Didn't realize how long this thread had been sitting dormant while I've actually been working on replacing the control system.
The Azatrax logic boards arrived sometime last August and I've been reading the instructions off and on over the next month or so.
I took the modules with the grade crossing to the Timonium show in October and once again, the Logic Rail Technology boards lost all sense of what they were supposed to be doing. Raising and lowering the gates at random. Not responding to trains crossing the sensors. Turning off to soon. Turning on without any trains. Just a real mess.
Got the modules home after lots of ridicule from the other members and prepped them for replacing the boards.
Put em up on the kitchen countertop and went to work removing the logic boards and sensors.
I mounted up the Azatrax boards on the module while I was thinking I could just use the sensors from the Logic Rail system. I decided not to and removed them all. This is before I removed all the sensors. A pretty messy wire job.
While installing the Azatrax sensors, I used hot glue to route the wires for a neater look.
I don't like how the Azatrax sensors stick pretty far out of the module. I'll have to design a protective cover for them, so they aren't torn out when the modules are being clamped together.
I've been delaying the part of applying the power to it. I guess just concerned about something not being wired right. I finally applied power tonight, and the system works correctly, but only for the close in sensors to the grade crossing. I'll have to attach the outboard modules with the far sensors to be sure they're wired correctly.
Next step is the grade crossing gates. Those are a bit of trouble attaching an actuating wire from the servo motor up to the gate. I have the gates themselves mounted on small blocks or plugs so they can be lifted out of the module for transport. A Tortoise machine could be used but the size of that motor would require a huge hole in the module, so I opted for the smaller servo motor. The actuating wire has to go through the 3/4" wood base then up to the gate. A fairly long stretch for the very thin wire they provide. It flexed way to much so I replaced it with a Tortoise machine actuating wire which is a bit more rigid. It's hard to bend just right without damaging the grade crossing arm. Gotta work on that.
The gates have two sets of wires going to them. The Tortiose machine wires and the grade crossing flashers for a total of 8. I found some micro connectors that carry the six flasher wires and the Tortoise machine link is a three wire set. Both sets are easy to connect to the gates before installing the plug into the module surface.
In the picture are a few small boards to the left. These are for the outboard module to bring the 8 sensor wires to the main logic board. I'm using a CAT6 cable and breakout boxes for that. A thing to keep in mind is the CAT6 cable swaps sides from end to end so linking the sensor wires to the correct side on the outboard module then picking up on their path for the link to the logic board has me thinkin real hard.
