ANE slow motion turnout control

[ET2000]

Are there any users with experience of the ANE turnout control?

 I have  just purchased a set as the cost of the kit of 4 units with decoder and smart frog switching is better than tortoise units and Wabbits or Hares. (in the UK)

I would be  interested in any user experience.

 

[ET2000]

I guess by the rush of replies() that no one uses them. (wonder why)

 Maybe I will post my experience once the first stage of my track is up and running

[Paul3]

I've never heard of them, so I had to Google it. I dug around their website (www.anemodel.com), and if you want DCC control and frog power, you need the:

(A004) SmartSwitch™ DCC + SmartFrog set 
1. (1) SmartSwitch™ control chip
2. (4) SmartSwitch™ servo
3. (4) Servo mount
4. (8) Φ3.5 x 10mm Wood Screw (For securing servo mount)
5. (16) Φ2.6 x 15mm Wood Screw (For securing SmartSwitchTM, SmartFrogTM& SmartSwitch stationary decoder)
6. (4) Φ3 x 20mm Pan Head Machine Screw.
7. (4) Hex nut
8. (4) Φ0.6 x 100mm control wire
9. (2) 500mm long extension wire
10. (2) 1000mm long extension wire
11. (4) SPST 2 pin toggle switch
12. (1) SmartSwitch™Smarty decoder
13. (4) SmartFrog™ power routing board
14. (16) 5mm plastic spacer (For securing SmartSwitch™, SmartFrog™ & Stationary decoder)
15. (1) User manual
Total: $149.99 MSRP

An equivalent system with Tortoise w/ Wabbits or Hares would be:
2 x Wabbit Tortoise dual combos from Tony's at $74.85 ea. = $149.70 MSRP
4 x Hare I & Tortoise combos at $48.90 ea. = $195.60 MSRP
4 x Hare II & Tortoise combos at $53.90 ea. = $215.60 MSRP
(plus cost of toggles)

Or, one could buy something like the DS44:
1 x DS44 = $31.95 MSRP
4 x Tortoise machines at $18.95 = $75.80
Total: $107.75 (plus cost of DPDT toggles).

Personally, I prefer the DS44, which is much less expensive and pretty easy to set up (I've done two of them at my club).  Sorry I can't really help you with the ANE's.

Paul A. Cutler III
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Weather Or No Go New Haven
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[Edmunds]

Hello, I'am looking for how to buy ANE tunrout control, since I need servo control with adjustable speed and this seems to be the only system I can find with that function. Their website crashes on pressing Check-out :) and there is no contact us link of any kind. ET200 - you bought it in the UK, was it an online store? Anybody - are we aware of anything else on the market for DCC servo control with adjustable servo speed? Thank you in advance, /Edmunds

[ET2000]

my last set was bought from the US from Walthers.

My ANE contact address is: [e-mail] if that helps.

 

[Allegheny2-6-6-6]

 I'm one of those guys who is always searching for something new/better/cheaper especially when it comes to model railroading. I kind of liked the ANE product but was concerned with serviceability IE: parts and warranty etc. It seems like you can buy Tortoise any where and if your a cheapskate aka frugal as all heck like me you can buy Tortoises at reasonable a price. What also kept me staying with Tortoise is the fact of keeping everything the same. If by chance one of my Tortoise took a dump on me I have a spare one all set up in my work shop. so a swap out would be clean and simple and then figure out what was wrong with he one that dumped and repair it if possible. This stoke of genius on my part was strictly accidental on my part as I had one left over. So far knock on wood I haven't had a single problem with any of my Tortoise so why fix what aint broke.

[rrinker]

 There's always the Tam Valley product, same thing, DCC stationary decoder for 4 turnouts plus fascia controls (with indicator lights) and the servers, $103.95 MSRP. Servos are standard and you can get them plus insane variations of moutings and linkages for tight spots at any hobby shop with an RC Plane department - and you might be able to get a better deal on the servos and just buy the controller from Tam Valley. The controlle has frog polarity relays, so your frogs get powered, and it has fascia mounted pushbuttons for manual control, with LEDs for indication. Versions are available with and without the fascia buttons and frog realys shoudl you not need those features. The schematic of the board as well as the source code for the microcontroller is freely offered on their web site, so not much danger in obsolesence. For single turnouts he also has a controller option that, with the servo, sells for the same as the MSRP of a Tortoise.

 I've always been a big Tortoise fan, but outside of the few resellers who will sell single units at the large quanity discount, they are gettign rather expensive. And while you can certainly fabricate all sorts of linkages to work with tight spots, a servo is both smaller and cheaper, and you have the advantage of being able to get all sorts of pre-made links and bits from the airplane section of the hobby shop. Now that it is cost-effective to make servo controllers, it's definitely worth it to look in that direction - servos benefit from an economy of scale factor that Tortoise just won't ever have - all the various RC hobbies use servos, so the production quantities far outstrip any individual model railroad ite, especially when only a fraction of the total model railroad market actually use Tortoises.

                                            --Randy