Controlling servos from decoders?

Zerogee

Zerogee

Clencher's Bogleman
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This is just a request for some basic info....
At Bressingham on Saturday, I bought (from the AnDel stand) a couple of very cheap little ultra-micro servos - about 25x25x10mm and only £6.50 each. I really bought them on a whim, as I figured they were cheap enough to play around and experiment with - I haven't got any real plans for how they will be used, just vague ideas of DCC controlled uncouplers etc.... I know servos are obviously used a lot in R/C live steamers, but there doesn't seem to be a great deal around about their use with track-powered DCC.

What I'm looking for is some simple advice on how (and if) you can most easily control a servo direct from a DCC decoder? I know Massoth have a new dedicated servo decoder "coming soon", but in the meantime is there any straightforward way you can operate one or two servos from a standard driving or driving/sound decoder? Massoth-specific advice would be extra helpful as this is what I use for most of my decoders, but any advice in general DCC terms would be useful.

Thanks in advance!

Jon.
 
Hi Jon,

Most massoth decoders can operate one servo - all that is realy needed is the voltage regulating circuit, the decoder and the servo....the circuit diagram for the voltage regulator can be found in the 8FL manual (or you could purchase the Massoth voltage reg if you dont want to build one yourself).

You can make the servo move from position a to position be at a specific speed when toggling a function on your handset. I am (and have been for about a year), attempting to use an 8FL decoder to operate the pantos in my LGB DB101 loco. I actually found a bug in the 8FL servo code that prevented the operation of the servo when specifying a loco direction on the function trigger - which Massoth have fixed in my 8FL - not sure if that has made it to the new ones or not.

I have plans to fit servos to operate couplers in some of my other locos.....hope to get them done so that I can take them to Stafford....hopefully with a few other goodies installed too.
 
Thanks Mark - I thought I'd seen some reference to it, but wasn't sure where, and sometimes Massoth's manuals aren't the easiest things to follow... ;)

I assume their dedicated servo decoder is "coming soon" in the same way that the DRC300 is - we MIGHT see it this year if we're very lucky...?

Jon.
 
Have a look at picaxe by Revolution Education Ltd UK.
If you have an even slight electronic bent this system will be for you.
It is basically a school electronics education site.
I have just started using their stuff and there is a great forum like this one to ask any questions you want.
All you need to know is what input you have and what output you need to get started.
 
Further to earlier post, Mark - to control 2 servos I'd need one 8FL function decoder, plus one 6v voltage regulator - I assume both servos can be powered from the one regulator, with their control inputs connected to two different function outputs on the 8FL? Or do you need a separate dedicated regulator per servo?

Jon.

Edit: I've actually just checked the specs on the micro-servos I bought, and it says their operating voltage range is 4.8v to 5.3v - so is 6v from the regulator going to be too much for them, or isn't it enough of a difference to matter?
 
8FL - 2 servos
M - 1 servo
L - 1 servo
XL - 1 servo
XXL - 1 servo
LS - possibly 1 servo (no mention in manual)
XLS - 1 servo
S - 1 servo

You would only need 1 voltage regulator.

The 8FS (servodecoder) was scheduled for Q3 - so very soon :) The DRC300 is not far away too. Should know more is a couple of weeks.
 
bunnyrabbit03 said:
Hi Jon,

I might be easier to go with a Zimo decoder that has all the functions (max. 4 servos) and voltage stabilisation 'on board'. They are really excellent and very advanced decoders (from personal experience):

http://www.zimo.at/web2010/products/lokdecodergrosse_EN.htm < Link To http://www.zimo.at/web201...okdecodergrosse_EN.htm
Click to expand...

Where do you buy yours from, and what are the prices like for, say, their equivalent of an XLS (large sound decoder)?

Jon.
 
In the UK, sound versions of the MX695 are available from digitrains and are from £159. I usually buy either from them or from Germany (www.gliffe.com) or Austria (Mr Peyker), but Grootspoor also sells them. Non-sound versions cost from Euro 79 and sound versions from Euro 178.

You could start with a non-sound version and then upgrade to sound later by plugging in a Dietz micro x3 SUSI module for Euro 69 - available from the same dealers (except from digitrains).

Any question, just get in touch.

Marc
 
Thanks Marc - do you know anywhere I could find a PDF download of a manual for the Zimo decoders, in English? The Digitrains site doesn't seem to have them anywhere that I could find....

Jon.
 
Many thanks, Marc, that's just what I was looking for. I've bought from Ernst Peyker before, as you say he's very helpful and gives excellent service. Might have to give one of these a try!

Jon.

Edit: PS: I know that most DCC stuff is SUPPOSED to be pretty much compatible, but I'm assuming there are no known compatibility problems between the Zimo decoders and Massoth control setups?
 
Thanks Paul, and everyone else. Certainly food for thought for future loco chipping, though for now I will probably play around with the servos in some non-loco applications (thinking about cranes and the like...).

Jon.
 
I think he meant leap years, not weeks...
 
Tony Walsham said:
Any news yet?
Click to expand...

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....... sorry..... I think the Heat Death of the Universe will occur before we ever see the DRC300....

I am a big Massoth fan and really, really want to be supportive of them - but on the DRC300 they not only dropped the ball, they then let it roll under the sofa where they can't even reach it with a long stick..... :mad: :mad: :mad:

Jon.
 
I thought they (finally) admitted they had got a major design element wrong?? Were going to start again???
Then, of course, Marklin took over LGB, and the whole Massoth/LGB union was thrown into question..

All opinions are mine, of course! ;)
 
PhilP said:
I thought they (finally) admitted they had got a major design element wrong?? Were going to start again???
............
Click to expand...

Actually yes, they did - I got that direct from Peter at Massoth when I emailed him about it - but even that was a good couple of years ago, and still neither hide nor hair of it. It may still be on a back burner somewhere in their development workshop, but if so then I reckon it's on a pretty low heat.... ;)

Jon.
 
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