PaulT

Merg CBus has been proven on several larger layouts than this one.

The room is now fully in use and the existing parts of Dartmouth erected temporarily on their Workzone trestles which will probably be the exhibition supports. The station boards are to the left and Olton bridge is just visible at back right. The fiddle yard is also there on the floor to the right of Olton Bridge, but hidden by clutter in this piccy. The 2M gap between station boards and Olton Bridge will be occupied by 2 baseboards with rural scenery and 1:80 gradients to link the shown sections of the layout I am off to Ikea today to buy some of their Ivar shelving units which will be used as the permanent home based support and enable clutter seen here to be stored properly. They will be set to the rear so access to underside of baseboards at the front where track, servos etc are located will be OK. When Highbridge moved home and needed new supports some of these were used successfully. The tracks height will be around 1350mm or 53" in old money. I like high baseboards for adult viewing and easier access beneath. This will also be my preferred exhibiting height although the Workzone trestles allow lower settings if Exhibition Managers prefer that for smaller viewers.

You need to specify they are fro use with a semiconductor laser. Many on the market are for CO2 lasers and will give you negilgible protection as the wavelengths are so different between the two machine families

I have mentioned elsewhere that I have started building this exhibition layout. It is based on the little known true history of early South Devon Railways. This summer there was a thread here seeking advice for an overbridge conundrum which generated lots of helpful ideas . Some of you may have seen parts of it ( Olton Bridge) at Scalefour North a couple of years ago and with some added MG track at Scaleforum (Aylesbury) in 2015. This year at Scaleforum you could have seen a few station baseboards with contractor's track laid in and trains running for the first time ever over the Olton Bridge model. Progress was slowed by a house move but a new extension is nearing completion and will house the layout soon. In just a few weeks time it will be erected in its normal home location so work will accelerate greatly. Here is a piccy of the room last weekend with plaster drying out. The layout will run the full length of the room along the back wall illustrated = 8.25M or around 25 ft if you insist. 3 of the 5 station baseboards are built together with Olton Bridge with some of the MPD approach trackwork (transverse sleepered MG). The first MG baulk road turnout is complete on its laser cut baulks and was the only bit of permanent way shewn in Aylesbury this year. The contractor's track will now be relaid as permanent way and the station throat extended onto the two country baseboards to meet Olton Bridge and ultimately the rotating/traverser fiddle yard which is built to the proof of concept stage. This will be fully automated to minimise the need for a fiddle yard operator. This is expected to be the first BG layout exhibited that uses Merg electronics ( CBus) and DCC by Roco. I plan to report on progress here from time to time and, once the boards are erected, will post a few more piccies.

I doubt it as the business is up for sale. The BG track was often mixed gauge, turnouts vary a great deal and standards changed through the life of the baulk road track. This will not be viable commercially for a very small market. However the Broad Gauge Society has plans in this direction to provide a custom build service to members....watch this space. Mike you have chosen to use hardwood baulks and softwood packing strips. This is the wrong way round. The baulks were Canadian pine = good quality softwood but Brunel found they indented with the pressure on the rail so added hard wood packing strips which also provided cant to the bridge rail as they were tapered.

Reset required on the Z21 router or home base ?

Thats because the safety critical systems are designed using real time control operating systems where the designer controls priorities. This is why RaspberryPi and Microbits introductions in schools are so much more important than pupils learning Office etc.

I didn't like the price that HPC charge to tart up the basic K40 machine, as I reckoned I could do what was needed. In any case during this Spring they discontinued their cheapest model so I bought at 1/3 the price they now offer. My K40 came from bgadepot on Ebay at £640 including delivery to UK, duty was < £20 It is very good value as it includes enhancements that other bods had to do as aftersales, viz, air assist, redspot focus aid, interlocks on lid and no water supply. The X and Y axis slides, belts and pulley system are better than average. See below for Z axis comments., The controller card is latest version, called M2. This does lock me into using Corel Draw 11 as supplied under Win XP or other versions up to CD X5 which I bought cheaply. This works perfectly under Win7 with the supplied dongle and "Corel-Laser " software to drive the laser and adequately under Win10 on another machine , not tried cutting with that.. In Win10 the minor problem with invisible menu bar is well written up and work arounds provided. Many users of the earlier cheap versions of the K40 have gone through hoops upgrading the driver board for Mach3 etc. I don't see the need for that...yet! I also have CD X7 but this is NOT compatible. I had to set up the mirrors alignment but that is only a day's work. The weakest part is that the table Z-axis leadscrews are a bit basic so stiff to adjust, If I find I am using that a lot I will modify these 4 corner rise and fall leadscrews and may even add stepper to Z axis. The other mods I expect to consider will be: Improved air/smoke extract...plenty of advice available on easy improvements on Yahoo group. Cutting a slot in front of casing to allow longer bits of wood to "pass-through" . As supplied the largest work piece is 330 x 220mm. The internal layout shows this mod is feasible although it will limit focus range for such long work pieces. I only want 10mm range out of the 75 available for A4 sheets. I am still learning how to optimise speed, passes and power settings for various materials, currently using 3/16" bass wood, 3mm ply and mdf. Much advice out there quotes x mA power levels; mine is calibrated in % of Maximum but I can't relate that to mA value...does anyone know?

