EM gauge double slip query

[Mind the gap]

I wonder if you can help me. I am restoring a 40 year old EM gauge layout and it has 2 x double slip sets of points, one on this board and one on another  I haven't started on yet. It has 4 point motors to control the switch blades, I have used 4 DCC Concepts digital point motors with the bar facing each other, 2 at each end.
I will attach a picture, the point motors on the left can be switched at any time with no problems, the two on the right have to be switched in a particular order or they stall half way through the throw and starts to draw 3.3 amp as opposed the usual 0.4 amp.
I have to pull the blades in away from each other and set the point back on my nce powercab to get the point back and the draw back down again.
At this moment, i don’t know if there is a problem with the point work that is causing this fault or it is something else.

I can drive my loco across the point top to top or bottom to bottom, I can’t as yet go straight across, top to bottom or bottom to top. Partly because of the short or getting the switch blades in the right place or no power at the rails as I only have 1 wire from the v in the point to one point motor. So do I need a gizmo to allow both point motors to control the power in the V ??

[Mind the gap]

For some reason, the picture is upside down 

 

[Stephen Freeman]

If the point blades touch you will get a short circuit. Why not connect the 2 pairs together and save a couple of point motors plus stop any possibility of a short there?

 

Your point motors will have at least one set of contacts to change the polarity of the vees (furtherest away from the blades)

Edited July 21, 2021 by Stephen Freeman

[Mind the gap]

Thanks Stephen, I had thought about joining the two sets of blades together but thought i’d try and see if i could get them to work individually first. I’ll have to give some more thought on how to join them

[Nigelcliffe]

1 minute ago, Mind the gap said:

Thanks Stephen, I had thought about joining the two sets of blades together but thought i’d try and see if i could get them to work individually first. I’ll have to give some more thought on how to join them

 

Looking at what you have from the photo.   I'd install a plate as a fat tie bar, below baseboard.  With the plate running between two straight edge guides.    With pins from the tie-bars, it will push/pull both tie bars together.  Then use the turnout motor to move the plate.  

 

[dhjgreen]

29 minutes ago, Mind the gap said:

Thanks Stephen, I had thought about joining the two sets of blades together but thought i’d try and see if i could get them to work individually first. I’ll have to give some more thought on how to join them

I did something similar with my EM double slip, I used omega loops to balance the action.

[Izzy]

Electrically you need the blades at each ‘end’ to move in unison since you can only use one set of contacts to change the crossing polarity and if they don’t then conflicts could arise. The issue with the point motors would seem to be electrical somehow I feel given that they are stall type and even if they haven’t the power to move the blades shouldn’t then draw excessive current.

[brossard]

Since the slip was already built I might assume that it was wired properly.  However, I found the wiring for my hand built single slip to be very tricky indeed. 

 

Here's a diagram from the same source I used for my single slip:

 

http://www.stciers.me.uk/home/track_wiring/od_slip.htm

 

HTH

 

John

[Mind the gap]

19 minutes ago, brossard said:

Since the slip was already built I might assume that it was wired properly.  However, I found the wiring for my hand built single slip to be very tricky indeed. 

 

Here's a diagram from the same source I used for my single slip:

 

http://www.stciers.me.uk/home/track_wiring/od_slip.htm

 

HTH

 

John

many thanks, that diagram is very good

[Mind the gap]

5 hours ago, dhjgreen said:

I did something similar with my EM double slip, I used omega loops to balance the action.

Interesting, i have not seen omega loops before, worth investigating, thanks

[dhjgreen]

15 hours ago, Mind the gap said:

Interesting, i have not seen omega loops before, worth investigating, thanks

The switch on the left operates the double slip.

Edited July 22, 2021 by dhjgreen