bus.

Remove the locomotive or resistor wheelset.

Expected behavior:

• The block LED turns off.
• A Off Event ID event is generated.

This confirms the complete detection chain: Track → Block Breakout Board → BOD Card → CAN → Node Card → CDI

Related Documentation

• BOD Card Configuration Guide
• Node Card Configuration Guide
• BOD Card and Breakout Board Installation Guide
• Testing
• BOD Card Planning Guide
• CDI Configuration Tool Installation Guide