I was confused when I first started working with the ACM and have written some documentation about wiring and relays.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzyv80yieb9yp69/ACM%20Details.pdf?dl=0
Let me know if there are questions and I will try to answer them.
That said, my current problem is setting it to 'home', or the equivalent to track 00 on the blue control box. I am using JMRI if that matters.
Thanks, Bill
Thank you for the response Randy. I had fitted the turntable with the usual DPDT switch for the bridge track hoping that would work. Easy enough to fit another autoreverser especially since I have also decided the yard should have at least one seperate zone. Yes I am less than thrilled with the mechanism part of the turntable but it does work though it is notchy and sounds more like a cement mixer than a real turntable. I spent an inordinant amount of time on the thing and I'm loathe to just walk away from it. Worst case since I did fit the turntable, round house and back shop at the front edge of the layout I can just fit the auto reverser and use the "hand of God" to move it once the drive eats itself. Funny the knots we can tie ourselves up with for a relaxing hobby...........
You can't automate it with this stuff, the built up Walthers turntables that have automated controls are completely different from the kits. The electronics and the motor drive are all in the turntable bridge. They really shouldn't have called the second version "DCC" - all they mean is that you can program it to be operated via DCC, both versions upport using DCC as the track power.
The old kit - I think that has slip rings to power the bridge. You need an autoreverser to feed the bridge track so you don't get a short when turning a loco 180 degrees. There's a motorizing kit but it does not have indexing or any of that. And retrofitting it to use one of the various commercial index drive systems - you're better off just buying a whole new turntable.
My personal feeling is that something as eye catching and a focus point like a turntable ought to be near the front of the layout, not shoved off in the back, and all this fancy electronic indexing just isn't needed when the turntable is up close. A simple motor drive and a momentary switch are plenty, just line it up by eye. SLightly biased, I suppose. We have 2 turntables on the club layout. One is an older one, not Walthers, but it has a simple motor drive and is run by an old DC walkaround throttle stuck to the fascia with velcro. That oen ALWAYS works. ANd we have one of the original Walthers built up ones, the pre-DCC version, witht he control box and all. No matter how carefully things get cleaned out, it has never really worked. Someone did say that whoever installed it screwed up the measurements and the space wasn't cut out quite big enough, maybe that's the case. But it doesn't even power up, even after careful cleaning of all the contacts. The controller lights up, but any attempts to rotate the bridge do nothing. The engine temrinal module also has the transfer table - that one at least TRIES to move, but seems to bind - there I believe that the hole was cut a shade too small and it's warping the base a little, causing the bridge to jam. But at least it does respond to the control box.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I've been following this the last few days and have probably a stupid question. I have an older 90' Walthers turntable from a kit which I will assume is not DCC friendly. Is there a way to make it so, and if I can do that, is there a way to add the advanced control? As it stands now, my turntable bridge is non operable as it lights the short indicator on the power distributor (PSX4). Where do I start?
J.R.
No, it's a series of instructions. Do step 8, then step 9. With the bridge manually moved to a non-position (step 8) the display would show -- instead of a position number. Step 9 then says to Throw the DCC switch address you want to use for reversing - therefore it is a continuation of the process.
Thx Henry
I think 9) is a stand alone instruction without 8) required beforehand.
I've programmed the reverse postion function by just executing 9) with the bridge anywhere, programmed or not. I'm pretty sure from playing around with it that 8) is not a pre-requisite for 9) to work because the first time I programmed the reverse function I didn't move it to an unprogrammed location and it still programmed the reverse function just fine, but it's possible I suppose. Doing 8) then 9) does program the reverse function, I just tried it, but it also will accept the reverse position program command with the bridge at a programmed position....so seems inconclusive
I agree with Randy, it's like there is an instruction missing. I think i'll try Walthers support and see what they say.
thanks guys
Ed.
Well that makes sense. Step 8, then Step 9.
Ed A instruction #8 states (my comments in italics) To program the Turn function, use the manual rotation controls (I'm assuming they are talking about those on the blue control box?) to move the bridge to any unprogrammed location. but what do you do then?, or am I missing something here?
