Anyone know anything about these servo turnout control devices or use them: http://www.anemodel.com/product.html#ecwid:category=1299325&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal (scroll down the page).
Nope, I'm still in analog land. Got a bunch of DelAire pneumatic switch motors that I have been wanting to hook up but never have.
Here is something I just stumbled across last night while talking to a friend about Tortoise & SwitchMaster stall motors. http://www.nmra.org.au/Hints/Servo/servo.html
The prices for these look comparable to Tam Valley, maybe a little bit more. But I like that all the parts comes in a package and with a super clear instruction book according to that nmra link! I'll have to spend some time comparing what each has to offer. At a quick glance, I find the Tam Valley bi-colour controls more appealing than the ANE center-off toggle. We are planning on going the servo DCC route. Hopefully this year if the budget allows. I've been working at familiarising myself as best I can with the Tam Valley products, and compiling a list of questions to ask them at the Springfield show where they'll be in a few weeks. http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/home.html
Having installed about 60 Tortoise machines on my layout, I'm wondering what folks perceive to be the advantage of the servo. Are they cheaper? Easier to install? Control options seem to be the same - a toggle switch or pushbutton or DCC accessory decoder. Always interested in new ways of doing things, so I'm curious as to what the servo does better. John C.
I believe the servos are a bit cheaper. But I don't have exact numbers. The advantage to me is the wiring. Everything uses 3 wire RC connections so it's just plug and play. Also really easy to make one toggle turn 2 turnouts or 1 turnout controlled by multiple toggles in different places.
Yes, I've been running price numbers. Servos are cheaper and smaller. The exact price per turnout of the Tam Valley ones varies a bit with some of the bulk discount prices, but depending on purchase sizes I've worked out a per turnout cost of ~$21-$24. And that includes DCC boards, daughter boards to control electric frogs, power boosters for the DCC, mounting brackets, some extension cables, and bi-colour LED controllers for the fascia. ~$3 less than that going with the non-DCC Octopus control boards. With Tortoises, you still have to buy any control mechanisms
In answer to John's question, I use Tortoises in most installs for consistency's sake, but do like the Tam Valley servos on my upper deck where there is little depth to work with. If I were to start again, I would seriously consider the Tam Valley servos.. Installs are easy, and the price is good. I use DCC, so I find the integral DCC controllers handy. I do miss the Tortoises' ability to hot wire the frogs; for that one needs to buy a "juicer" or rig a cam activated switch. Regards Otto
Thanks for the responses. I can certainly see how depth would be an issue for an upper deck; Tortises are about 3" long from top to bottom, where the servos look to be about 3/4". As for cost . . . well, my Tortoises run $13.50 in bulk 12-packs. About a buck for a good DPDT switch, and $10 for a 12v 1-amp wall-wart power supply that will run about 40 of them (20 ma each; unless you add LEDs, in which case maybe only 20). Add another $1 for bicolor LED's and chrome holders for fascia indicators plus the lengths of wire needed to hook it all together, and you've got about $16 per installation, max, including frog powering (but not including any kind of stationary DCC decoder if you want to go that route, which would certainly add cost). And the Tortoises do seem to have a better integrated solution for frog power (which I view as essential). Still . . . might try the servos in some of my more space-challenged spots . . . John C.
Here is a much cheaper source for servos ($2.69). If you look under hardware & accessories-> wire & plugs you will find cheap servo wires as well. How about $3.99 for 100cm........ in a 5 pack. Before you think the quality is tied to the price, I have these items in use in rc planes for a year. Shipping generally takes 2-3 weeks to Australia by regular air mail. The owner is an Aussie who was tired of seeing everyone getting ripped off, so he setup shop in HK. I'm not affiliated, just a modeller who no longer forks out ridiculous sums of money for re-badged items. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=662 Gordon
I am a big fan of the servo method, though I have not used the ANE Technology system. I use the Tam Valley system and really like it. The cost estimate of $21-$24 per turnout is about right. For that cost, you get: Servo. Stationary decoder for DCC control of the turnout. (Four decoders on each Tam Valley Quad board.) Pushbutton control of the turnout, which works with OR without DCC. Fascia controller/display. Includes the pushbutton plus a pair of bi-color LEDs to indicate turnout position. Relay for powering and switching frog polarity. (I don't use or need the Frog Juicers.) No soldering. Everything interconnects with standard servo cables. If you wish, you can install the TAM Valley system on a DC layout and throw the turnouts with the fascia controllers. Later if you move to DCC, your turnouts will be already set up for DCC control without buying anything additional. This is in fact what I did with my N-scale layout. I installed the Tam Valley system while still operating the layout on DC. Now that I have DCC, I can still throw turnouts with the fascia pusbuttons OR I can throw them via DCC. A seldom mentioned feature of the Tam Valley system is that you can set up "routes" which let you issue one DCC command to throw several turnouts simultaneously. So, for example, you can set up a route for each track in a yard, then issue one DCC command to throw all of the turnouts needed to reach the selected track. I love the tiny size of the servos -- less than 0.5" thick. Here is a servo mounted on the underside of my layout with hot glue. I did not use any brackets to hold the servos. The homemade styrene strap provides extra security. That's 1/16" brass tubing and 0.032" music wire. The servo moves the music wire (piano wire) that rotates inside the brass tube that extends from the underside of the layout, through the plywood and foam, to a location near the turnout's throwbar. This system will work through several inches of plywood and foam. Here is what it looks like on the top side of the layout. - Jeff
Jeff, that's one of the details I've been trying to puzzle out. We're using Atlas code 55 turnouts which come all set up for wiring the frog. It looks like the Frog Juicers aren't needed for this. But I presume the daughter board relays are required? One of the things I will be mentioning to the Tam Valley folks when I see them at the Springfield show is that it would be really nice if they wrote more descriptive material for the uninitiated.
