Idiots guide to using reed switches (wanted)
- Thread starter Wobbleboxer
- Start date
Gizzy
A gentleman, a scholar, and a railway modeller....
Googled the above with address but nothing found, so googled Herkat on its own and found their website....minimans said:Here it is. RTC switching by Jurgen Duensing. it's in English! not sure why I thought it was in German? anyway theres no publisher details but it was done for HERKAT-MODEL TOYS, NUREMBURG 70, SCHLOSSACKERSTRASSE 24
http://www.herkat.de/
They have a new address now;
Herkat Modellbahn - Zubehör
Hochwaldstraße 62
90469 Nürnberg
Tel.: 0911 41 36 72
Wobbleboxer
Registered
After some careful planning this is what I was hoping to do. I am trying to draw a track plan which I will upload when finished to demonstrate how I think it should work.dumpy said:
minimans
Trains, Planes, Automobiles & Shooting
Looks like it's still in print as well! it's well worth having if your interested in EPL type control...................................
Gizzy said:Googled the above with address but nothing found, so googled Herkat on its own and found their website....minimans said:Here it is. RTC switching by Jurgen Duensing. it's in English! not sure why I thought it was in German? anyway theres no publisher details but it was done for HERKAT-MODEL TOYS, NUREMBURG 70, SCHLOSSACKERSTRASSE 24
http://www.herkat.de/
They have a new address now;
Herkat Modellbahn - Zubehör
Hochwaldstraße 62
90469 Nürnberg
Tel.: 0911 41 36 72
Wobbleboxer
Registered
This is my track plan and the reason I started looking into reed switches. All DC, powered by an Aristo black TE with a 5A transformer behind it. All points all currently manual, but moving to a degree of automation.
The main loop current exists and is about 40 feet long and 20 feet at it widest. It runs around the play area at the bottom of the garden, which also has a summerhouse and engine shed. The[strike][/strike][strike] planned[/strike] now started extension runs through a fairly in accessible area of garden and the loop will circle an existing flower border in the main garden (so everyone else can see the trains). I recently purchased an Aristo accessory switch which will control up to 5 points (or pairs of) and my original plan was to automate the 2 points of the passing loop on the main as a pair with 1 of the 5 buttons and the siding on the main with a second. The 2 points that exit the main loop would be controlled as a pair with the third and the remaining 2 points that make the loop as a final pair with the fourth. This would leave me a spare for future extensions. In fact version 1 of the original plan had a crossing instead of the loop points, far less tricky, but a loop also gives the option to turn complete trains if needed, so points were introduced.
The main loop is straightforward electrically and power will run up to the breaks shown to the left of the point marked W(est). This point will be fitted with an LGB 12030 supplementary switch so that correct polarity power is fed to the central single track section according to the direction of the point. Similarly there will be a full break in all track to the right of point E(ast) and a further LGB 12030 will feed power into the loop on the route pointed at. All this will mean that the train has to stop when fully in the loop for both points W and E to be switched and the train to leave. (I could get away with just changing E but would have to take the train out on 'reversed' power, more on that later.)
This is what started my thinking around reed switches. If I can put a reed in at R1 (and R2) this could ensure that point W is switched to be 'open' to receive the incoming train. Furthermore a reed at each of R3 and R4 could control both points W and E to ensure a clear route out AND if they can change both those points simultaneously I wouldn't need to stop the train in the loop either. This then raised the question of placing the magnets off-centre of the track but I realised that wired correctly with a handful of diodes thrown in, a train entering the loop will hit R3 and it will attempt to set the points the way they are already, i.e. do nothing and it's R4 that does the realwork. A train running the other way round would do similar in that R4 will do nothing and R3 all the work. All fine as long as I always want to run trains the same way round the loop, I don't, so I have (I hope) also worked out a diode matrix to allow a switch to control whether W and E are set to both curved/both straight or mixed. It's at this point I though I better check my understanding of all this and opened it up on our wonderful forum.
To think all I wanted was a new loop in the main garden where I could watch the trains run on their own. And NO I can't afford DCC!
The main loop current exists and is about 40 feet long and 20 feet at it widest. It runs around the play area at the bottom of the garden, which also has a summerhouse and engine shed. The[strike][/strike][strike] planned[/strike] now started extension runs through a fairly in accessible area of garden and the loop will circle an existing flower border in the main garden (so everyone else can see the trains). I recently purchased an Aristo accessory switch which will control up to 5 points (or pairs of) and my original plan was to automate the 2 points of the passing loop on the main as a pair with 1 of the 5 buttons and the siding on the main with a second. The 2 points that exit the main loop would be controlled as a pair with the third and the remaining 2 points that make the loop as a final pair with the fourth. This would leave me a spare for future extensions. In fact version 1 of the original plan had a crossing instead of the loop points, far less tricky, but a loop also gives the option to turn complete trains if needed, so points were introduced.
The main loop is straightforward electrically and power will run up to the breaks shown to the left of the point marked W(est). This point will be fitted with an LGB 12030 supplementary switch so that correct polarity power is fed to the central single track section according to the direction of the point. Similarly there will be a full break in all track to the right of point E(ast) and a further LGB 12030 will feed power into the loop on the route pointed at. All this will mean that the train has to stop when fully in the loop for both points W and E to be switched and the train to leave. (I could get away with just changing E but would have to take the train out on 'reversed' power, more on that later.)
This is what started my thinking around reed switches. If I can put a reed in at R1 (and R2) this could ensure that point W is switched to be 'open' to receive the incoming train. Furthermore a reed at each of R3 and R4 could control both points W and E to ensure a clear route out AND if they can change both those points simultaneously I wouldn't need to stop the train in the loop either. This then raised the question of placing the magnets off-centre of the track but I realised that wired correctly with a handful of diodes thrown in, a train entering the loop will hit R3 and it will attempt to set the points the way they are already, i.e. do nothing and it's R4 that does the realwork. A train running the other way round would do similar in that R4 will do nothing and R3 all the work. All fine as long as I always want to run trains the same way round the loop, I don't, so I have (I hope) also worked out a diode matrix to allow a switch to control whether W and E are set to both curved/both straight or mixed. It's at this point I though I better check my understanding of all this and opened it up on our wonderful forum.
To think all I wanted was a new loop in the main garden where I could watch the trains run on their own. And NO I can't afford DCC!
This is brilliant. I have no idea whether it will work or not having just come in from dining out with copious amounts of red wine. However the fun is in trying and modifying as you go along. I wish you were nearer as I would love to play with this. Keep me informed on progress. Perhaps when I am more clear thinking I might have some useful comments to add.
tramcar trev
all manner of mechanical apparatus...
If you have a look at this thread you will deduce that I had a similar problem. The need to "protect" a section of single track. Now Im running trams but that is irrelevant its the signalling and track control that is important. My solution works.... the track plan shows how to locate your reed switches to do the job. Plus there is a vero board solution to the electronics....
http://www.gscalecentral.net/m127131
http://www.gscalecentral.net/m127131