This will be my 2nd 'real' layout in N scale. I plan on using Peco 55 flex track & turnouts. I have older locos & rolling stock so Atlas 55 is out. My 1st layout used Atlas custom switch motors (all Atlas track & turnouts) that have been around for decades. One problem (a huge headache that I don't want to repeat) was trying to mount and position at the same time a motor under the layout, upside down into plywood. A beyond frustrating exercise that was hard to tolerate. Drilling holes for the screws without moving the exact position of the motor was not easy. Anyway, I'm looking for pros & cons of the few available switch motors. My concerns are; 1. Cost, 2. Ability to work with DCC, 3. Ability to have position contacts for panel lighting if I don't use DCC, 4. Ease of mounting, 5, Able to work with Peco turnouts. What I have found are; 1. Peco (2 versions, no position contacts); http://billstrainsandtrack.net/product.php?productid=16491 http://www.peco-uk.com/product.asp?strParents=3309&CAT_ID=3337&P_ID=17682 2. Tortoise; http://www.blwnscale.com/Circuitron.htm 3. Atlas new style; https://secure.atlasrr.com/mod1/itemdesc.asp?ic=2065&eq=&Tp= 4. Atlas old style (no position contacts); http://www.amainhobbies.com/product...ailroad-HO-N-Gauge-Under-Table-Switch-Machine 5. Kato? The original Peco design would be the obvious choice except for this; http://nscaleadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Track work I don't want to drill & then try to conceal a huge hole for every turnout. Not sure about this side mounted Peco design. I'm leaning towards the newer Atlas design with position contacts. Tortoise seems to be somewhat more pricey.
Here's another option that I'm trying: http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/quadservodecoder.html It uses miniature RC model servos. Have't installed them yet, though. Only complaint I've heard is the noise the servos make.
Different? Yes. Complicated? Not really... Only as complicated as you want it to be. I think it addresses all your requirements. I'm using the "Singlet" version (one per turnout) although, in hindsight, I might have been better off with the quad versions. I have 20 turnouts. Would have been only 5 quads instead of 20 "singlets". Admittedly, I misunderstood the benefits and savings at the time I ordered. I thought the Singlets included the servos while the Quads did not. Neither includes servos (the servos are sold seperately). Requires only a small 1/8" hole under the turnout's throw bar. Slow motion - not "snap" - and even the speed is adjustable IIRC. Auto adjusts throw limits (or manual adjustment if desired), LED position indicators, push-button switches, DCC or not, switched frog power... The servos mounts have double sided tape. When you get it in position and fine tune the operation, permanently install the mounts with screws (although some just stick with the tape alone - no pun intended). I will add that the servos are best ordered seperately (as even the company suggests) from a Chinese supplier, via eBay, to keep costs down. It's just what I'm using (and no affiliation, BTW). Your mileage may vary. Anyway, good luck in your hunt!
I'll add another vote for the Tam Valley servo-based system. I'm using it on my N-scale layout with zero problems. If you shop carefully for the servos, it's no more expensive than other systems, but it does more. If you use the Quad or Singlet boards, the Tam Valley system gives you BOTH pushbutton turnout control with LED indicators AND DCC control. In other words, a Tam Valley Quad board contains four servo control circuits AND four stationary DCC decoders. It's a very flexible system. For example, you can send a single DCC command and the Tam Valley system will actuate multiple turnouts to set up a route to a particular yard track. Installation is easy for a couple of reasons. 1) Wiring for the system is extremely easy with no soldering or wire stripping required. All connections are made with readily-available R/C servo extension cables, available from Tam Valley or any hobby shop with R/C airplane supplies. 2) The servos are TINY -- only 1/2-inch thick -- and will fit into places that a Tortoise (for example) can not go. 3) The servos are easy to mount. I hot-glued mine to the underside of the layout then installed a homemade styrene bracket for extra security, as shown below. Rather than try to drill a hole in the middle of the teensy throwbar, I use a homemade bellcrank-type linkage made from piano wire and brass tubing. It's simple, quick, and does not require that the servo be precisely positioned. The piano wire connects to the existing hole in the turnout throwbar. Photo above is an Atlas Code 55 turnout. - Jeff (no affiliation with Tam Valley)
The servo can be removed by first removing the styrene bracket, then prying off the servo with a thin screwdriver. The photo above shows the styrene bracket secured with hot glue. I later switched to using small wood screws for the bracket, which I found to be less messy. I recommend some sort of bracket, as I had one unbracketed servo come loose. Now they all have a bracket, which is simply a length of styrene strip bent over the servo and fastened to the baseboard at both ends. - Jeff
How was the bracket cut and formed? Was it a pre cut strip, or did you cut the strips yourself? Can I assume you used a heat gun to bend the strip? How about just a bracket by itself? That "music wire", bought from where? How about bending that and figuring out dimensions? Seems very critical about length.
Using Peco turnouts, with their 'snap' action, how/where is using a slow motion servo motor a benefit? Aren't the points going to 'snap' over anyways??