Simond asked me to appear here. I have just bought a Chinese 40w CO2 laser after carefully researching the many clones on offer. The history of these machines is very chequered so my eyes were wide open when I dived in. I think mine is good wrt hardware, it came working and with several of the recommended enhancements at a sensible price. Sorting software has been harder than setting up the hardware but I reckon I am nearly there. Test engraves and cuts have looked promising so I have started on my first proper job which is cutting 3/16" Bass wood sheet to make baulk roads for complex mixed gauge turnouts. I got cut thru' with 2 passes but several issues are needing attention as I learn to optimise settings and get correct scaling through the software. When I am there I will post pix and settings. Thanks to Giles for his brick bog files. Once I have cracked my baulks' settings I will have a pop ( should that be poop?) at one of his. My second job for the machine is lots of buildings.......

Is this due to focussing plane of laser being at top or bottom of the wood? Does Emblazer allow you to adjust focus to say middle of the wood or top so design size is at top and bottom tapers to a bit narrower or wider? A Co2 machine certainly allows this adjustment. The low power required you to use 5 passes for 3/16" basswood or 7 for 1'4". Is the reregistration good for this? A quick look at the kerf after so many passes and compare it to the single thin "scortch-scratch" from first passwould be interesting. I am just at the beginning of learning cutting 3/16" basswood with a 40watt Co2 engine and got through with 2 passes on first trial, may need only one when settings optimised ???. I don't mention this to criticise the emblaser but wonder if the many passes required can give the same accuracy and what about wear and tear on the mechanicals? I am attracted to the Emblazer1/2 as its footprint is so much smaller than an A4 40w CO2 laser machine.

AA7 please

If you need very regular cobbles these look good. I would prefer them to be slightly irregular so random in size, spacing and alignment although within quite tight limits. Is there a way of doing that with software and laser cutter?

True for the 3w version, but in the forum bods say with the 4w laser it can cut 2mm acrylic ok

I have asked DCC Concepts re this and had no response in some weeks.

I am advised that it is probably rolled, not extruded. Fair comment, and that may be a bottom line whether it is dies or rollers.. However as existing UK suppliers allegedly use the same manufacturer I have, in recent months, encouraged them to get together. All gave a positive response to the idea initially and I await feedback. I don't know if DCC Concepts have there own die or are getting it made by the same factory in UK. I don't know if stainless steel would go through the same tooling, I hope NOT as it might wear the tool faster than the N/S and mild steel. As i have had good communication from DCC Concepts before I am surprised at being ignored, especially as I asked about UK stockist so I can buy and try some.

I did email DCC Concepts asking about the rail profile and after 2.5 weeks.....no response. Perhaps they are on holiday or don't know the answer.

I have started a crusade recently to encourage 4mm code 75 NS rail suppliers known to me ( C&L, EMGS, S4Socy) to get their common supplier to replace the rollers/die or whatever forms the section. Stock sold in recent several years has the wrong head profile and looks like well-worn rail. I suspect, but have not proved, that it reduces running reliability too since the wheel coning and rounded rail head gauge corner act as two parts of a system. I wonder if DCC Concepts' stainless steel rail has the correct section?? If so I will buy some and give it a try.

Broad Gauge Society sell 4mm and 7mm bogie kits for Dean 6'4" and 4mm for 8'6" version. Both can be built standard gauge or with extra bits in Broad Gauge. Castings included are mostly white metal but as stock expires they are being upgraded to lost wax. www.broadgauge.org.uk Dart Castings have recently introduced an etch for the 6'4" BG using Mike Trice style torsion suspension. It is on their website but not yet in printed catalogue. Castings would need to be sourced elsewhere, eg BGS Paul Townsend (4mm Sales Assistant to BGS)

Of the ex K's Milestones, BGS only took the BG Rover from IKB. I can't tell you who has the rest. If you email me at 4mm_scale@broadgauge.org.uk I will give you an email address for Kay Butler ( was IKB models) who may be able to tell you more. Paul Townsend (4mm trade assistant to BGS)

No, but I have looked at 10 and they either quote 2 or 3mm thick or unspecified thickness. It would help if you could identify the 0.3mm one

Surely they are only a seller? Following your link to UKmodelshops shows their web address as an ebay shop which doesn't exist anyway!

www.broadgauge.org.uk

I am aware of three 4mm scale kits for BG Tilts. Mike Sharman did a white metal one in 1970s. BGS had a white metal kit in the 80s BGS bought the etched IKB kit referred to above and it is currently available via BGS website in 4 and 7mm. Neither of the white metal versions are currently on sale but all produce quite different models. Tilts evolved!