It looks to me this to program reverse into the TT
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Sounds like something is missing - next page, back of page? That's like the first step in the process, for whatever reason the bridge can't be at an already programmed stop when setting this up, but there has to be something else after you've moved the bridge to some unprogrammed location.
Good information Randy. I've just installed the 130' version of this with the ACM and your instructions worked first time with my Digitrax system.
My only hitch is getting the Turn function programmed into my Digitrax system. The instructions are a little breif on just want has to happen to program this funtion.
instruction #8 states (my comments in italics)
To program the Turn function, use the manual rotation controls (I'm assuming they are talking about those on the blue control box?) to move the bridge to any unprogrammed location.
but what do you do then?, or am I missing something here?
thanks in advance. I might add that the turntable has performed flawlessely so far in the week or so I've had it up and running.
I too have mine working as aquarius describes. However, not before I sent the ACM to Walthers for a firmware update. There was a glitch in a bunch of them that Walther's fixes. Works without fail now, properly activating the appropriate relay for the stall selected. That's with 24 stalls.
Hi Mel,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you - had a very bad tear to my rotator cuff, surgery and recuperation. I'm just now getting back to my train. Did you get your setup to work? Mine works - I have the 12 volt relay switch board and the ACM working together with the original Walthers controller. When the turntable arrives at each of my storage tracks, the relay clicks and power goes to the tracks. I can't get the numberpad to work yet, but I'm pleased with my progress. Let me know how your status is and I'll be glad to go step-by-step through what I did to get it to work.
Eric
well just got back rom my buddy,s place and he has the same exact setup that i do as far as digitrax system and turntable and a acm board, while i was there i programmed his acm with no problems what so ever, so unhooked his board and hooked my acm and nothing, easy with his and would even accept any decoder packets at all, what at least i am relieved it,s not me , but the board, but the funny thing is this is my second board, so not sure what itt is, now time to get ahold of walthers
yes randy, i have everything connected as per manual and as you said i should , i have done everything the manual says to do, step by step, with manual beside me as doing it, not sure if it is a digitrax issue or not, i am going to a buddy,s place on sunday and see if it works on his layout, just heard back from walthers and are working on issue they say, and might issue me a return auth, so we will keep trying to figure it out , just a long time to hear and talk to people at walthers, maybe real busy this time of year maybe , spent alot of money buying all this turntable and extra boards to not work ffor me .
thanks Paul
DO you have the cord between the ACM and the control box?
Are you doing the steps on the throttle in the order exactly as I listed it?
well i have turntable service tracks installed and programmed them all with standard controller, still cannot get nthe acm to repond, i have the telco cord connected from stanard box to turntable, also have track buss connected to acm , i have position the bridge to a programmed track in the learn mode and hit the throw switch to an address and moved to another position and did it again to another position then moved to another position and set it to the dcc position and tried it and nothing, it doesn,t even jog the bridge when hit the switch command when in the learn mode ike it is suppose to do, wow, racking my head up against the wall on this one, read the instructon so many times i know it off by heart,help anyone?
Do you have the DCC track bus connected to the terminals marked DCC Signal Input on the ACM? Without this, it will never see any DCC commands.
Do you have tracks programmed in the standard controller? You must have track positions programmed in the regular controller before the ACM can do anything.
If you have that all set so far, put the jumper on the LEARN position, and select a track. Wait for the table to stop at the selected track. Press Switch, and pick a number to use for that track. Then press the T button. Put the jumper on the DCC Enable position. Select some other track. The hit the Switch button, select the address you used previously, and hit T - it should move to that position.
not sure if anyone here has a digitrax system, but i am having a hard time try to get the acm to communicate with my system, i have tried everything in the manual , but even using the quick dcc check, i get nothing , turntable with standard control and programming works fine , but can,t get acm to grab any addresses is learn mode, i have connection to buss wires and telco connection to turntable and standard contoller , the acm must have power because it blinks a little bit , but doesn,t see dcc packets i think, can,t seem to get help from walthers too much, just tell me to read manual, i have a lot of electronic boards on layout, but htis one baffles me, thought maybe defective, but switch to aanother acm to try and still nothing , any help would be great, think i must be doing something wrong, but not sure what, it is suppose to be easy and its not.
thanks
Paul
If they really are 12V relays that need 12V to trigger the coil, then they will not work, as the ACM board will only put out 5V.
