A Tortoise for a 2 position semaphore is no big deal, but getting it aligned for a 3 positioon indication.. it's a no-brainer with a servo system, at least with a controller designed for them so it has 3 stops instead of 2. You just adjust until it looks right and lock that as the set point, and the controller with faithfully adjust the servo each and every time. Plus you can do things like simulate the blade bounce when the arm drops.
I suggest ordering just one and playing around with it a bit. That's what I did witht he first one I got, an older version. I had a few technical questions, which Duncan promptly answered. Then I bought a whole bunch of them for my previous layout. I'm off in a different direction now, possibly making my own with Arduinos, but for someone who doesn't want to learn Arduino and make it all DIY, I still recommend the Tam Valley products. Who knows, I may end up not super happy with what I come up with for Arduino and end up using something from Tam Valley as the controller but triggered by an Arduino or something. I can already think of how I could use the Micro Singlet to drive the servo but have the Arduino handle the fascia panel function (buttons go to the Arduino, not the Singlet) which would allow me to have a given turnout locked and unlocked only by the dispatcher. The possibilities are endless.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Hmm. A little more consideration is called for. At this point it seems to me that smails are a bit easier than servos, but they might be a virtual dead end if a modeller (me) wanted to move on to semaphore signalling; working with Tam Valley's goodies, essentially, requires building a knowledge base that may be more useful later.
Randy and others who've bravely attempted to address my galloping ignorance, I thank you. Time to put some beer on it!
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
The Singlet II is the one I used. It doesn;t have the "no buzz" but if you adjust the endpoints properly, there is no buzz, the make noise when the move and that's it. In the case of the Singlet II, nothing is really exposed - the whole circuit is also the fascia controller, so the circuit board screwed to the back of the fascia with holes drilled (they provide a template) for the LEDs and buttons. Screw goes in from the front, so it was no big deal adding them to a masonite fascia panel that was already screwed to the layout. On one side where I was going to have a penninsula, I temporaily screwed a pair of Singlets to a piece of carboard for a makeshift panel.
The Mico-Singlet, they will most definitely be no-buzz - the power to the servo is completely switched off, so unless they are moving, there is no noise whatsover. I would not put shrink wrap around the controller board, it will get too hot with no air flow whatsoever. Stuck upside down to the bottom of the layout near the servo it controls, or near the fascia, it will be fine. Nothing conductive that could damage the board falls up. If you have a large number in a small area, like a yard throat, you could put the boards all on a hinged panel that is held up with a hook and eye, so the boards are protected top and bottom when the panel is swung up, and you can undo the hook and swing it down to access the boards for any reason. I had something like that 2 layouts ago, my cirvuit breaker and distribution power strips for the DCC bus lines were on the board which flipped up to keep it out of the way and could be swung down for easy access to the terminal strips without working upside-down under the layout. But really I wouldnl;t worry about the open boards.Just don;t let them swing free by the wires.
The noise of a moving servo is almost entirely proportional to the speed you set them to move at - they can switch almost as fast as a solenoid, or move so slow they make a Tortoise looks fast, this is configurable on each Singlet. If you watched the video on the Micro Singlet - the level of noise from the servo is accurate, he didn;t cut the volume to make it sound quieter than it is. If you go to the Servos and Accessories page, there is also a video on the Micro Switch Machine which is the one that comes in the complete set of the Micro Singlet, and you cna again get an idea of how much noise the servo makes. That one is mounted on a piece of extruded foam, so that's about the worst possible test case since the foam resonates and amplifies sounds. A friend of mine used servos on his N scale layout after seeing mine, and he did the ultimate in simple mounting. Since he used a traditional plywood subroadbed, not nearly as thick as my extruded foam, he just used Gorilla Glue to stick the servo on its side under the hole for the throwbar and that was it, no fancy mounts or anything.
Randy, you've helped me in the past; I would be remiss if I ignored your advice now. I accordingly visited the Tam Valley website and did some learnanating.
Thoughts: the Switchright machine is out. It requires a 5vdc power supply and thus a secondary power bus, which isn't going to happen on my layout. That's the kind of thing I went DCC to avoid.
The micro singlet -- DCC power bus driven, of course -- is interesting, but I do have a few questions. One, do you find it inconvenient or troublesome to have the circuitry exposed? Worth stuffing the decoder in a dod of heatshrink to keep errant fingers out? Two, in your experience how 'buzz-free' are these critters? Buzzing tortoises do indeed drive me nuts.
