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We realize that there are lot's of modelers in our hobby that use #6 turnouts for good reasons. It's been somewhat of an obsession to address this turnout with a good solution. The reason we did the N4R and N4L first is that Kato's #4 turnout has a more user-friendly approach to attaching our board, namely hex nuts and washers. Second, the #4 turnout has a frog that can be isolated to prevent shorting. Kato's #6 turnout, though highly popular, has a frog that cannot be isolated and must switch polarity with the point rails. As a result, a train entering the frog side of the turnout will cause a short if the alignment of the point rails is not consistent with the direction. Our solution will include an approach to fix this problem in the #6 turnout. We hope to have an engineering sample of a Kato N Scale accessory decoder in the first quarter of 2023.

N4R and N4L decoders are perfectly comfortable with DC rail inputs. In fact, DC input is part of our QA test fixture.

We did not seek to power our decoders externally since self containment, including DCC from rail contacts inside the turnout roadbed, is part of the value we bring. The problem with shorting for misaligned travel through a turnout (with the opposite alignment) is eliminated by isolating the frog in the #4 (N-scale) turnout we are designed for and accomplished through our circuit design. If you need a separate bus to power the decoder and remove the short circuit (in progress) from a #6 (N scale) turnout, then you already have those #6 turnouts powered separately. You do not need to have a separate bus for a #4 Kato turnout equipped with our N4R or N4L accessory decoders! They will not short due to misalignment or bring DCC control to an unrecoverable halt. This is convenient, simple and trouble-free.

N4R and N4L do not have a local switch operational capability for alternative control near the area of the turnout. Our HO product (H6) has the capability to wire 2 local switches and will be announced shortly.