[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

Marty, re this comment of yours

One of the relays is buzzing when activated which says to me that there  is too much power being applied so I'll hunt around for a power pack  with a little less oomph than the 6A one I'm using

Relays buzz not because of a high power supply like the 6A but either low or high voltage  so what are the relays  voltage input rated at & what is your power supply rated at in voltage and is it regulated?

Ah…thanks Ron. Relays are rated at 12V DC and the original power pack was putting out 11.6V DC.






The second power pack is reading 11.24 V DC.






How do I know if it is regulated or not?

Cheers
Marty

[user=1779]Chiefnerd[/user] wrote:

Hi Marty
Your power stack would be ideal for the 14 year old. By the time he plugs in the phone, ipad, laptop, Nintendo, dvd player etc you may have one plug left for the layout to run.
Andrew

Funnily enough he's already got his phone charger plugged into it. Thankfully everything else is still in transit. :thumbs

Cheers

Marty

Marty, if it is one of the new type that can take 110/240 AC input , very small like a laptop supply, that would be regulated  but the best way is to have a meter reading  DC volts sitting across the output & switch the relays in and out and watch the meter. If unregulated and you get a lot of relays, the voltage would drop & this may cause chattering/buzzing.
That all said, a 12v relay should work on at least 10v.

The other aspect is, is it only the one relay doing this?

Is the circuit such that it may attempt to operate then release & reoperate? If you can send me to my home e-mail a drawing of that relay circuit,  I can have a look at it for you.

Just saw the photos - they maybe OK depending on total load.

Thanks Ron.

Just the single relay, which is different to the other 5 in use, but it's not buzzing with the second 11.24 V power pack now, so unless you think I need to investigate further I'll let it ride.

the circuit diagram looks like this, with minor mods to the LED part.






Thanks for your help.

Marty

Circuit is good Marty & if it is not buzzing now, yes let sleeping dogs lie !

Just noticed on the drawing, the relay is labelled S4440 which is a 5v relay
5V Single DPDT Relay Board - Altronics

12v uses a S4442 - just noticed the photo on that website is the same for both voltage versions !!! Even the 24v version has the same photo - cheeky devils …

Of course! Nice spot. It is the 5V version. I should be able to put a resistor in the power feed circuit to drop the voltage shouldn't I?

Marty

5v version !! it is wonder it has not burnt out them feeding 12v into them.
Need to know the resistance of the coil to determine maximum current and then a resistor of the correct value can be worked out

The Instructions are weird for the relays
http://download.altronics.com.au/files/instructions_S4440-5.pdf
the same for all 3 versions all with 24v input   and I bet if you talked to Altronics in Perth, they could not tell you the relay coil resistance.

Only one 5V all the rest are S4290 12V 5A DPDT beasts. It's done well not to blow then. Your right about Altronics But I have the catalogue which says that the coil resistance for the 5v version is 178 Ohms.

Cheers
Marty

OK, with a 12v supply into a 5v relay that will draw 0.028A ( based on a 178 ohm coil)  you will need a 250 ohms 1/2 watt resistor.

Awesome… I think I've got one of them. Many thanks.

Marty

Trains are running! … We'll sort of! After spending a fair amount of the weekend working on the railway with both sons and nephew at various times the first train has run on part of the plank.

Only section 12, the Goods loop, is working correctly and the only with the Tommy cab. Sections 11 and 13 are electrically dead and the Dai  cab is shorting. The next week will see a bit of wire tracing under the layout and trouble shooting. Not difficult, just a matter of working through the wiring a bit at a time.

However… All points and switching for frogs and LEDs on the panel are working as advertised although I fell into the trap of having the switches and LEDs on the double slip back to front. Had to swap four wires, thank goodness for fitting the little connectors to the wires.


Here's a view with all LEDs not only working but also, and you'll have to take my word on this, indicating the throw direction of the points correctly..the test train stuttered and spat its way along the line as everything is covered with MDF dust. Some track cleaning will be in order before further testing can be contemplated..







Looking east along the plank with the main line on the left and the Pannier and GRANO (I think) on the goods loop. The head shunt is on the right.






…and a gratuitous train shot to finish off. 'Cause it's been a while.






Cheers
Marty

yep the throw was right,green on,,,, entitled to a train shot after all that,:roll:
:thumbs;-):cool:
Owen

Well done Marty. Congratulations on a job well done.

I would have been happier if it had all worked correctly first time … But short circuit tracing is character building right! Sigh.:thumbs


Marty

Looks good, Marty.  :thumbs

Remember; It's a Sport - not a Hobby!

After spending the weekend getting under the base board… and getting out and up again because I forgot the screwdriver… and then under again… and then out again for the soldering iron… and then…. etc, etc I feel that my flexibility and overall fitness has improved… who needs Yoga! A sport it is….


Marty :lol:

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

After spending the weekend getting under the base board… and getting out and up again because I forgot the screwdriver… and then under again… and then out again for the soldering iron… and then…. etc, etc I feel that my flexibility and overall fitness has improved… who needs Yoga! A sport it is….


Marty :lol:

now while your physical well being is OK, it seems the memory is failing

We have all suffered that problem during this hobby.

That's it… fit as a fiddle but unable to remember what I'm meant to be doing… or indeed what it was I did yesterday. Which is why I try and write it down in here. :lol:
It's always amazes me how large and diversified is the range of tools that we use.
I've had to keep the workbench clean over the last week for the Nephew to use. Which means that each individual tool needs to be sourced from it's relevant storage spot as required and then returned at the end of the modelling session.
It does make it easier to find the required tool though… no chance of it being buried under 3 months of modelling!


Years ago I bought a 10 pack of refills for the fibreglass pencil I use for cleaning of grot and verdigris from metal to be soldered. Yesterday was the first time that a refill was required. The refill pack was buried under 3 YEARS of modelling… but I knew exactly where it was! Nothing wrong with my long term memory then eh George?


Marty

Solved why only the "Tommy" Cab was working on Section 12. I hadn't gapped the track on the South Bank section leading into Llandyfriog Junction. There are track feeds to South bank and Llandyfriog Junction. South Bank switched to "Tommy" and Llandyfriog switched to "Tommy", trains run…. South Bank switched to "Tommy" and Llandyfriog switched to "Dai", trains don't run and controller box buzzes. Doh.


Haven't had a chance to gap the track yet but it's next on the list. The multimeter is out and ready to go but folks dropped in last night for a chat and a glass of wine… so that's where the multimeter still is.






… and it's a bit frustrating not having the layout operational yet 'cause look what arrived yesterday!!!






busy with family stuff the next couple of evenings too… sigh


Marty