pctrainman

Go yopurself and your site you Brain dead Moronic fool .

This is no Conspiracy , so I will move along nowhere , I am supposed to live in a Democracy and you should not need to be reminded of that .

No Poltics and less opinion ? oh excuse me I thought I was on a model rail forum but it seems like i've landed in a fantasy world where the facts of life count for nothing .

If size were not an issue I would have gone for OO as increasing age and a series of mini strokes would have made things easier for me to handle but size was a dominating issue and still is but I I have somehow managed to build a 5 Foot X 3 foot 6 inch layout that is fully computer controlled in N with no help other than online advice , yes some things were difficult and some things such as the MSE Semaphores were near impossible but I got there in the end , to be honest the hardest thing of all was the computer control side of things and that part still needs a lot more refining , so if you want things to be relatively easy and have the space I would so go OO but in my case where the layouts overall size size was very important I have no regrets about choosing N .

That's very kind of you sir , I will bear it in mind if I run into problems with TP , thank you again .

Thank you Frederick, it was that aspect I was looking for opinions on and you've answered it nicely , i'm trying to simplify things as much as I can as a Stroke means that multi tasking is increasingly difficult for me and I still have masses of TC configurations to do so an integrated solution should help .

Hi , Have TC V9 Gold a Lenz system and Railcom via DCC4PC and I also have a sprog2 and JMRI on a PC but was wondering if anyone who uses TC also uses Train Programmer and whether they think the investment is worth it , i'm hoping i've put this in the right place as I was not sure whether to post it under computer control ?.

Hi Edwin , have you thought about using Railcom with TC ? it's what I do on my Lenz system .

I use a Lenz system with DCC4PC railcom readers in conjunction with traincontroller gold where I have to enable the TAMS RC link for the system to work , i'm unsure if i'm correct but I think that full railcom use is going to need some form of pc control ie Traincontroller iTRAIN JMRI etc

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

Will the 2 Cobalts attached to the first 2 ouputs handle 18 Volts .

That would be ok Suzie if the LS 100 supplied me with 18 volts which is what I need to uncouple reliably ,I have 2 spare outputs on an LS 100 and I intend to use their 12 volt output but via a relay so that I can supply the uncouplers with 18 volts from a seperate PSU .I have umpteen spare PSU's ranging from 3 to 24 volts and experimentation with different voltages led me to 18 , 12 is not enough and 24 is way too much .

Hi , the jumper is marked from bottom to top as you have your diagram orientated ie yellow yellow black+white ,VCC VCC GND with GND being the black/white pin , just alongside the adjacent mounting hole it is marked JD which is a mystery to me but may mean something to you .I do remember on a similar board that I looked at it stated that it could be triggered high or low ie 5 Volts or 12 Volts and on that board the jumper was to select which voltage you wanted , but I don't know if the same applies here .

Can I just check on the connections on the relay board ( which I now have with me) as they don't match the no nc c as shown on your diagram , the link to the 2 relay board is here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-or-12V-1-2-4-8-16-Channel-Relay-Module-Arduino-Raspberry-PI-ARM-AVR-DSP-PIC/262722739443?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D48421%26meid%3Dfeb92bcc7d8a46f58dc3e6c3376f9a4c%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D263325353764%26itm%3D262722739443&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

I had already done some experimentation with voltages and currents concerning the uncouplers and had arrived at the conclusion that 18 volts DC was the best choice , they draw a tad under 1 Amp and as they will never be used simultaneously 1 amp should be the maximum draw .I should be able to tell which terminal on the LA 010's is Negative as my multimeter will tell me if I have the connections reversed .I have popped the casing cover off an LS100 and there is definately a Diode in there so i'm thinking Lenz have done their usual thing in making them almost bullet proof .The relay units are quite cheap so I think i'll order one and give it a try .

I've done this one , and not once but twice .

, yes you've grasped it very well , the only thing I should have said earlier but forgot was that the pulse length is adjustable up to a maximum of 15 seconds and can also be set as continous , bearing in mind that the LS100 pulse will be fired by a command from an automated train and layout control software package known as Traincontroller Gold I fully expect to have to do some tinkering to arrive at a suitable pulse length and the speed of the relays will not be that important .

