Two Planks Become One

Hi Matt. Yet another reply, I have been de soldering all the “ Red Wires “ so far, or should I do the blacks as well? I don’t really want to remove the fishplates or lift the points because once the “ WIT “ has been cut short it can be a right pain to line them up with the throw bars. Is there a way around it???    Also I have rigged up an independent PCP for my Powercab, as I have tested the baseboard to baseboard jumpers which were okay. And I still haven’t purchased a mouse mat , I did vacuum the “mouse hole “. Best wishes Kevin 

There you go, Kevin.   :cool:


[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Nigel.  Another reply ? I will have to find a better title for my thread. The Bodgit was a reference to the haphazardly way that I added/ changed use of the programme track., “Inglenook Junction “ would sound better.

Hi Max.  Thank you for your handywork , I thought of the original name on the spur of the moment. Best wishes Kevin 

No worries, Kevin.

If you want it changed again, let me know.   :cool:

Hi Max.  Thank you. That is perfect, I have to do some thinking about scenery. Best wishes Kevin 

Brilliant to see photos Kevin. Looking forwards to seeing more. 


Hope you enjoying it


[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

At Long Last Some Photos of my Planks








More Later (Hopefully)

Kevin

Hi Chris . Thank you for your reply. There will be some more, as soon as I do some scenery and I have got rid of the gremlins,  now that I have thought about it I should of built a three foot fiddleyard instead of a four foot one and had eight foot of scenery.  Watch this space.  Best wishes Kevin 

Making changes is enevitable! And those gremlins won’t leave me alone! Haha

Hi Chris. I am going to wait up for them, and give them a shock with my electric fly swat. Have you ever seen an “electric fly”? LOL.   Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Chris . Matt, Nigel, Ron, Petermac, and all interested parties. Staying firmly on my own thread! I have now de soldered all the red and black droppers, testing for short circuits as I went, and finding shorts all the way, the last wires being connected were those to the DPDT Slide switches. Then I tested the, by now, isolatated from the rest like orphans, the sidings and the result, obviously no shorts as one would expect. Ergo the DPDT Slide switches must be at fault, unless anyone knows better? Please let me know.  It must be dinner time for me, the Inglenook can wait awhile.Best wishes Kevin 

you may have to test the DPDT slide switches...

Hi Ron   Thank you. AFAIK? I did test them and I couldn’t find a fault, maybe I missed a trick? Is there a certain way to test them that I don’t know about?     Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Brian.   And anyone who has replied. Bare bones like Bare Boards don’t build a.railway , :off topic  ( and a major delay on crossrail was the discovery of human remains) . I have been playing trains for so long, that it is about time that I did some scenery! A cutting next to the tunnel portals has been suggested, but I need help. Any advice please?Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

Frog switches need 3 leads, one from each bus (red/black or whatever you used) and 1 to the frog. Not sure why you are using a DPDT instead of an SPDT unless you are powering 2 frogs at once (cross over for example). Bus wires to 1 and 3, out to frog on 2 (or 4,6 and 5). Are you powering the switch from the track or the bus?

Switch on 1 and 2, contuinity, 3 is dead, switch on 2 and 3, continuity, 1 is dead. Have you checked for a loose wire shorting across the terminals? If you disconnect the DPDT is there still a short?

These slide switches are not heavy duty, they have a high failure rate, especially the cheap ones. Which most are.

How about a wiring diagram now you have mastered photos?

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  Thank you for your reply. Originally I followed the DPDT Slide switch advice from Gary, and then I discovered a use for the spare contacts, with a separate feed to the centre contact I could power LED’s on a mimic panel which I have done. This is the third plank/ module that I have used WIT control on with the same brand/ supplier of the DPDT switches, the first two without too much trouble. As for a diagram, okay, but, it is a straight forward red , green, green being the centre, and black layout.   Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

Ah, thought so. Separate LED circuit or with cross overs to the frog curcuit? Just because the lights are working on one side does not mean the other is OK. Diagram would let us know what is happening. Pecil, ruler and paper, take a photo, post, job done!

Inexpensive slide switches are usually rated at 0.3A or often less. Get a short in the track circuit of around 2A and they act as fuses.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  Thank you again. I didn’t know about the ratings of the switches, by the way, the mimic panel is wired to another plank which is independent of the two that I am currently dealing with. When you say that the switches act as fuses, that isn’t happening as the short occurs without a Loco. Another thing that I began today, I have  been reconnecting the black and red wires on one track at a time, to their respective Buses, c/o Matt’s suggestion , so far so good, I hope to continue the “ good work “ shortly.    Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Nigel. Another reply. “ Houston we have Lift off “ And I have eliminated a faulty DPDT, a thing the shop assistant said. “ Oh No it cannot be the DPDT “, “ Oh Yes it Can” , now that I have identified the problem, it may even be possible to utilise the reason for starting this thread,    the Peco asymmetric Three way point?   If my back and (Diogenes) okay  Dodgy Knees can last that long? Now if you could suggest the better range of DPDT Slide switches that are suitable for WIT Operation that won’t let me down and cause me so much grief? I would be obliged.Best wishes Kevin 

i am guessing you are using those Peco DPDT that strap on the back of a point motor Kevin?


Brian

Hi Brian.  I don’t understand what you mean. I purchased my DPDT Slide switches from an independent electronics store. As you no doubt have heard I did toy with the idea of Point Motors but I have stayed with “wire in tube “ . And this is the first DPDT that has given me a problem.     Best wishes Kevin