Has anyone cracked opened one of these Faller Diverge Route Switch devices to look inside? How do they work at getting certain vehicles to turn or go straight? I can find images and videos of the device's installation, but not the device's internals or explanations of the science of how it works.
fal161677.jpg (300×300) (hobbylinc.com)
Background:
I'm trying to design something similar to the Faller Car system. The difference is that my vehicle magnet can't touch the pavement, in order to minimise friction. Instead, I'm thinking of leaving a small gap between the magnet and the road surface. Instead of using the Faller road wire, I am considering winding many tiny electromagnet coils whose electric current will activate to pull the vehicle along a path. The reason is that my vehicles won't have power onboard.
But I was wondering how that Faller diverge route switch works just in case there's a better idea than mine.
My understanding of the 'wire following' Faller system is that there is a small electromagnet coil that preferentially 'jumps' the vehicle steering in the direction the car is to follow, and it will pick up the 'correct' wire as it continues to move forward.
You would NOT want the equivalent of a LIM under your runway -- there's no real technological reason for it, and you'd go blind wiring or buying the coils or the equipment to wind them. The system is only smooth at elevated speed with reasonable inertia in the driven vehicle ... you don't have either.