The bracket was cut from a length of Evergreen styrene strip stock. The styrene strip is thin enough that a heat gun was NOT required to form it. I simply secured one end of the strip, then bent it over the servo and secured the other end. No pre-bending was necessary. Obviously, if you try to bend the styrene strip at sharp 90-degree angles, it will snap, but if you bend it in gentle curves as shown in the photo, it remains in one piece. Music wire, also known as piano wire, is available in any hobby shop where R/C airplane supplies are sold. It is usually in the same display as the brass tubing. The brass tubing is the only component whose length I measured. Actually, I measured the first one and used it as a guide for cutting the rest of the tubing pieces. The length of the tubing depends on the thickness of your baseboard; you want the tubing to protrude about 1/8-inch above the board and about 1/2-inch below the board. Small differences in length make no difference, so extreme precision is not required. To install, I first drill a hole in the baseboard for the brass tubing, locating it near the turnout throwbar as shown in the photo. Underneath the layout, I glue the servo to the baseboard, with the servo arm about 1 inch from the brass tubing. Extreme precision is not required, so I just eyeballed the location of the servo and hot-glued it. Starting with a long piece of music wire, I bent one end to fit into the throwbar and slipped the other end into the brass tubing. I did not measure anything here; I eyeballed the distance between the hole in the throwbar and the protruding tubing and bent the wire. The throwbar moves enough to accommodate small errors in your bends. Underneath the layout, you now have a long piece of music wire coming out of the brass tubing. You need to cut off the excess wire leaving enough wire to reach the servo. Then bend the wire at 90 degrees where it exits the brass tubing, making sure there is no slack that would allow the wire to ride up and down inside the tubing. Insert the wire into the servo control arm, and you are done. With Peco turnouts, some people remove the spring so that they can have slow-motion movement of the points. You are correct; I don't think there is any reason for a slow-motion solution if you retain the snap action. - Jeff
Without getting OT, you bring up a interesting point. I am concerned about Peco's 'snap' action (sounds like another manufacture) and that not allowing a trailing run through. Though Atlas & Atlas switch motors didn't allow run troughs other than motive power, this 'spring' action of Peco troubles me. This "spring" you mentioned, removing it turns the turnout into a regular turnout? I'm not really interested in a slow moving set of points though it would be nice not to have that loud 'snap' every time I throw a switch.
I am not an expert on Peco turnouts, but I have read about removing the spring when using them with switch machines. Here are some web pages that discuss it. A Google search will find additional pages. http://www.loystoys.com/peco/about-turnouts.html (about halfway down the page) http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/tortoise/tort-with-peco.htm http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/archive/circuitron.htm - Jeff
Another user of Tam Valley servo's here. Though I use mine in my staging yard only. I wanted remote control of them via a panel but didn't need a DCC setup, so I went with 2 Octopus II boards from Tam Valley. I then used the Fascia Kits they sell to build my toggle switch panel: [video=vimeo;16108884]http://vimeo.com/16108884[/video] I've been very happy with the Tam Valley setup. Their fascia controller kits were a key element to make my panel work the way it does with LEDs and toggles. No other DC solution would've been as simple to construct. The servo's aren't really that noisy to me. No more so than a tortoise moving. Sometimes one will buzz for a few seconds after thrown but they always stop. At idle I don't hear them. I'm getting ready to do an update on my control panel to include the entire layout so I'm gonna convert the 2 octopus boards to 4 Quad Servo boards and 1 singlet in the near future too DCC-ify them.
Shaun - That is a very nice looking panel. At the risk of getting off topic, how did you make the graphics? - Jeff
I did them all in photoshop. I got a video here that goes over the construction a little more: http://www.upmodelrailroad.com/2010/10/25/control-panel-lit-up/
As with Shaun (neat panel, BTW), I used Tam Valley gear in a small yard with an Octopus II and the servos mounted in Motrak Models mounts connected to Atlas C55 turnouts. Pushbutton modules from TVD also used to indicate the turnout position. The rest of the layout is Tortoise or Blue Point. They can be used with Peco but the over-centre spring will likely need to be removed. Not sure if the small servos have enough torque to overcome the initial spring pressure.
nolatron; Even further OT, I don't know what impressed me the most, the panel (construction &/or graphics) or the video complete with dissolves! Separate question; regarding the magnets on the back of the panel, since with aluminum a magnet wont get attracted (stick) to it, adding other magnets to the back overcomes this?? Was this the reason you didn't use Plexiglas as the panel or was it the thickness issue?
That's correct. The magnets on the back are there for the front magnets to stick too. I originally had those square radio shack ones but replaced them with smaller disc rare earth magnets. Which, btw, 5lb magnets are wee bit overkill for that use. Gonna go with 1-2lb next time, heh. I also used a thin plastic lexan sheet on the top of the paper simply to protect the paper. The .063 sheet aluminum is pretty sturdy by itself, so there was no need for thick plexiglass.
Servos Regarding these "servos", since I know little about them other than it is something RC cars, planes & boast use (I use to work in a hobby store), what exactly am I looking for other than "servos"? I assume that would be the same as asking someone to look for "locomotives" if a specific use was required.
Tam Valley sells different controller boards along with servos and accessories. Check it out here: http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products.html
