SwannertAny idea who makes one with the specs you mentioned.
The obvious answer is Kato themselves. They were designed to work together.
But I think I'd unscrew the metal plate that covers the bottom to see if there's something visibly wrong inside. I wouldn't try rewiring it on the advice of someone who hasn't actually used the Kato Double Crossover. Just make sure the wire levers are correctly aligned before you screw the plate back on or you'll be undoing it like I have (several times)!
Strength in diversity!
If your switch controller is capacitor discharge, you could increase the capacitance. Increasing the voltage to a capacitor discharge controller might not get you much improvement.
That is not your only option. but are these twin-coil motors. Sounds like that is what you are using. Simply increase the voltage. 18 volts will not hurt anything, neither will 24 as lonn as the contact is momentary. By increasing the vopltage you reduce the number of amps needed to do the work.
Out on the power pole our whole complex is protected by 3 100A fuses. Once the voltage is lowered to 110/220 we have thousands of amps at our disposal.
There always is more than one way to skin a cat, but do not let Callista know about this, she is already a fraidy cat.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
There are ways to rewire that turnout so only two switches are thrown at once, but it entails taking the switch apart and redoing it. There are How To's on the subject. I'm guessing You are in N-scale...if so Google Kato Double Crossover wiring and You will find all kinds of You-Tube videos on the subject.....If HO scale, do the same thing. I did not mention it, cause I was answering Your question that You posted. If You are capable of rewiring the turnout...that would be the way to go. I could never understand why someone would need to power/throw all at once anyway...You can only use one route at a time.
You Tube video and others on the right side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo203cH4R-s
Take Care!
Frank
thanks for the help. since there's only one actual lever to throw all 4 turnouts simultaniously, how would you wire the double crossover. I assume I'd have to get another Kato switch box and somehow splice the wire's coming from the crossover to both Kato boxes.
Do you have to run all four motors at once? LION says NO. They should be run in pairs, You should have three route options, not two.
1 = all normal
2 = Track 1 to Track 2 Southbound
3 = Track 1 to track 2 Northbound
You should NOT be able to align a collision at the X
Your signals then should clear the aligned route and STOP the other routes through the plant. This plant has four ways into it, only one should receive the lear signal at a time. On route of LION this crossover is ahead of the 242nd Street station, which is the end of the line. So him has tracks 1 and 2 in the station, and the north main leading into the station, and the south main leading away from the station.
LION follows prototypical interlocking plant design. Him moves pairs of switches with a single lever, but him must clear the signals with aditional levers.
Lever 1 allows northbound movement into track 1 or track 2.
Lever 2 allows southbound movement from track 1 or track 2.
Lever 3 clears the signal at Dyckman Street to allow northbound movement from that station into 242nd Street. Green over Green for track one and Yellow over Yellow for track 2 as determined by the positon of lever 1
Lever 4 clears movement from track one southbound if and only if lever 2 is aligned for that movement AND there is no train holding at Dyckman Street.
Lever 5 clears movement from track 2 southbound if levers 1 and 2 are aligned for this movement AND there is no train holding at Dyckman Street
There is an interlocking dog built into the lever frame that blocks levers one and two from being pulled at the same time.
LION likes the prototypical operation of the interlocking plant. And on the Route of the Broadway LION it is the only interface between operators and the trains, since the trains are operated by little itty bitty plastic peole in the cabs thereof.
You should be able to find a 12v, 2 amp wal-wart or a MRC power pack that has over a 20volt amp (20va) output.
Or get a Capacitor Discharge Unit to power all Your turnout switch machines.
Here is one brand of many others:
http://www.microminiatures.co.uk/acatalog/Capacitor-Discharge-Unit-CDU-for-Model-Railway-Points-Motors-CDU.html
The recommended requirement is 12v to 14v, with a minimum of 1.5 amps to throw all four machines in the turnout. 2 amps, would be better. If You are using a trainset power pack, most of them Do Not have that minimum and If You are using it to power other assc. also, it will take power away from that minimum.
Simply put....Your power packs You are using, do not have enough amperage to throw all four machines consistantly......
The powerpack should supply all the amperage that is reasonable for the voltage it supplies. If it's voltage upper limit is good, it may be the turnout's solenoid or actuator that's weak. It should draw what it needs.
Tried a different power pack and it worked for a little while, then started to miss-throw the turnouts again. Not sure if it's a power issue but I think I may need more AMPs on a power pack to activate the crossover correctly
Wow, good for you! I wasn't aware you were attempting to throw it electronically.
I am not familiar with this turnout, but I did google it for a view. I would invert it and study the motion. Figure out if it's just typical pre-ballasted track sloppiness in the turnout mechanism at work, and I've experienced it on EZ-Track in the past as well, or if there is actually an impediment to the full engineered travel of the actuator plastic lever in its slot.
Does it come up hard against the end of the slot? Is there room left, but the lever stops before the points lie tightly against the stock rails?
It could be sloppy hinges/pins, it could be plastic flashing under the mechanism that binds the levers/rods, maybe even a bent rod...although that seems unlikely.
My Kato double crossover is not throwing all the turnouts correctly. One or sometimes two of the turnouts don't throw all the way over when I activate the crossover. The plastic slide on the sides are not moving all the way, preventing the bars from being completely thrown. Is there something I can use to help the plastic bar on the side from throwing all the way??