Eric, I just thought I would check back in and see if you had any luck. I'm a teacher and school just got out so I have some time to work on this. I have tried two 12 volt relays and each one is a little different but I can't get either one to work. Talk to you soon,
Mel
Mel, I just discovered that the 16 channel relay module I have is really a 12 volt. It has two 5 volt pins on the input header, but it takes a 12 volt power supply (which I now have). Please let me know how your relay work when you check it out this weekend. Hopefully, my SB5 will be back by then, it has been almost 5 weeks since I sent it to NCE.
Mel, like I said earlier, it would be so much easier if they provided instructions with these things. Even my Grandson, who builds his own computers doesn't know what to do with the relays. Granted, he is only 14, but does know his "techie" stuff and I thought I would be fine with him helping me, but not really. Guess it'll fall into place when I can try what I have, once I get my NCE power back from repair.
Their use dooes tend to be fairly obvious, plus they are intened for people building things with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. There's a reason you can get a 16 relay board for little more than what one of the relays alone should cost, let alone the additional driver circuitry that's included. And get the exact same circuit from dizens of suppliers - it's mostly open source hardware. Yes, there is an electronic hardware equivalent of open source software. The Arduino itself is an example. A 'real' one from the actual Arduino people will cost you $30 or more. But you can buy them on eBay and Amazon for like $5. They aren't legally allowed to put the Arduino logo on, and in most cases they don't, and even make up slightly different names for them, or at least advertise as "Arduino compatible" - it's the same Atmel microcontroller, and the schematic is typically exactly the same - that's the open source hardware, the schematic is freely published and anyone can copy it and build the same circuit. The name Arduino and the logo are copywrite/trademarked but the design of the circuit is not. Such is the relay modules as well. I have single relay modules from at least two different vendors but they are functionally identical. I found a schematic because i was just going to make my own, the schematic matches my modules but it is not from the same factory as any of my modules. And I also gave up because I can't buy the parts for what the ready to use modules cost. My only problem is my design really needs DPDT relays, not SPDT, and it's much harder to find these modules with DPDT relays. I Could just double them up and trigger 2 with each output, STILL cheaper than buying my own DPDT relays and building the driver circuits and instead just use twice as many of the SPDT modules. In a way, that's kind of sad, but it goes to show just how cheap it is to make things in China.
It would be so much easier if they would include instructions with these things. That's been a major problem - either no instructions on instructions that really could be written with non-electrical engineers in mind. I've gone searching on Google and You Tube for anything that would help. I found something on "Instructables" (via Google)that has the question, "How do you use this relay module?" and it applies to the 16 channel module I have. I know the answers are in English, but not good old plain English, so I keep looking. Your advice is the best I've had, Randy! It's clear and understandable.
Probbaly need to connect the power supply + to BOTH +5 pins, and the power supply - to BOTH GND pins. Internally it's probably split in half so that a given pair of +5 and GND pins only powers half the relays. Need to see th isntructions for the relay module to verify that. And you will want a wire from the relay module GND to the ACM GND.
Gentlemen, your info so far has been great. Unfortunately, I beleive I have the wrong relay module. I went to Fry's Electronics and they looked at me like I was ordering a pizza. So no joy today. I'm going online to order a new one based on some of the things you mentioned. I'll experiement with the old one but otherwise it wiil a while until I know. Trust me, I'll be back soon. Thanks again.
On the 16 realy module I now have, there's a "power post" that takes two wires. Also, on the input header, I have two 5 volt pins on the left, the 16 input pins for the relays and two GND pins on the right. I'm assuming (there's that word again) that I would connect my wall wart 5 volt power leads to a 5v pin and a GND pin on the input header - does that sound correct?