Semaphore signals

[ge_rik]

I thought some of you might like to see what I've been up to recently. I've scratchbuilt a semaphore signal ......

or two ......

or twenty!

They all have LEDs in the lamps but I've not yet got around to wiring them up. I'm thinking of using a solar cell from one of those sets of garden fairy lights to power them, but need to set up the wiring loom and find some sort of waterproof plug and socket for each signal.

Rik

 

[garrymartin]

Thats a splendid array of signals, they will look brilliant lit up in the evening

 

[Don Gilham]

Excellent Rik

 

[nicebutdim]

They're really good! Have you thought of those solar Christmas sets that have 1 solar cell/battery/control unit? Cut it up and extend the wiring as necessary, try to keep the original leds if you can. Near each signal you could place a small waterproof box for the connection junction box. I've used a normal chocolate box connector with a homemade cover, been out for over a year now with no ill effects.
Edit, just read the rest of your post and seen you have thought of that.

 

[PaulRhB]

Nice job, signalboxes next?

 

[ge_rik]

Thanks chaps
The idea about the chocolate blocks in waterproof boxes sounds good. I'm going to have to make them demountable as I have a lot of hedge trimming to do around the railway and I think these will be vulnerable to my hallumphing wellied feet.

Have one signal box at Beeston Mkt station. Might add another at the other end of the line (Bickerton) but rely on ground frames for the three intermediate stations. I'd love to create working mechanical linkages through to the ground frames/signal boxes but I think it might get complicated to make that demountable as well so for now they will have to be manually operated at each post (a bit like the Southwold Railway).

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

Very nice Rik......do you intend making any distants? or dummys?

I think I'll go for fixed distants. Less complicated and I believe there are plenty of precedents on light railways

Rik

 

[a98087]

Awesome piece of work, how abouts di you make them?

 

[rjstott]

They look fantastic. Could I suggest that you don't bother with solar power, the current draw of LEDs is so small that you would be better with a cheap brick power supply or something run from your track or accessory power. I have converted all my outdoor solar lights this way and it isn't even worth putting a time clock in the circuit as it would draw more current than the lights.

Regards

Richard

 

[ge_rik]

Awesome piece of work, how abouts di you make them?

I'm working on it - will get back to you on that

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

They look fantastic. Could I suggest that you don't bother with solar power, the current draw of LEDs is so small that you would be better with a cheap brick power supply or something run from your track or accessory power. I have converted all my outdoor solar lights this way and it isn't even worth putting a time clock in the circuit as it would draw more current than the lights.
Richard

Hi Richard
The LEDs have all been extracted from those flickering battery tea-lights from the 50p shop. At the mo I have an excess of hearing-aid type batteries together with micro slider switches which alone would have cost a heck of a lot more than I paid for the twenty tea-lights (ie £5). I had thought of using these but am not sure how to waterproof them.

Rik

 

[gregh]

Great work Rik. Looking forward to seeing how you built them.
Re powering. Do you use common rail track power? If so you've already got one side of the supply at each signal. Then maybe use the mechanical actuator (rodding? wire?) as the other side of the suppy and have a couple of central batteries.

 

[ge_rik]

Great work Rik. Looking forward to seeing how you built them.
Re powering. Do you use common rail track power? If so you've already got one side of the supply at each signal. Then maybe use the mechanical actuator (rodding? wire?) as the other side of the suppy and have a couple of central batteries.

Hi Greg
At present I'm using DCC so not sure how that might work - can't see why it wouldn't though. In a similar vein I use the ladder as one source of supply for the lamp and a thin strip of copper tape down the post as the return. You can just make out the wiring for this in one of the close-ups in the first post

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

In summary
The posts are [strike]24mm[/strike] 12mm mahogany tapered with a planer. The ladders are soldered up from copper wire. The arm and the fittings are fashioned from brass sheet (the balance weight is sawn off a brass bar). The spectacles are fashioned from copper wire and filled in with acetate. The finial is a 6mm red bead on a cocktail stick plus a dab of filler. The bases are either brass sheet or moulded concrete, depending on whether the signal is to be positioned on solid or soft ground.

I've gone for the minimum number of signals needed - in effect homes for each station plus starters for each platform. With 5 stations on my line this works out at four signals per station - hence the need for twenty signals.

I had thought of signalling for all movements but that would have meant constructing around another dozen signals, including quite a few bracketed signals, so I decided to keep things simple.

I'm working on putting together a more detailed description but hope that gives you a feel for what was involved.

Rik
Edit: Changed the width of the mahogany from 24 to 12 - doh!

 

[mike]

they look the busness ..nicely done..

 

[gregh]

Hi Greg
At present I'm using DCC so not sure how that might work - can't see why it wouldn't though. In a similar vein I use the ladder as one source of supply for the lamp and a thin strip of copper tape down the post as the return. You can just make out the wiring for this in one of the close-ups in the first post
Rik

DCC should make it easier - I don't know anything about it but doesn't that mean you have a constant voltage across the rails? Just need a connection to each rail and a resistor at each signal to supply the LED.

 

[mike]

Im running my led signals through a lgb suplementry switch in the back off the lgb point motor power is directly from the track..dcc no problem

 

[ge_rik]

DCC should make it easier - I don't know anything about it but doesn't that mean you have a constant voltage across the rails? Just need a connection to each rail and a resistor at each signal to supply the LED.

Im running my led signals through a lgb suplementry switch in the back off the lgb point motor power is directly from the track..dcc no problem

Thanks Greg/Mike
I'll certainly give it a go. I know there's a website somewhere which will help me calculate the resistance needed for LEDs though I'm not sure of the parameters for the flickering ones out of tea-lights. I imagine they'll be fairly bog standard.

Rik

 

[tramcar trev]

They look super!!!!! As to waterproofing your electrical connections I would solder the wires then give them a dip in "Liquid Electrical tape". It will keep out the moisture and is less bulky than box enclosures...
I have tried this technique and it is quick, efficient and reliable while also being "undoable"

 

[gregh]

I'll certainly give it a go. I know there's a website somewhere which will help me calculate the resistance needed for LEDs though I'm not sure of the parameters for the flickering ones out of tea-lights. I imagine they'll be fairly bog standard.
Rik

Pretty simple, rough method for LED resistor:
Take a guess at 10 mA for each LED - usually 20 mA is max allowable.
Then measure the track volts (I'm assuming it's dc), subtract 2 and multiply by 100. (subtract 3 if white LED) Then choose the next lowest resistor from the standard values range
eg 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 270, 330, 390, 470, 560, 680, 820, 1000, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2200, etc
Example- if you measure 25V, you get 2300 so use 2200 ohms.
If you've got more than about 20V you'll need to use 1/2 watt or 1 watt resistors, but below that 1/4 watt should do.

You notice that for voltages above 15 or so you don't even need to subtract the 2 for the rough method.

If you have a number of signals in close proximity you could wire all the LEDs in series and just use one resistor:
eg. say 4 LEDs = 8V, subtract from the 25V above for 1700, so use 1500 ohms.