Control panel

[ddoherty958]

Following on from my last thread, I was wondering if anyone knew how to wire up a point control panel using Hornby select, decoder and surface mounted point motors?

[Ron Ron Ron]

One way to operate points from a control panel, using DCC and accessory decoders to control the points, is by using the DCC Concepts Cobalt Alpha range of products.

 

The Hornby Select is covered on page 13 of this information booklet from DCC Concepts......

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ALPHA-manual-Central-Box-REV-July-21-2016.pdf

 

 

.

[ddoherty958]

One way to operate points from a control panel, using DCC and accessory decoders to control the points, is by using the DCC Concepts Cobalt Alpha range of products.

 

The Hornby Select is covered on page 13 of this information booklet from DCC Concepts......

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ALPHA-manual-Central-Box-REV-July-21-2016.pdf

 

 

.

Thanks! That is really useful!

[RAF96]

Note that the Select is restricted to points addresses in the range 60 - 99, but to accord with NMRA points address grouping this means starting at address 61 (61-64 = group address 16), et seq.

 

Select and Alpha...

Edit: I managed to get the link to work on my iPad and the relevant page shows a simple track output connection...agree with them that Elite accessory control is clumsy but eLink is just click on screen and Select is input point number, press Select and then Direction arrow.

 

 

Edit: I use a standard manual point selection so I can have a CDU in circuit, but by way of relays I can fire the DCC output from an accessory decoder into the relay coil which in turn releases the CDU charge through the main contacts to the solenoids. Wiring diagram in my gallery on ths site.

 

Rob

 

Edited July 28, 2018 by RAFHAAA96

[ddoherty958]

Note that the Select is restricted to points addresses in the range 60 - 99, but to accord with NMRA points address grouping this means starting at address 61 (61-64 = group address 16), et seq.

 

Select and Alpha...

Edit: I managed to get the link to work on my iPad and the relevant page shows a simple track output connection...agree with them that Elite accessory control is clumsy but eLink is just click on screen and Select is input point number, press Select and then Direction arrow.

 

 

Edit: I use a standard manual point selection so I can have a CDU in circuit, but by way of relays I can fire the DCC output from an accessory decoder into the relay coil which in turn releases the CDU charge through the main contacts to the solenoids. Wiring diagram in my gallery on ths site.

 

Rob

 

45233999-F3F3-4BBB-B35E-232DCA5A0A4C.jpeg

Thanks, I’ll look into it!

[Ron Ron Ron]

If you are happy to operate the points just from a control panel (e.g. a mimic control panel, route diagram, or switch panel etc,) then the DCC Concepts Alpha Sniffer can be used to run a separate points accessory bus.

 

This would not be connected to the Select, or the Select's track output, track power bus or the track.

 

This would avoid having to use the Select for point control and involves far less outlay (££££).

 

 

Ron

[Nigelcliffe]

Following on from my last thread, I was wondering if anyone knew how to wire up a point control panel using Hornby select, decoder and surface mounted point motors?

 

The first question I usually want to ask is "have you considered not using digital decoders for your point motors" ?   Because there are an awful lot of options which don't use DCC for the point motors and don't require spending quite large sums on various interface boxes and accessory decoders. 

 

If using DCC Accessory Decoders on the motors is a "must have", then the answers above are fine, though there are other solutions which will work.    But if "not DCC" options would be considered, then a lot less money can be spent.  

 

I'd also argue that for most people, DCC Accessory Decoders are complicated and difficult to setup, and turn into a nightmare to debug when stuff goes wrong. (See above comment on "group addresses", and there is the related anomaly in the DCC spec which means half the DCC makers have their accessory addresses off-set compared to the other half).   

There are some cases where DCC Accessory Decoders make sense, but frequently they're an expensive and complicated way to do something simple.

[ddoherty958]

The first question I usually want to ask is "have you considered not using digital decoders for your point motors" ? Because there are an awful lot of options which don't use DCC for the point motors and don't require spending quite large sums on various interface boxes and accessory decoders.

