NOTE: If it doesn't play clicking on the red/white arrow click on "Watch on YouTube". An update for the spring switcher with an improved toggle control and LED indicator panels. The toggle control has been made smaller (quicker to print), fewer parts and takes up less space. Also it is easier to mount the control line and tension it so the turnout is thrown when the toggle is in the down position. The limit switch controls the LEDs which can be mounted on the small panels or they could be mounted on a larger more conventional panel with multiple turnouts shown on it. In the video I set up pretty much a worst case run for the control line from the toggle to the 'Spring Switcher'. The line has a sharp 90 degree turn to it and the spring switcher that is show is the one where the line goes past it and around a block and back to the lever arm. One could route the line through more than one eye-hook also. You could mount toggles side by side next to a control panel and have them run to turnouts that aren't side by side. The reason for a 'Spring Switcher' that pulls directly or the other way via the block on the switch machine is to allow one to set up the toggles so that up for the toggle is always the thru route. One of them has the spring on the side of the 'Spring Switcher' nearest to the edge of the layout and the other the spring is on the side away from the layout's edge. Picture a RH and a LH turnout back to back with the 'thru routed' being straight thru. If the lever arm at the bottom of the two switch machines is in the same direction both turnouts will be either thrown or not. So in both cases you could have up on the toggle used for the thru route. Picture a RH and another RH turnout back to back. Now if the lever arms are in the same position and both toggles up one turnout will be thrown and the other straight thru. If one of them uses the 'Spring Switcher' with the block that has the control line pulling the lever from the other side both will either be thrown or not and up on the toggle can be straight thru for both. I know kind of confusing. One will also be able to print 'mirror' images of both since it might be advantages in some situations to turn either one around. I'll try and get the print files up on my thingiverse account soon and more info also on my website (1fatgmc.com). Sumner
Very creative! Are you concerned about the line sliding over the printed half cylinder at the switch machine, either wearing out the line, or cutting into the half-cylinder? You used steel eye screws elsewhere to change directions. I like the way the spring on the switch machine does multiple duty: reverse throw, automatic tension, and compensation for line stretch/shrinkage with age and/or temperature.
First thanks and appreciate the interest. I think I'm going to like this better than my 'Gravity Switcher' which in testing I like a lot but it has more hardware (weights) under the turnout. I came up with this wanting something that is more compact with no real vertical height to it for use under the yard at the sawmill that is over the hidden staging area on the layout. This takes up about the same amount of room as mine or other servo switch machines (I think less than a Tortoise but don't have one to compare). I also wanted something that was less expensive, that could be controlled manually from the side of the layout, no wiring needed but can control frog polarity and/or LED wiring if one wants it. I was but after doing some testing I'm not so concerned at least for my use. I did a little over 200 pulls on one and could see no wear on either but seeing wear on the line is hard to do. There was none that was visible on the half cylinder. I've been using 12 lb. line that I fish with and thinking about how many times it goes through the guides on the fishing pole factored into this. It is also easy to replace if one changes something or needs to for whatever reason. I'm going to also use .... ... the mounting method shown above for some of these which I hope will speed up the initial mounting of the switch machine and make it very easy to replace the switch machine if ever needed. Using it one could go from the straight pull switch machine to the reverse pull (pull around the half cylinder) in a minute or two. I came up with the option for a pull in either direction so that one can set it up where when the 'Toggle Control' is in the up position the turnout is always thrown to the 'thru route'. If the turnout needs to be thrown to the right at one turnout and to the left at the next one the throwbar needs to move in the opposite direction from one to the next. The straight pull could be on one and the reverse pull could be on the next one to accomplish that. I'll initially use these in the hidden staging, where I'm working now, so hopefully in the next few weeks will be using them for real, Sumner
