Great Western Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I have to say the control panel is amazing! Could you expend the theme to the plain line like a real signal box? A type of non automatic route setting, well more a route indication ? Regards Great Western Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 thats great Jim, good work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted July 22, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 22, 2013 I have to say the control panel is amazing! Could you expend the theme to the plain line like a real signal box? A type of non automatic route setting, well more a route indication ? Regards Great Western i may well do a matching panel for the high level points yet to go the other side of the roof brace, and of course there is the fiddle yard side too! one question though, could i add resistors to the wiring to dim the led's? there are some in line on the strips but they do need dimming a bit more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted August 11, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2013 just a little bit done this week..... earlier in the week i fixed the points to the high level small board, i can't fit the curves to join to the removable section yet as i still need to be able to get below the board to get point motors working etc and fixing the track to the pcb i've laid will mean the board is not removable i have used the point motors off the old layout on this bit so i've had to extend the wires on them to reach the decoder original wires drilled holes through the board to the decoder threaded the extended wires through and run them through cable clips to keep them away from the track and into the decoder now i've hit a problem, i tried to reprogram the decoder using the button on it to change the address' to 5,6,7,8 but for some reason it stopped working, in fact the first decoder that worked the low level points has also stopped working too, i'm at a complete loss to whats up, there is power to the decoders and track power to them too but they just wont program or indeed work now it may be a problem with my lenz controller as the handset is being a bit tempramental, as if the wire is loose inside as it keeps resetting itself or locking up, i can call up a point on the handset but when i try and command it to change using the + or - button it freezes then goes back to LH-100 on the screen or the selected loco address, when i run a loco the + and - buttons work fine the other thing that has just, as i type this crossed my mind, is should i have tried programming it by attaching the programming track wires to the decoder track input instead of the normal track wires? basically i can't really continue until i either get the handset looked at or i get the decoders working again anyway i gave up on that for the night and just ran a train round for a bit, used the NR 57 and some railtrack wagons to find the rough spots, not too many but the 57 kept locking up, i think the drive shaft is catching somewhere now and again ran it up the back wall bank, first tain up there, no huge problems, just need to plane a bit more wood away in one place to make the transition between the flat and incline a bit smoother, the train ran well on both inclines though its coming on nicely now, the light was going by the time i got this picture class 57 on the bank any suggestions about the decoders will be greatfully recieved! 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Not my area of expertise but still coming along well David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornbyandbf3fan Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Looks like a great layout, I didn't realise you had a layout or a youtube channel. I'm following this and I've subscribed to your Youtube Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted August 17, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 17, 2013 got to the bottom of the problem with the Lenz controller, turned out the wire was giving me problems, sent it to A+H models on thursday, repaired friday and arrived back this morning! so trying it out i managed to get the docoders programmed to different address', the top station throat points are now 1-4 and the hidden ones are 5-8 so far, so with those fully working i could secure the small top board and finally solder the track down to the PCB on the edge of it and the removable section. not got any pics yet as it got a bit dark, but will get some tomorrow but basically the removable section is now fully tracked up and rails go right over onto the top board now, just need to fit the wires from the lower track to the points indicator panel i made and i can then secure the other top board and i can finish the mainline track laying in the station area Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 Glad you got it sorted David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted August 24, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 24, 2013 a bit more done today, first up some pics of the ompleted trackwork on the removable section that i did erlier in the week, also the completed curve towards the station area tonight i wired up the points indicator panel i made he other month, unfortunatly the little un has flattened the battery on my phone so i didnt get any pics, i will do some when i get a chance though i wired the panel to the track using 8 strand "burgler alarm wire" from maplin, basically 4 strands of it being soldered to the + and - of the 2 lines and the other 4 strands going to the individual frogs of each point, i used some small coving i bought to hide the speaker cables on my home cinema to run the wire up the wall to the panel, its half round and only about 10mm tall so i will be able to disguise it