 

If using DCC Accessory Decoders on the motors is a "must have", then the answers above are fine, though there are other solutions which will work. But if "not DCC" options would be considered, then a lot less money can be spent.

 

I'd also argue that for most people, DCC Accessory Decoders are complicated and difficult to setup, and turn into a nightmare to debug when stuff goes wrong. (See above comment on "group addresses", and there is the related anomaly in the DCC spec which means half the DCC makers have their accessory addresses off-set compared to the other half).

There are some cases where DCC Accessory Decoders make sense, but frequently they're an expensive and complicated way to do something simple.

The non-DCC option. I just assumed that it was a DCC layout so DCC control was needed. How would you use this non-DCC method?

[Pete the Elaner]

The non-DCC option. I just assumed that it was a DCC layout so DCC control was needed. How would you use this non-DCC method?

Just like you would for a DC layout. There are many different variations on this but a little digging in the DC section should give you some ideas if you've never done it before.

Treat track power & accessory control as 2 separate entities.

You will have more connections across board joins & back to the panel, but if you wire 1 point at a time, it is not very complicated.

How many points does your layout have?

[Ron Ron Ron]

The non-DCC option. I just assumed that it was a DCC layout so DCC control was needed. How would you use this non-DCC method?

Point and route control can be operated independently from control of (driving) the trains.

They don't have to be operated by DCC on a DCC controlled layout.

 

You could use a separate DC, i.e. analogue, arrangement as mentioned by Nigel and PtE, or by a separate points and accessories only DCC set up, as I mentioned above in post no. 6.

 

Using the main DCC system for both controlling trains and points is a valid way forward, but some DCC systems are less suited to this than others. Many DCC systems are not that good in this regard, being rather clunky and cumbersome in operation.

 

For only a handful of points, separate analogue control may be your best and cheapest option.

It all depends on what you want and how you wish to achieve it.

 

 

Ron

Edited July 28, 2018 by Ron Ron Ron

[ddoherty958]

Just like you would for a DC layout. There are many different variations on this but a little digging in the DC section should give you some ideas if you've never done it before.

Treat track power & accessory control as 2 separate entities.

You will have more connections across board joins & back to the panel, but if you wire 1 point at a time, it is not very complicated.

How many points does your layout have?

In the section that is definitely staying, 5.

[Nigelcliffe]

The non-DCC option. I just assumed that it was a DCC layout so DCC control was needed. How would you use this non-DCC method?

 

As others have said, exactly the same as a DC controlled layout.   Its just wires to motors, back to switches. 

 

There are numerous ways to reduce the number of wires (by encoding the output of switches, and then decoding at the motors), but probably only worth doing if the layout is complicated and the number of wires starts to overwhelm things.    DCC Accessory Decoders are one such method, but its an expensive way to do it. 

 

In the section that is definitely staying, 5.

 

So, next question - what motors are being used ?  Or is that a decision not yet taken  ?

 

With five turnout motors, I would not be using DCC Accessory Decoders unless there was a very unusual reason.  

The wiring to control five motors is, at worst, 11 wires (two per motor plus a common wire) from the control panel switches to the layout.   For many cases it can be fewer, perhaps as few as 6 (one per motor, plus a common wire).   

 

 

If the panel is away from the layout,  to keep wiring tidy from panel to layout, I'd use standard computer connector leads, such as a Serial Lead, and a break-out connector to hook up the wiring in panel and layout.  Such as:

Cable:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/C2G-IEEE-1284-Parallel-Printer-Extension/dp/B002DEM0E0/

 

Example breakout board (note need appropriate male/female versions to match ends of cable)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SIENOC-Breakout-Terminals-Connectors-Terminal/dp/B01NCISZPM/

 

 

With connectors at those prices, soldering up ones own multi-way connectors is a questionable efficiency.