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Double Bubble

Started by AllWight, Mar 12 2012 17:33

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AllWight

Hi All

I Have got the power coach operational on Radio Control and the interior lighting for this coach is also working. The other dummy coach needs the interior lighting to be connected up. The directional lighting needs to be sorted out on both driving cab ends. Has anyone here ever used a radio control switch device as I am unsure as to how to set it up. Its a module from "Chuffed 2 Bits". It is intended to operate as a passing contact latching control. In short when the rudder control on the DX61 is moved to the left of centre momentarily the lights are lit with head lamps on on one driving cab and tail lamps on the other. Naturally the rudder control moved to the right will give a revesal of head/tail lamps. The problem I have is it does not appear to be working or maybe I am doing something wrong in the setting up of the device.

Help.

Mark

PS I will be taking it to a local G3S member to test it out on his garden railway to see how the 2 car unit behaves with regards the operation and running performance.

John Candy

Mark,

I don't know about the switch you have bought but I have a switch bought from Andy Quirot (Jersey) named "ARCS2".

It is for switching the lights on my GWR "Flying Banana".
I set it up and tested it at least 3 years ago (at the time I started experimenting with sound cards and digital switches).

It runs a sequence all lights off/tail lamps both ends/running forwards/running reverse.

Photo shows the ARCS2 (on left) wired to home produced DPDT relay board.

Does the ARCS2 look anything like your switch?

Somewhere (and I mean somewhere) I have the wiring diagram I prepared at the time!

If it looks to be anything like your circuit I will try to find it.

John.
My fellow Members, ask not what your Society can do for you, ask what you can do for your Society.

AllWight

mine is an mtroniks microswitcher

mark

John Candy

Have they supplied a circuit/wiring diagram?

John.
My fellow Members, ask not what your Society can do for you, ask what you can do for your Society.

AllWight

Hi John

Not with the switch no , however a hand drawn one was given to me. Although the interior lighting works from the power input side of the Mac5 but for some reason there is no power getting to the head/tail lamps(LEDs). I have used single strand wire on these circuits only and I am wondering if I have a break somewhere which would explain it. I am tempted to remove the single strand wire which is only on the head/tail lamps circuits and replace with multi strand wire.  The rest of the wiring has been done with multi strand wire.

The diagram that i have shows the + feed from the Batteries to the Mac5 and also to the two terminals and the switch then chooses which circuit to operate. The resistor is wired into the + side of the circuit before the first White LED onto the Anode + and the Cathode is attached to the second White Anode + of the next LED on that end and then to the Anode+ Red LED out via the cathode and on a common return to the negative feed of the batteries to the Mac5.

I will come back to it tomorrow and look at it with fresh eyes. No doubt I have missed something or not wired something up correctly. Possibly I have a resistor wrongly positioned.

Cheers John

Mark

John Candy

#35
Alternative to broken wire could be too high a value resistor (volts too low to energize the LEDs).
Why not place a voltage regulator on the input side of the switch and dispense with the resistors?

John.

P.S. Different colour LEDs sometimes have different voltage/current requirements....are the clear and red you are using of same voltage and milliAmp ratings?
My fellow Members, ask not what your Society can do for you, ask what you can do for your Society.

AllWight

The 117 had its first loaded test run today at Dick Allans garden railway.
All did not go well. The single power bogie is underpowered for the extra load and made even worse by the non powered bogies adding to the weight. Back to the drawing board I think.

Mark

blagdon

Mark, sorry to hear the 117 did not perform as expected. Hope you will be able to sort it out without too much pain. Look forward to seeing this unit running one day at a GTG.

Ian the Gauge '3' Pirate

454

Mark

Fit traction tyres.

Dave

AllWight

Traction tres are not the solution as the excess weight lies with the nature of the 3 unpowered bogies which need some work to modify them to reduce the rolling resistance/friction.

Mark

midnight miller

 Hello Mark

Currently putting a home made chassis under a GRS tram loco , is it the same power bogie ? If my efforts are sucsessfull will it help you ?


                                                      John

AllWight

What is the wheelbase and wheel diameter measurements of the unit you have.

Mark

midnight miller

 Hello Mark

Wheel dia on tread is 40mm and W/B 95mm .


                                                           John