? about Tortoise switch motors controlling yard tracks


josephbw

josephbw

Active Member
At our club we have been using Peco switches since the inception of the club. I would like to get away from them with my new layout. We use the diode matrix system to control the club yard switches, but I doubt that will work with the tortoise. Is there a way to control multiple (5-10) turnouts with one button using the Tortoise motors?
 
Yes there is. The easiest way is to drive the tortoises using DCC decoders (NCE's Switch8, for instance, can drive up to 8 tortoises on the same circuit, but any other decoder will work as well). Assuming you're using NCE for your DCC system, you would also need the NCE MiniPanel. The MiniPanel has 30 button inputs. You then program each of the buttons to trigger a sequence of one or more DCC actions, such as sending a command to your accessory decoder (which is driving the tortoises) to throw the turnout. By default, you can do up to four actions per button, but you can set it up to do more actions per button by using some of the actions belonging to unused buttons.

If your club uses Digitrax, I believe there's a similar product that is available, but I forget the name right now. And even if your club is still using DC, you can always set up a separate DCC bus just for the accessory control that is NCE based.

Hope this helps...
 
Thanks for the info, Bob. This will be for my new layout at home that is still in the planning stage. I've been using Digitrax for years at the club and am familiar with it. My thought was to go with Digitrax at home also, mainly because I will be holding operating sessions and all of the operators are familiar with the Digitrax system.

If possible I would rather have yard panels and panels at the towns for turnout control. I've even been considering PC tablets instead of panels. I would rather not use throttles to control turnouts, due to unfamiliar operators. I think they could all master a tablet controlled system though. All of us are well past 60, so I'm trying to keep the confusion factor as low as possible. You know how quickly us elderly forget. :D

But I have to admit the NCE keeps sounding better all the time. I'll keep my options open for now.
 
I use tablets as my control panel via jmri, and it's quite easy to control multiple turnouts with one 'click' using routes. Works the same whether your underlying system is digitrax or nce (I prefer the latter).
 
I use the NCE Switch 8 with a Digitrax system and it is great!
I use LEDs to show turnout posisition.
If you have the DCS100 you can set routes thru the yard.
Dave I'd like to now more about the matrix system, I've heard of it but never seen one.
There's also a way to wire one turnout from the position of another using the Tortoise contacts, but again never seen this either.
 
you could still diode matrix using switches instead of pushbuttons, but its wiring logic to make it work out. Or you would have to figure latching relays that will hold/release on pushbutton presses. Just a matter of figuring out the logic for the wiring. But if you don't want a spaghetti, better DCCize it.
 
josephbw said:
Thanks for the info, Bob. This will be for my new layout at home that is still in the planning stage. I've been using Digitrax for years at the club and am familiar with it. My thought was to go with Digitrax at home also, mainly because I will be holding operating sessions and all of the operators are familiar with the Digitrax system.

If possible I would rather have yard panels and panels at the towns for turnout control. I've even been considering PC tablets instead of panels. I would rather not use throttles to control turnouts, due to unfamiliar operators. I think they could all master a tablet controlled system though. All of us are well past 60, so I'm trying to keep the confusion factor as low as possible. You know how quickly us elderly forget. :D

But I have to admit the NCE keeps sounding better all the time. I'll keep my options open for now.
Click to expand...

My name actually isn't Bob... (I'm "not a Bob", get it? ;) ) With a MiniPanel or a similar device, you don't actually need to throw the switches using your throttle. In fact, the circuit itself acts as a throttle of sorts, and based when you push a button, it sends commands over DCC to one or more accessory decoders to throw the switches. If you're looking to move away from buttons entirely and just use touch interface on a tablet - then you don't even need the circuit at all, as you can program everything in JMRI. Hope this helps!
 
I use ds64 stationary decoders to control the tortoise switch machines. I can also setup routes as well as operate more than one tortoise off one address. I power a bank of ds64's with an old dc power box, each tortoise has a slide connector which the two power wires go back to there assigned ds64 stationary decoder, each ds64 has the ability for 4 addresses plus a bunch of other available functions which I have never looked into.
Today I got the ds64 board mounted off the benchwork out of the way, just have to shorten and reattach the wires to each ds64.
IMG_20141005_193742_zpsecade0e3.jpg
 
kjchronister said:
I use tablets as my control panel via jmri, and it's quite easy to control multiple turnouts with one 'click' using routes. Works the same whether your underlying system is digitrax or nce (I prefer the latter).
Click to expand...

It sounds like you are doing what I would like to do. Can you give me some more information about how it is to set up, please?
 
josephbw said:
At our club we have been using Peco switches since the inception of the club. I would like to get away from them with my new layout. We use the diode matrix system to control the club yard switches, but I doubt that will work with the tortoise. Is there a way to control multiple (5-10) turnouts with one button using the Tortoise motors?
Click to expand...
There is no reason a diode matrix will not work with stall motors. There are two major differences from coil drives. The power the diodes have to deliver is polarity sensitive and you want it to be continual instead of a burst.

We did it at our club. I am not certain but I if recall correctly, all the stall motors (Tortoise brand didn't yet exist) had 1 wire to common. The matrix was then powered with AC so half wave DC in one polarity or the other was distributed through the diodes. I believe it took twice or at least half again as may diodes for the matrix.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top