[neil_s_wood]

Hi I found a thread on the ESU ECoS forum which shows how to use a standard LokPilot decoder to control your turntable. In order to do this you need to use diodes and relays and some thing called a Kehrschleifen modul. Any ideas? My best guess is a reverse loop module?

I'm not quite sure what a relay is, is it available from electrical shops like diodes and the such? Is a freewheeling diode a type of diode or is this a quirk of the google translator? The types that were recommended were 1N4006 or 1N4007 which are regular diodes I think.

I quite fancy having a go at this as there is a good feature on the ECoS to control this. Any input or advice would be appreciated.

1st A Lokpiloten V2 and V3 or similar to the F1 function
2nd A relay (12V better 16V)
3rd A diode (free-wheeling diode)
4th A Kehrschleifen modul
5th The turntable

The original German was;

Was wird benötigt?

1. einen Lokpiloten V2 oder V3 oder ähnlich mit der F1 Funktion
2. ein Relais (12V besser 16V)
3. eine Diode (Freilaufdiode)
4. ein Kehrschleifenmodul
5. ganz wichtig die Drehscheibe

Die Schaltung habe ich im Anhang als PDF.

 

[dwb]

A relay is an electrically operated switch. It has a coil which is similar to one of the two found on a Peco point motor. The armature in the coil opens or closes a mechanical switch. There is no electrical connection between the coil and the mechanical contacts. A relay is one way of using a small current (in this case the few hundred milliamps of the decoder function output to switch a large one - the amp or so I guess the turntable uses.

The preference for 16v over 12v is probably related to the fact that an ECoS outputs 16.7 volts to the track (at least that's what my RampMeter says) and this voltage is what appears on the blue wire out of the decoder. The mechanical switch needs to be capable of handling the volts and current which run the turntable.

The diode is just a common or garden type. The only important bit is that it can withstand the 16.7 volts in the reverse direction (PIV I think is the characteristic).

The other thing is almost certainly a reverse loop module.

I hope this helps

David

 

[neil_s_wood]

Thanks David, so the relay is a commonly available item, yes?

 

[dwb]

QUOTE the relay is a commonly available item, yes?

I entered "Relay" as a search pattern on the Farnell website and it returned:-

8,632 search results found for "relay"
So the answer is yes.

David

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (dwb @ 23 Nov 2007, 05:23) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I entered "Relay" as a search pattern on the Farnell website and it returned:-

8,632 search results found for "relay"
So the answer is yes.

David
Thanks David.