Hi all,
I have set up a small temporary (in basement on carpeted floor of kid's playroom) automated analog track with a station stop and two trains/signals as per a number of threads on the forum and the World of LGB document. Basically as a train enters the station it activates the signal on the other track which releases the train waiting there. When a train leaves the station, it crosses a couple LGB track contacts, one to switch the signal of the station it leave back to stop (so the train stops once it completes it's loop) and one that moves the point at the entrance to the station so that the train will return to the track it came from. When the train enters it's track in the station after completing the loop, it activates another reed switch to release the original train. So three reed switches per train for a total of six.
So here's the problem, on more than one occasion, the trains have not triggered one of the reed switches/track contacts and resulted in an accident or at least a small heart attack on my part!
I'm wondering about what the experience has been with these switches? It appears that many people have had good experiences with them operating pretty reliably for extended times. So that leads me to think I'm not following some best practice for the sensors. For example, the sensors are maybe the length of one short track apart (i.e. 30 cm) or less. Is that too close? One loco I bought used and came with a magnet installed, is there a possibility the magnet has aged or that a newer magnet would be more reliably at activating the track contact? I have at least one track contact on a curved piece of track, could that cause it to be missed? What about power supply? I'm using a 16VAC power supply with only 7VA of power, maybe that's just too little? I've also wired power from some track contacts to others (i.e. in series, what can I say, I'm lazy) instead of powering each contact from a central distribution point. But I am only using one reed switch per actiom as is suggested by LGB and has come up a few times on the forums.
Would appreciate any thoughts, experience, or input to be able to watch my trains without constantly worrying that the automation isn't going to do what it's supposed to do!
Cheers,
Vince
I have set up a small temporary (in basement on carpeted floor of kid's playroom) automated analog track with a station stop and two trains/signals as per a number of threads on the forum and the World of LGB document. Basically as a train enters the station it activates the signal on the other track which releases the train waiting there. When a train leaves the station, it crosses a couple LGB track contacts, one to switch the signal of the station it leave back to stop (so the train stops once it completes it's loop) and one that moves the point at the entrance to the station so that the train will return to the track it came from. When the train enters it's track in the station after completing the loop, it activates another reed switch to release the original train. So three reed switches per train for a total of six.
So here's the problem, on more than one occasion, the trains have not triggered one of the reed switches/track contacts and resulted in an accident or at least a small heart attack on my part!
I'm wondering about what the experience has been with these switches? It appears that many people have had good experiences with them operating pretty reliably for extended times. So that leads me to think I'm not following some best practice for the sensors. For example, the sensors are maybe the length of one short track apart (i.e. 30 cm) or less. Is that too close? One loco I bought used and came with a magnet installed, is there a possibility the magnet has aged or that a newer magnet would be more reliably at activating the track contact? I have at least one track contact on a curved piece of track, could that cause it to be missed? What about power supply? I'm using a 16VAC power supply with only 7VA of power, maybe that's just too little? I've also wired power from some track contacts to others (i.e. in series, what can I say, I'm lazy) instead of powering each contact from a central distribution point. But I am only using one reed switch per actiom as is suggested by LGB and has come up a few times on the forums.
Would appreciate any thoughts, experience, or input to be able to watch my trains without constantly worrying that the automation isn't going to do what it's supposed to do!
Cheers,
Vince