I could'nt unlink so i'm continuing here ,I wish to control or rather supply the uncouplers with the 18 volts DC from the PSU but energise them for 3 seconds from the adjustable pulse length output ( 2) of a Lenz LS100 4 output DCC accessory decoder which delivers 12 Volts DC on all outputs , trying to put it more simply I want to use 2 relays which are switched on and off by the 3 second 12 volt output from the LS 100 to supply 18 volts DC from the PSU to whichever uncoupler I choose .My layout although not large has a lot of electronics and I have heard that EMF from the uncouplers can interfere with said electronics so I decided that I would prefer if I can to use some form of Isolation to guard against EMF , here is the link to the 2 relay board that i'm trying to establish is suitable or not ,and lastly I do not want or intend to use Arduinos in any way but if the linked relay board is suitable I will require advice on wiring it to the uncouplers and LS 100 , I should in conclusion mention that LS100's come from the factory with 3 wire outputs for solenoid switch machines but can be converted to 2 wire output by adaptors known as LA 010's and all my LS'100's have these adaptors fitted .https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-or-12V-1-2-4-8-16-Channel-Relay-Module-Arduino-Raspberry-PI-ARM-AVR-DSP-PIC/262722739443?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D48421%26meid%3Dfeb92bcc7d8a46f58dc3e6c3376f9a4c%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D263325353764%26itm%3D262722739443&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Hi to you both , I think it may be best if I run through what I am trying to achieve again as you don't have all the info you need from this page alone .I have 2 Seep/Gaugemaster electromagnetic uncouplers located in the trackwork of a sidings , these have been found to operate best with a supply of 18 Volts DC although they can handle up to 24 Volts AC or DC, link to website http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=GMC-EM1&style=main&strType=&Mcode=Gaugemaster+EM1

Hi , I am moving this part of my post to here from computer control ( special interests) as I think it may gain a larger audience here , if you want to pickup the original post it is under computer control ( automated Uncouplers) .Thanks Gordon , your comment led me to looking on ebay and I found quite a few relays that may be suitable but one type in particular drew my interest , these are described as Opto Isolated and are mainly intended for use with Arduinos.I have found a dual relay one that can handle the LS100's 12 volt output and also the 18 volts from the uncouplers PSU and it also has diodes on board .My knowledge of electronics and Arduinos is very limited but I think that it may be possile to send the LS100's output signal to 2 of the 4 pins intended for arduino connection ( but I don't know which 2) and connect the uncouplers red and black wires to the screw terminals and also the 18 volts from the psu, but as there are 3 screw teminals i'm unsure how to wire it .https://www.ebay.co....S8AAOSwmphaO9bk

Thanks Gordon , your comment led me to looking on ebay and I found quite a few relays that may be suitable but one type in particular drew my interest , these are described as Opto Isolated and are mainly intended for use with Arduinos.I have found a dual outlet one that can handle the LS100's 12 volt output and also the 18 volts from the uncouplers PSU and it also has diodes on board .My knowledge of electronics and Arduinos is very limited but I think that it may be possile to send the LS100's output signal to 2 of the 4 pins intended for arduino connection ( but I don't know which 2) and connect the uncouplers red and black wires to the screw terminals, but as there are 3 screw teminals i'm unsure how to wire it for 2 wires .https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Channel-Relay-Board-Module-Opto-isolated-for-Raspberry-Pi-PIC-ARM-Arduino/142632246165?hash=item21358b5b95:g:JS8AAOSwmphaO9bk

I'm afraid I have to resurrect this thread , on doing a lot of research I now realise that the solution I was going to take is unsuitable for my needs as the DCC concepts decoder is not programmable to give an extended pulse , I need the uncouplers to be energised for around 3 seconds and I can do that via 2 spare outputs on a Lenz LS100 that at present only operates a double slip .My thinking is that I can use the LS100's 12 volt output to fire the uncouplers for the 3 seconds needed via a relay which is supplied with 18 volts DC and the 12 volts from the LS 100 as the signal and hence supply 18 volts to the uncouplers . I read somewhere that a Diode should be used to guard against EMF from the uncoupler but have no idea as to where the Diode should be inserted in the Wiring ie would it for instance be on one of the (2) 12 volt wires from the LS 100 ( one for each output) and which way around should it go ? , and lastly can anyone recommend a suitable relay that can handle at least 2 Amps ?.

It's only a thought and I could be completely wrong , but I thought Zimo provide solder pads for attaching stay alives ala Lenz Gold, hopefully someone with better knowledge than I can confirm this or consign it to the Bin .

Thank you both , I was unsure as to whether Bachman used locking compound but I now have my answer , I thought probably not as I could see no residue on the screws threads , you echo my thoughts regarding the rods possibly being slightly bent and I have done my best at the moment and until I get the nutrunner to make sure that they are'nt , i'll report back once i've tightened the screw properly , thanks again .

I have now measured the hex headed screw across the flats of the hex with a Vernier and it comes out at 2mm near as damnit , I have ordered a 2mm = 10 BA nut runner from expo so i'm hoping it will fit, but it still leaves me unsure as towhether I should use Loctite or not ?.