Point motor shopping list

[Tomathee]

Hi folks, I have a point that is in a hard to reach place so I'm going to take the plunge and motorise it. If it's not too bad maybe I'll look at doing the rest, but this one is a bit of a trial run as I have no experience in this area. I wanted to check my thinking and shopping list so I'm only paying one lot of postage in these times and to make sure I don't burn the house down if I manage to get the parts together and have a go.

 

I've found I need a Peco PL-11 side mounted motor as I have timber underneath the board where the hole would be. I've also learned I need a Gaugemaster GM500 as it is electrofrog and I might as well make the extra effort to reduce running problems as similarly it is hard to reach to nudge a stalled engine, is this just screwed into the board somewhere near the point/motor? For the actual switch I saw some Gaugemaster switches quite cheap but I think I would have to make a board with holes drilled in for them to be put into, can't see how else they would stay anywhere? I also came across the Peco PL-26 switches and a console that they sit in, I think this looks an easier solution for me as a newcomer although I'm not sure if there are any drawbacks to them?

 

For the actual wiring, I'm using DC and understand I can't just use the positive and negative from the same supply to the track. The back of the controller has connectors for uncontrolled ac and uncontrolled dc (400mA shared), it seems that AC is the one required. I have some 7 x 0.2mm wire that I was going to use for the main bus wire but didn't, I can use this but I think I would need a third length, to avoid mixing up if I use the same colour for two things. From doing the main bus wire with electrical cable I have the earth cable left over that I could use, but I think it is different size (from looks), so might not be a good idea to mix them? 

 

So to sum up, the basket in my mind is;

PL-11 motor

GM500 polarity switch

PL26 switch

PL27 console

(optional) 7 x 0.2mm wire in a third colour

 

I've looked at the diagrams and I 'think' it makes sense, once I have everything in front of me it might be a different matter.

 

Thanks for reading and any help

[Pete the Elaner]

You may get a lot of suggestions.

There are lots of things you can do for best practise/reliability & others will probably be along shortly to describe them but they may not be entirely necessary.

 

The standard Peco point motor is ok. I have never used the PL-11 but I expect it will also work well.

GM500. It looks like  this is a solenoid driven by the same wiring as the point motor.

PL26/PL27 These are fine if you like a row of levers. Many people do & there is nothing wrong with this, although it does seem a rather expensive solution, especially if you only ever motorise the 1 point.

Some will argue that 7/0.2 wire is too small for point motors. This is technically correct but for a short pulse, it seems to work ok.

 

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You've not mentioned a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU). It is one of the few things I can think of which provides benefits with no drawbacks (apart from buying or building it in the first place).

After building my own, I consider Gaugemaster's GMC-CDU to be good value.

I could explain exactly how they work & why they are good, but you would probably lose interest so i'll give a summary.

 

A point motor & the GM500 will almost certainly draw more than 400mA, although this may be so brief that the power supply can cope, although it may trip out & if you are also using the power for lighting, these will blink when you throw a point.

 

A CDU gives the motor a short, firm kick so it throws much more positively & it really can make a massive difference.

It re-charges relatively slowly, staying within the 400mA limit of your supply.

It prevents switch burn-out, prolonging the life of your switches.

 

You only need 1 CDU per layout & it can easily be fitted later, so try setting it up without & don't despair if you are disappointed if you are unhappy with how points throw. I have seen a CDU change a 'can't be bothered' set of points to those which have been 100% reliable at exhibitions over several years, changing with a re-assuring thud each time. I was very sceptical when I first installed one but was totally stunned at how much difference it made. This prompted me to find out the science behind them.

[corax67]

I have a few PL-11 point motors on my sons play layout and have found that without a CDU they did occasionally fail to throw every time. A Gaugemaster CDU, which I fit to all of my layouts because they are bulletproof and ultra reliable, cured this. Make sure the point throws easily by hand before fitting the PL-11 and you should have no issues.

 

The Peco switches look nice but are pricey for what they do so I stick with plain SPDT momentary action toggle switches that are much cheaper and widely available in a variety of styles. If you can’t easily drill a hole through the board then you can mount it above the board surface by drilling a piece of plastic or metal ‘L’ section, screw the to the board and fit the switch horizontally through it.

 

There is a small hole in the GM500 circuit board to accept a screw and that can go next to the point motor.

 

Hook up wire of choice for me would be 16/0.2, again it’s what I’ve always used for solenoid point motors and it’s never let me down.
 

Karl

[Tomathee]

Thank you Pete & Karl, lots of useful information. The CDU sounds like a good idea and I particularly like that it can be added later, it continues part of the appeal of the hobby of not needing to go 'all in' and spend lots at once to get something done.

 

I might go with the cheaper switch option now I have those ideas in mind, I couldn't move from 'switch with wires dangling out of it all loose' to 'mini control board' type setup in my mind.

 

The wire I think I need to sort out some 16/0.2 as you both suggested. The mains cable I mentioned before on the bus was 1.5mm2, which is almost the same as the spare 7/0.2mm I bought from a model shop, unless I've misunderstood, so similarly not up to standard. Seems odd that it's recommended for electric fan ovens but not up to a point motor. Annoyingly one of the few places I've found the point motor in stock doesn't sell 16/0.2 so I might hold off, spending £3 to get £3 worth of wire through the post is one of those things I can't bring myself to do, so I'll see if anything else comes up that I can combine in the purchase.

 

Thanks again for the help and pointers

[Brian]

Hi

If you dont fancy soldering wires onto  switches then these are a good option!,,, Pre wire solenoid point switch

or perhaps... Switch with PCB and terminals

I would always recommend obtaining a CDU from then onset,  Cost isn't that much at around  £7 GBP Example.. CDU example link  

 

I have no connection with the company linked at all,  and of course there are other suppliers too.

 

Wire all solenoid points in 16/0.2mm minimum or if you already have rolls of 7/0.2 double up each wire