Hi Maureen - I think it's asking a lot for Tam Valley to provide instructions for each type of turnout, but maybe it would help their business. Besides, there are plenty of people who never bother to power the frogs of Atlas N-scale C55 turnouts. That would not be my choice, but there are lots of Atlas C55 layouts without powered frogs. In addition, there are other ways to power the frogs besides the relay daughter boards and the Frog Juicer. One popular method is to install a microswitch near the servo. When it moves, the servo arm trips the microswitch and this changes frog polarity. Also, the relay daughter boards have other uses besides frog switching. Some people use them to activate signals, for example. - Jeff
Hi Jeff, Well, if they could at least just provide some guidelines on when to choose between the juicers or the daughter boards, that would help a lot! That sounds like a relatively easy and inexpensive option. Which micro-switches are good for this job? Do you happen to know if anyone has posted photos of how they've done this? I really wish I could spend more of my hobby time building and detailing the models, it's frustrating how much time it takes puzzling out all the separate pieces of the electronics :tb-sad:
Hi Maureen - The second-to-last photo on this page shows how one person located a microswitch to be actuated by a servo. In this example, it appears that the builder used double-sided foam tape (a.k.a. "servo tape") to attach the microswitch directly to the servo -- a clever idea. At the bottom of this page, there are two photos of a microswitch mounted directly on a servo. When the servo arm moves in one direction, it presses on the lever of the switch. When the servo arm moves in the other direction, it releases the lever. "Micro Switch" is actually a brand name. The generic name is: miniature snap-action switch. Here's one that would work fine and costs a dollar: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/SMS-220/SPDT-MINI-SNAP-ACTION-SWITCH-W/LEVER/1.html You can get a similar switch at Radio Shack for 3 times the price: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049718 The current and voltage requirements are so low that almost any lever-action SPDT (single-pole double throw) microswitch will work. Of course, the simplest solution is not to bother powering the frogs at all. If you are using long wheelbase locomotives and have clean track and clean wheels, you might be OK. This would not be my choice, but there are plenty of layouts with non-powered frogs. - Jeff
Thanks, I'll take a look at those. We very definitely need to power the frogs since we're using only very short wheelbase locomotives.
----Check this website out It has the tortous plugs that you can get at jim's trains and a lever switch that you can attach to the tortous to power the frog these are about a dollar----much cheaper than frying pins 2thru7, also you now have those to use the more inportant stuff. http://www.wiringfordcc.com/sw_ctl.htm#tort_conn
I got to talk with Tam Valley at the Springfield show. He recommended the daughter boards as the best option to power Atlas C55 turnouts. The frog juicers are overkill given that the Atlas ones are all set for frog wiring. Test reports on using microswitches have shown that they are very fiddly to align properly and keep in alignment over time. So I'm willing to pay for the daughter boards for time savings and solid reliability. He didn't have too much stock on hand at the show. But we did pick up a booster board and hex frog juicer (for turntables and a reverse loop) at a minor show special savings. So the die is cast, this is the product line we'll be going with!
In my e-mail exchanges, Duncan has been very helpful. I use the relay daughter boards for frog switching. Everything I have done so far with the Tam Valley products has worked exactly as advertised, so I'm happy. Those Hobby King servos mentioned by Gordon look very similar to the ones I am using. They are probably the exact same servo with a different label. Mine came from the well-known auction site and were under $3 each shipped to my door. The type of servo to search for is "SG90." - Jeff
I just was on the Internet the tortoise's are on average $13 if you buy them by the 6 or 12 pack also you can buy the 8pin plugs at jims trains---- In the event I have to sell a machine I can get a better trade in if I don't have the bottom of them all messed up with solder and if I get the machine wired backwards I just have to reverse the plug instead of unsoldering and rewiring everything. Also I believe in the long run I running DS64's and has been over all cheeper Plus with the jmri there is nothing they can't do!
