[Julian2011]

Temporary wiring was used to test the TT motors, which has now been replaced. The Decoder is now permantely soldered in, as are the TT Bridge power connections and a Resistor, Capaciter Filter [the little blue job on the Well floor] added to the TT Bridge connections, to safeguard against spikes which may be formed as the Bridge Rail contacts slide round to change the polarity of the Bridge rails.

The power supply connects through a screw type choccy block connector, attached to the brass arm [right side in the picture]; all the remaining connections are soldered to connectors fixed to the Motor Unit. It is now possible to remove the Motor Unit in it's entirety, leaving the DCC power wire input soldered to the TT Bridge, in the centre of the Well.

{NB. The polarity change is needed as when the loco drives onto the TT Bridge, the left-hand side of the loco will be on a positive supply rail, but when rotated through the 180 deg, the left-hand side of the loco will be facing the opposite [negative charge] rail. But you knew that didn't you.}



Topside looks like this and and rotates very quietly indeed.



LMR 2-8-0 Austerity got a celebtatory turn, just to be sure and check the TT Bridge rail connections. Actually, it got several... Sshhh!!!



Regards

Julian

 

[Julian2011]

Turntable... ??

I was rather hoping to throw some light on the topic and thought these might help...



Regards

Julian

 

[Julian2011]

Now, that's a bit more light on the idea...

Never soldered anything quite that small, ummm...



A couple more to do, yet.

Julian

 

[Julian2011]

You will probably already know that the Peco Turntable has a Polarity changer under the Bridge, so when it turns the polarity is correct to move onto the track it faces. That's good and works fine, well almost. Where the polarity swaps there are 2 small gaps, to ensure it doesn't cause a short, between the two contacts. As a sound fitted loco rotates on the Bridge, the sound will cease for a couple of seconds as the gap is traversed and then start again. I'm filling the gap in the sound with a simple Simmer sound from a PCB. Loco drives on, chuffing nicely and stops, leaving it simmering. The TT starts rotating and at around the 90deg point the simmer stops, so the PCB simmer will cover up the loco silence, until power is restored to the loco. Further TT rotation will fire up the loco and trun the PCB off. What could possbily go worng??



These are a selection of the small PCBs [with the M] I used for practice soldering on a PCB. The sound making PCB I eventually made is on the top left, with the little red handles and what I will eventually fit under the newly converted religeous Grid. in the TT Well, is on the right.



The one I made from a kit had adjustments for the volume and the chuff rate. What I didn't know, was that the minimum chuff rate wasn't zero, so a simple Simmer wasn't possible. The other one has volume and also the 2 x green wires are feeds, which sense the track voltage and start the chuffs at an adjustable rate. It sounds like this...



It's Hisssssterical.

If you look carefully at the pencil at lower left, it is pointing to a Meccano brass collar [remember them?]. Power for the PCB will run to a contact on one side of the collar. Another pick-up will contact on the diagonally opposite side of the brass collar. Whilst these 2 x pick-ups are in contact with the brass collar, the Simmer will play. However, I want the sound to stop playing, when the TT Bridge is lined up with the tracks, as the Loco will be making it's own sounds to run on / off the TT. In order to stop the PCB sound, there is an insullated stripe down one small section on the brass collar [my daughter will probably not notice that some of her nail varnish has contributed to silencing the PCB]. This simply cuts the power, until the TT Bridge starts to rotate again. Once it has gone 180 deg, the insullting stripe is under the other pick-up, so PCB power gets cut again, so the loco can leave with it's own sound again.

Regards

J

 

[Julian2011]

After a little of this...



Which ends up like this convert...



I can now get to fit the PCB I was working on.

Regards

Julian

 

[Julian2011]

I bought one of these, Austerity 0-6-0ST LMR livery.

In the box, is one of these and there is no relevant paperwork to answer what it might be.

I don't suppose anyone might know where it is supposed to fit?

I looked under it, but can't see any blank spaces asking to be filled. Is it possibly a representation of the Coal Bunker shutter?

Regards

Julian