getting the point (blades) across...
Update
Good evening - The electrics are continually slowly...but I am trying not to rush it and make a complete dogs breakfast as usual.
One thing that had been troubling me for a while was how to deal with the turnout control for the layout.
Normally, I use good old fashioned wire in tube as namely my sparks skills are pretty basic, I am still on DC operation and the folding track section at the rear of the layout looked as it it would not be suitable due to the need to be folded 90 degrees.
Obviously depth is a big problem here...and a tortoise looked like it wasn't going to fit So I began to look at Seep...and then Peco and then I began to ask myself do I need a CDU for just one turnout? This continued for a number of weeks over numerous espresso's and then I wondered why couldn't I save myself the problem by trying to get the wire-in-tube to work.
After a few sketches and head scratching sessions, I realised that the w-i-t method could probably be made to work, using the usual dpdt switch to do both throw and polarity change, as long as it was installed early on before the wiring to enable a simple routing of said tubing. Using a 2mm Association turnout operation unit (which unfortunately would have been too deep overall) I took the right angled extrusion bit and set about trying to incorporate this beneath the turnout - the thinking being that the w-i-t could always be disconnected from this element prior to dismantling the layout.
Here's the sketch of what I was thinking....
This afternoon, I drilled a hole near the side of the turnout and fixed a small length of brass tube with cyno to protude benath the surface. The right angle extrusion piece (name escapes me) was then slipped over this brass tube (an almost snug fit to the chosen brass tube) having been spaced off the underside of the board by a small section of the brass thread that comes as part of the turnout operation unit. Then a small slotted hole was made in the position beneath the tiebar to aloow sufficient movement. The vertical link to the tie bar is through a map pin which is secured with cyno and then soldered into the PCB tiebar (the top needs clipping and filing down flush still) This is then connected back to the dpdt switch by a length of wire in tube which has been held down in place by a gluegun.
The switch will be replaced after I collect a small package of electrical goodies from my folks later next week and this will be set into the right rear fascia ensuring that the switch does not protude wider than the recess to allow it all to pack away in the boxfile.
There is some messy work to be cleaned up around the turnout sleepers etc prior to paint and ballasting but it seems to work okay and now I can hopefully complete the wiring and run a few tests before the PW team arrive.
A few pics to explain...anyone of a nervous disposition, should avert their eyes as there is a 'work in progress' shot beneath the baseboards of my wiring
Turnout tiebar in place and brass tube inserted...still needs lots of tidying up around it...
Overall shot beneath showing my simplistic electrics...
And zoomed in...
Here we see the mechanism acting as a pivot...
Plan shot...wires have been glue gunned to keep clear of mechansim...
That's all for now...hope to get another update in next week having got the wiring out of the way...
- 12
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