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MTB Point Motors - Any Experiences?


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On a couple of occasions recently I have had my attention drawn to MTB point motors, and subsequently had a search on the Interweb thingy. I found (very easily, as it happens) the Czech Republic manufacturer's website and a retailer in the UK, DCC Train Automation. There may be others, of course, but that's the one that came up on the top of my list.

 

My question is, "Does anybody have any experiences of these point motors and, if so, would they share them with RMweb users?"

 

I am looking for a reliable and robust method of operating Peco Code 75 bullhead points from either above or below the baseboard.

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Just now, Mick Bonwick said:

 

Thanks, Phil. I did a search for MP1 using the search function but was told there were no results.

Me too! Same results.

 

But I knew this thread was here somewhere so I used Google to find it... :rolleyes:

 

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9 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

 

But I knew this thread was here somewhere so I used Google to find it... :rolleyes:

 

 

I have read through that account of the product and it answers all my questions, so far. Thanks for remembering it. I'm a little surprised that these point motors aren't mentioned more often on this forum, given railway modellers' penchant for telling everybody about their own favourite pieces of equipment. :lol:

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2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

But I knew this thread was here somewhere so I used Google to find it...

 

I hardly ever bother with RMWeb's built-in search function - Google is always my first port of call, just tack "rmweb" to the end of your search string to get the RMWeb hits first.  This also has the benefit that it can find hits for the same phrase on other model railway forums (who knew that such things existed?)

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23 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said:

I am so intrigued by this product that I have ordered a couple "for evaluation." Once they arrive I'll get to work with them, and you'll probably see a report on my findings on my layout thread.

I'll watch with interest!

 

I want to find out how noisy they are because I hate the whining & grinding sound that Cobalts make. (Isn't there a song about that?)

 

Edited by Harlequin
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43 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

They have been mentioned on several occasions and there's a video of them in operation on here.

 

Thanks to @Harlequin I am now aware of their mentions, as discussed earlier in the thread, but was not aware of a video. RMweb is a big place and the search engine doesn't work all that well, so it might take me a while to find it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

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59 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Urgh! Sounds like the seven dwarves weight lifting.

 

I think that sound would drive me crazy very quickly!

 

 

39 minutes ago, melmerby said:

That's an awfully noisy point motor and I thought the couple of Cobalts I bought were noisy.

I'll stick to Tortoises.

 

Are you talking about the MP1 motors - they are VERY quiet compared to other motors, the camera on the phone was less than 6" away from these when videoed.

 

I will be using these motors all the time now, smoother, quieter and cheaper

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Beware!! Since I posted that thread, I have tried a couple, albeit on a test track. They do not last very well. Nylon gears and some rather iffy construction, meant that one failed within weeks, although it was fixed by bodgery, but the other failed within a year, unfixable. Quality control may have improved since then, and there has been a new version, but that just seems to have had additional functionality added. It may be that they are reliable now, but I would suggest that may be a bit of a gamble - you would expect to see them mentioned more often in the MR press, particularly on the Continent, where they are slightly cheaper, and more readily available. But I regularly read French model railway mags, and occasionally Italian, and hardly anyone has used them. They tend to use Tortoise, or Fulgurex, if not using solenoid switch motors.

 

So, as others have said, I am back to Tortoises.

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Mick,

 

I mentioned in the other thread that I'd recommend them, so I guess you know that already, but here's my thoughts on them along with a video of them in operation: MP1 point motors

 

You can never tell from a video how noisy something really is, but hopefully it'll give you some idea. FWIW, they're noisier now they're installed, but I think that's because of the particular baseboard construction I used, combined with where the layout is located acting as a sound box!

 

HTH,

 

Jonathan

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DCC Train Automation have a video on their Youtube channel on how to set these up with a Digikeijs DR4018 and you can hear the operation of the MP1 and MP5 from around 09:30.  The first part of he video being how to wire them, and how to set up the DR4018.

 

 

I have no experience of these but I am looking for point motors.

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1 hour ago, jrb said:

 

I mentioned in the other thread that I'd recommend them, so I guess you know that already, but here's my thoughts on them along with a video of them in operation: MP1 point motors

 

 

Thanks, Jonathan, that's really helpful. You realise that there is now another thread I'm going to have to read through from the very beginning. :)

 

It is evident that I didn't really do anywhere near enough searching for information when I started down this path. It is encouraging that so many people are prepared to share their knowledge and experiences, though.

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28 minutes ago, Dungrange said:

DCC Train Automation have a video on their Youtube channel on how to set these up with a Digikeijs DR4018 and you can hear the operation of the MP1 and MP5 from around 09:30.  The first part of he video being how to wire them, and how to set up the DR4018.

 

Thanks to you, too, David. I haven't previously given much time to browsing through Youtube, but it is becoming apparent that there is a fair bit of useful information sqirreled away there.

 

It's too late now, because I have invested in Digitrax equipment, but I like the look and functionlity of the Dijikeijs (how do you pronounce that?) equipment.

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I actually find the shift to using You Tube videos to show how to do everything can be be quite frustrating at times.

e.g. It seems that something that could be done with a diagram and a few lines of text is inevitably made into a 15 minute video demonstration.

 

In some cases a video can be extremely informative in a way just text can't, but not for everything.

 

I have been doing some projects with Arduinos and in most cases all I want is some basic info and connection info but often have to wade through a long rambling video to find out what I want.

 

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1 hour ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

You must be right, because that's how it's pronounced in the DCC Automation video. :good:

 

On the other hand over there you may well pronounce it with the emphasis on the 'i' and not the 'e' as that is the general rule I was told to use when I worked in Utrecht based around the use of the second vowel to give the sound for the syllable ;)

 

My recollection though is that it was more an 'aje' type ending, where the j is heard, and the pronunciation was definitely not 'keys' but perhaps nearer to 'kayge'

Edited by WIMorrison
oops - bad spelling (again!)
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Yes, I am using MTB MP1 motors with Digikeijs DR4018 accessory controllers and I find the combination excellent.

 

All my motors are mounted under the board and I very much appreciate their small size. They are fairly quiet in operation and have the advantage of locking the points in place once they reach their end positions. The MP1s are also a minimum of fuss to install - the one thing I have to do is to adjust the throw of the motor to 3mm to match the requirements of PECO 00 pointwork, which is a simple operation.

 

The built in single electrical switch is excellent for dealing with the frog power of electrofrog points. If you ever had a need for switching more than one circuit in conjunction with the point, then the MTB MP5 provides that option at a slightly higher price point. I've not needed that so far.

 

I have been able to drive pairs of MP1 motors with a single channel on the DR4018 - this is great for crossovers and similar configurations where the positions of two points need to both change at the same time. The loading of the MP1 motors is such that there is ample current available on a single channel of the DR4018.

 

The DR4018 has 8 channels for controlling point motors and I find this handy since a relatively few of the controllers can deal with all the points on my layout.

 

Mike.

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