And if I haven't said so already, thank you for the help!
Do take a look at the Tam Velly web site - the servos with brackets mount EXACTLY like a Tortoise, even work the same, the end result is a wire that wiggles side to sode that you put up through the hole in the throwbar, exactly like a Tortoise. And then screw the unit to the bottom of the layout, just like a Tortoise, except way smaller. They even come with something the Tortoise doesn't - doublde sided tape to hold it in place while you adjust the alignment, which holds everythign in place until you drive the screws in. You can do that with a Tortoise, just have to get your own double sided tape.
If you can mount a Tortoise, you can mount the servo. There are plenty of other wsys, just like there are more than the common way to mount Tortoises, but the 'standard' way works fine. There's really no wiring to consider, it all just plugs in, no soldering or even putting wires in screw terminals, just a single 3 wire cable between the servo and the control unit.
Unlimited funds, just buy the ready made ones that come complete with the servo and everything, cheaper than a Tortoise but only slightly. I buy the controller in kit form (which means I have to solder on 2 LEDs and 2 pushbuttons - the hard to solder surface mount stuff is already installed. For about 30 seconds work on each one I save $2. And I buy just the mounts, the servos I get on ebay at around $2 or less each depending on how many I get at a time. So some slight mechanical assembly required. But I'm a cheap PA Dutchman, so that approach appeals to me. But it's not necessary, since you CAN buy a ready to use version if you prefer.
fieryturbo If you haven't already bought tortoises, whatever you use with R/C servos is going to be astronomically cheaper. They are 1/10 the price of a tortoise or less.
If you haven't already bought tortoises, whatever you use with R/C servos is going to be astronomically cheaper. They are 1/10 the price of a tortoise or less.
A suggestion I appreciate, but I have more spare funds than I do willingness to screw with switch machines. Tortoises i know and understand; r/c servos i do not. Expediency currently outranks economy, thus smails make sense for me.
Still, thank you for the suggestion!
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
I have. Been using DS-64s and they are expensive! But I have this accidentally bought tortoise 12 pack ... and realistically if I run out if tortoises in my lifetime (I have 29 installed, 12 in a box and 1 broken) I will feel very achieved.
Anyway, DS-64 and yes, the SE8C is what I am on. Very reliable, unless you don't call before digging. Ruined a DS-64 and a tortoise due to a clear drill through.
I went the SMAIL route. SMAIL was the KISS application for me. DCC control plus pushbutton in one package. It also has the autoroute capability so that you can use a rail gap to trigger the SMAIl into action such as aligning the turnout if it is thrown the wrong way when you approach it. Had to get this last tidbit from Circutron tech support since it was not really documented. I am still uder construction but I plan to use the routes function od DCC heavily to navigate my layout (80 SMAIL controled turnouts).
I looed at the other options but SMAIL won for me.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
SouthPenn NCE makes some switch controllers that are both DCC and pushbutton. They are self contained and the only other item you would need to buy are the pushbuttons and some wire.
NCE makes some switch controllers that are both DCC and pushbutton. They are self contained and the only other item you would need to buy are the pushbuttons and some wire.
And the switch machine....
Another option is RC servos. For about $10 less (list price) you can get the Tam Valley Micro Singlet which has the controller, the pushbuttons, inidcator LEDs, the servo, and the servo mount.
You can do better with alternate ways of mounting the servo (don;t need to buy a special mount) and by getting the servos from ebay, they run about $2 each or so. Just need the electronics from Tam Valley to drive them. Hard to beat for the price when you realize you get the DCC decoder, local control pushbuttons, and LED indicators all in there together, nothing extra to buy.
I DID program mine with DCC addresses, but I much prefer using the fascia buttons for ease of use when running by myself. Having them all DCC controlled is great when there's a dispatcher to operate them all, the process to go between switch mode and train running on the throttle is awkward at best on every brand of DCC.
Has anyone here played with Circuitron's Smail switch machines? Is there any advantage -- besides simplicity -- to using them rather than the tortoise/hare combination for DCC control?
I like the idea of both pushbutton and DCC switch machine control. Worth the extra wiring or just stick to DCC and the KISS principle? Oh, decisions, decisions...