Biting the bullet.

Thanks Peter,

I'll be busy tomorrow… new oven, bench top and splashed out on an induction cook top,  so I'll start the real fun part of wiring up the point motors, testing the track for shorts and other faults and filling in the sleeper gaps as and when I'm released from these other duties. I'm not up to much in the drawing department, but I'll try and do a track plan how it's turned out as opposed to how it would have been if I'd had the length.

As for the car: it lives under a carport but there's still room to get it in the garage if there's a serious hail storm.

Hi Pete,

Induction stove. Hope you took out a 5 year extended warranty. We have one, just replaced with a new one after 4 years light use. Out of action for 6 months during which time all circuit boards were replaced and it still didn't work. Finally declared a lemon.


Nigel

Yes, we took out a plus 4 year warranty... fingers crossed.

The new setup looks very complex! Looking forwards to seeing it all down. 

Thanks Chris,
I've had a day or two away from it, but will be starting on the wiring soon… real fun. I'm actually looking forward to starting some scenery with this one.

Ha ha,

The car all ready does live outside under a purpose built car port extension. I only use half the garage width: about 9' so we can get it in when we have proper Aussie hail storms.

I'm still plugging away at wiring and making so many mistakes it ain't funny… getting very frustrated with getting old and forgetful/easily confused. I've done all this before but just keep making mistake after mistake. Ah well.

I will get back to you… eventually.  :)

Sorry for being so long replying Peter. I thought I'd do a bit of an update and saw your post.

I'm still going at it. I've got the track down and all the Tortoise motors fitted and am now having fun wiring up two double slips with rotary switches, oh what fun. I'm using rotary switches where you buy the mechanisms and wafers separately which means that I use two wafers per switch; one for the point motors and the other one for leds.

I've tried contacting SE Finecast about their 9" turntable kit but no reply via email. I might ring them tonight, our time and see what they have to say. I do have the Peco 12" but that can only go in at the wrong end of the layout. I might even have to do that, after all it's not a scale model, just an approximation of Wadebridge.

A small update. I phoned SE Finecast and they sent me the instructions for their turntable. Going by their name, I thought it would be brass or some other metal but it's plastic and I'm not paying the thick end of fifty quid for that. What I've decided to do is use the Peco turntable, but at the far end from where it should be, mainly because there's no room to put it near the engine shed and it's too big anyway.

I'm taking two steps forward and one back with the wiring of the rotary switches. I'll get there in the end, but it'll take a bit longer than I'd hoped.

Dunnit!  After hours of wrong wiring, shorts and loads of frustration, the double slip rotary switches are wired ready to go in. I still have the second wafers for the led's for route indication to do, but that shouldn't pose a problem. I have to pluck up courage to drill holes in my new perspex control panel. Maybe I'll down several cans of Guinness first.  :)

Here we go again! I've spent the last week and a half trying to get the diode matrix for the storage yards working with no luck. So I'm asking for help. I know how hard it is to help with things like this when you're not face to face.

I'm as sure as I can be that I've made the matrix right.  I'm attaching a plan for a 5 track/4 motor (tortoise) matrix. I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me if they think it's right. I'm using rotary switches as in the sheet I found on an old American modelling mag'.

I've made sure the diodes are the correct way round and I've only made connections where there are the black dots. I've wired the switches so that the negative (lower) side starts at fig 2 as in the drawing.

This is really annoying as I've done all this before and now I can't make it work. Age or what? Anyway, as I said, if someone can check that the plan is right, I'll at least know to start looking somewhere else.

Always love a circuit diagram! Doesn’t mean I’m good at them tho..
I’ve tried to work it out but it’s baffled me, sorry!

It seems as though it's baffled me too, Chris.

Thanks for the circuit diagram, Ron. I can't see how that will give me 5 tracks though. Only 3 positions on each side of the switch are used. I need to use this for a main line and 4 storage lines, so 5 in all. 5,4,3,2,1 if you see what I mean.

a bigger version is coming

Most embarrassing this is. I realised today that I've been going about this all wrong, which is why it wasn't working for me. I'm attaching the table as far as I can work it out and hope someone can tell/show me how to finish it.
As you'll see, my sidings are laid out differently to those I first uploaded.

 

Hi Peter,Just caught up with your latest on diode matrix.
If you google search DIODE MATRIX-BRIAN LAMBERT and scroll down to the relevant section as he has a lot of information relating to most model railway electrics.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Barry T

PS
After a few hours head scratching whilst on Christmas holiday visit to IOM and using wife’s pink pen and nail file as ruler, I think a couple of tweaks to your diagram of Sat. 17th December might do it ?I would be pleased to know what you think even if I have got it completely wrong and my logic is up the creek but fingers crossed it will work for you.

Thanks Barry, It's good of you to take the time to do that, not to mention courageous to be using the wifes pink pen and nail file. That looks like it will work although, given the time of year I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to it… my fingers are itchy all ready.

Best wishes for Christmas and new year.

Pete.

Thanks Peter, no problem I like a challenge and problem solving.Another way that may be more advantageous would be to use a relay bank of 4, or 8 if used for panel lights, ( they are readily obtainable at reasonable cost and are used for Aldrino applications, photo I have found shows blue relays) each relay operated singularly and in turn by a 1- gang rotary switch such that when none are energised as in position 1, all relay contacts are arranged to give the correct polarity to all pins on each of the four tortoise motors to give running along bottom track.
Then as each relay is operated in turn the polarity of any motor can be changed to select a siding.
This may have the advantage of using the relay contacts to illuminate panel indicator lights if placed near control panel and not use tortoise motor contacts.
Another way would be to just use DPDT toggle switches to change polarity and use auxiliary contacts of the switches to illuminate panel lights, again saving wiring depending on where sidings are in relation to control panel.
Both of these alternatives mean you don’t need a diode matrix.
All for now, have a good Christmas and NewYear.
Regards
Barry T

Hi Barry,

I've made the diode matrix as per the drawing, but it only changes the points so that they're either all normal or all reversed, ie, tracks 2,3 and 4 do nothing when I select them.

Please see next post.