when i do the scenics, it could look like some sort of chimney or factory pipework i recon! so now i'm pretty much ready to secure the final top board so i can continue the trackwork round to join up with the existing rails on the incline and i'll have the mainline finished, then its on to the depot 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted August 25, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2013 Here is the panel, mounted up...... I am going to add another sheet of plasticard over the top of the existing one with the track diagram on it, the reason being it will futher "diffuse" the light from the bright LEDs, the cable runs up the coving on the right As i said the wire is 8 core burgler alarm cable which ive soldered to the track between the 4 points and to the point frog, above board level as its hidden away below the high level board 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted September 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2013 after a bit of a break from the layout i finally managed to do a bit more yesterday morning, i have been distracted by hachette coaches and respraying locos, first up was checking i'd wired everything up on the low level as i was going to secure the high level station area in place, once i was happy i screwed it down and made a start on track laying, first job was to glue down some cork sheet with spray mount glue, then i went on to securing the track i have reused the thin platform from 'birmingham central' and used that as the straight edge, i then made up a small piece of platform to use as a width marker for the island platform, unfortunatly i ran out of spray mount so didn't manage to get the cork down on the line on the other platform face i placed some track at the top end to get an idea of how the curve will look, the inner curve is roughly 4th radius so not too tight compared to the removable section end of the layout, i have to fit and test a couple of point motors that end (one on the low level and one on the high level) before i can secure the final small piece of high level board and complete the circuit, hopefully monday next up i decided on the spur of the moment to build the island platform, parts from the modelzone closing down sale, peco platform edges and wills rendered plaster sheets, need to fit some cross bracing underneath then i'll paint it to match the other one, may well have a go at curving the platform round the curve a bit, not decided yet 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Realy coming along well Jim.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Looking good David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Isnt it great to have your own shed to work in close the door and the world is at bay,the layout is coming on well like the split level its going to offe some interesting operating possibilities ,hope you find a qualified train driver! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted November 5, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted November 5, 2013 first time in the shed for an age today, been having a new patio built so the back garden has been a no-go area until this week, did the one job i've been putting off for a while, wiring the removable section basically i wired the 4 track feeds into one pair of chocolate blocks and fed them to 2 wires of the 8 strand cable i have, i then wired the point motor wires to another 3 of the strands which has left me with 3 spare strands to add maybe lights to the section the other end went to a female flush mount din plug on the removable section, soldered each wire to an individual pin which in turn goes to a male din plug which is attached to the main layout board which i then wired the 2 wires to the track feed situated under the main board, the 3 point motor wires are currently loose but will continue on to the accessory decoder under the board now its just a case of plugging the removable section in and its powered up i did hit a snag that when i wired it up i realised it somehow, even though i checked a few times managed to get the pos and neg wires mixed up so the polatity of the removable section was the opposite to the main layout, an easy fix by simly swapping the 2 wires round where i joined them into the main feed when i came to test the track it kept shorting out so i ended up removing wires from the chocolate block below until i traced the fault to a single wire, no matter what i did i could not get it to work properly, then it twigged, i had wired up the polarity wire on the points to the motor and as i hadn't removed the point motor wires from thr track it was still in reverse polarity, i unsoldered it and hey presto no short, rewired it with the wires swapped over on the track feed and it works perfect tested the track by letting my 33 pull the train of hachette mk1s round which it did without problems for a good 30 mins, amazing what a set of new wheels can do net up i went onto the point motors for the other end of the layout for the entrance to the yard and first set within but here i have hit another snag but i'll start a thread in the dcc questions section to try and find a solution but it involves, point motors, accessory decoders and a reverse loop module not playing ball next major job, in the next 2 weeks hopefully is power to the shed, the new patio has wall lights that need wiring in so the electrician i coming to do those as well as putting power and lighting to the garage and shed, it certainly need some sort of thermastatic heating in there now as it felt very damp in there earlier after a few weeks of not being used 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Realy coming along well Jim... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 2, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 2, 2013 Things have come to a halt for a bit, mainly due to lack of electricity to the shed, i was going to go in there this morning but thought it better i had a sleep being as im on nights tonight! I really want to get that last point wired up then i can get the final bit of track in and have a complete loop Payday on friday so i may look at getting the electrician in to get power in there if i can afford it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 37 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Hi Mate Know the feeling well of juggling modelling time with work. Mines slowed up again at the moment. Thanks for the lift home the other night, that was really appreciated. See you soon. Marcus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 9, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 9, 2013 no probs marcus got a couple of days off coming up, so hopefully i'll try and get the decoder working so i can get the last bit of track down Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2013 right, i've decided im going in the shed later! got a few major things i want to complete so i can get the last bit of track in place...... 1: get the 4th accessory decoder up and running, i can get it in programming mode but it wont accept an address for some reason 2: wire the remaining 2 mainline point motors to the decoder if i get it working! 3: wire up point motors for the yard area, possibly fit them up too and wire to the 5th and 6th accessory decoders up i've also bought myself a thermastatic convection heater that i want to get mounted up on the wall in readyness for the electrician early in the new year, may even go out and get some lights too and fit them up ready for him to wire in, cant decide whether to go for a couple of strip lights or 4 way spot lights though? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Fluoro tubes give the most even light spread but be careful about colour balance. Another alternative is high power LED strips running off a 12V transformer (then you can dictate the colour you want to see). http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/16FT-5M-12V-Flexible-300-LED-5050-SMD-Strip-Light-White-Car-Light-7-/200790213077?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec00781d5#ht_3694wt_1141 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2013 Fluoro tubes give the most even light spread but be careful about colour balance. Another alternative is high power LED strips running off a 12V transformer (then you can dictate the colour you want to see). http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/16FT-5M-12V-Flexible-300-LED-5050-SMD-Strip-Light-White-Car-Light-7-/200790213077?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec00781d5#ht_3694wt_1141 ive got some of those that i got from maplin that i use in my fishtank i may well look into using them in the shed, thanks for the suggestion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2013 well i went into the shed earlier, decided it was too cold and came straight back out might spend the evening finishing my colas 70 and maybe painting up some resin loads for my megabox wagons, i can do that in the house! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 21, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21, 2014 (edited) finally got back in the shed today to see what i could do, i know i needed to get an accessory decoder working so i concentrated on that but its just wound me up as i couldn't get it running! the layout hasn't been run for 6 months and there has been no heating in there so you can imagine the track was a bit dirty/greasy/whatever and it needs a good clean, got a loco to run round it but there are still a few spots that need cleaning in the hidden section back to the accessory decoder, i cant work it out, the decoders are all Bachmann/esu the first two i installed last year both still work ok after i gave the motors a manual tweak, they are address' 1 through 8 so the next decoder needs to be 9 through 12, i can get it to program mode, ie flashing led, i then use the lenz handset to select "switch 9" which gives slot 1 on the decoder address 9, solt 2 is 10 and so on however the seep points motors just dont work in any way shape or form if i put a multimeter across the output terminals of the decoder and "operate the points" as it were it jumps up to approx 12v in a pulse as you would expect but once the motor is wired back in it does nothing, i'm 99% sure i've wired the motor correctly, one thing i have removed that i have done previously is a feed to the track via the centre polarity switches of the seep as i understand they are not needed, trying it with or without still gives the same result, ie nothing! the working point motors also dont seem to have much of a kick when they operate, i am using a dedicated 13v DC 7A regulated supply running through 'mains' flex cable,currently the furthest away decoder is about 30ft away from the supply, however even if i attach the supply right next to the decoder its still not giving the kick i would expect, eventually i will be making the decoder power supply a complete loop anyway i've got to a point where i'm feeling like i want to just use tube and rod for the hidden points and my fingers for the others as this one problem is stopping me getting the last 3 ft of track in place!! Edited April 21, 2014 by big jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted April 21, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21, 2014 Jim I haven't used the ESU turnout decoders but when I have had problems programme g the Digitrax ones I will often do a factory default reset and start again. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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