Another Grade Crossing Installation

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D&J RailRoad said:
It's amazing how much "stuff" ends up in the work area. It seems like each and every thing I need to do, I have to get up and go somewhere to get a tool, a material item or something else that's needed for the process.

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Another corollary to USAF Capt. Murphy's basic Law! (Yes, there really was a Capt. Murphy who coined the original Law. Assistant to LTC John Paul Stapp, The Man Who Rode the Rocket Sleds.)
 


Work on this system is slow and tedious.
For every solder point, it seems I have to undo it a couple times because I miss something or think of a better way.

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Got the replacement emitter in the mail yesterday. Had other stuff to deal with and just didn't have the gumption to do the aerobics necessary to do the wiring.
Got another set of emitter/detector installed this evening. 10 to go.
 
Powered up the board today and tested all the sensors. Worked as programmed.
Linking the servo motors to the gate arm is a major issue. I've had to relocate the servo for the back gate three times no so it has the right amount of crosswise pull on the gate to bring up it all the way.
Reaching into the space is very difficult too. The distance is right between the vision of my bifocals. Either one makes the servo blurry and trying to pin the control wire through the servo arm is almost probing in the dark.
My back is kinda sore now with the contortions. I have to go get a steroid shot in the lower spine tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be good by Saturday to do some more work.
 


It's amazing when I get involved with something, my attention is needed in many other places.
Finally got back to this little project yesterday.
I finished the sensor wiring for the second track and mounted the third board and connected up the power to it.
For some reason, today's work went pretty good. All my tools were within reach so I didn't have to wander around the house for something for each little process.
Somehow I cut one of the lamp wires to the cross bucks on the far side of the track. The hardest to reach. I had to unglue the post from its mount to get to the broken wire. Soldered it back together, applied liquid mask and set it aside to dry before installing it to its mount again.

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Got two more sensor sets installed. Just two to go and that part of the install is done.
The final item will be to get the far gate standing back up. I tried to fix that today but found there is glue on the wires and it got down into the hole through the wood. Gotta dribble some mineral spirits down there to melt the glue so I can pull all three wires on through then stand the signal back up. After that, just hook up the gate to the servo motor with the piano wire.
 
Finished all the sensors this afternoon.
Just have to finish up the rear gate link to the servo motor. I got the wires loosened from the glue and then was able to pull them back down through the plywood.
Tomorrow will be the final bit of work on it, then the cleanup and re-install the facia and start touching up the scenery.
 
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