SEEP point motors: how do you know if they are kaput!

[Eric]

Attached is a photo of a point motor - my first attempt at getting one wired up. Unfortunately it appears to be dead. I've tested for continuity and all the rather OTT soldering is making connection (next time I'll use much lighter section wire!) and my controller does operate a Peco motor OK. So I'm assumming that the SEEP motor is at fault. Should I investigate by removing the insulation tape? Alternatively I note that you are advised to use a CDU (which I have not got) could this be the problem? Any thoughts very welcome!
Cheers
Eric

[B.Meldon]

Hi Eric
It looks like you may not have connected the common wire.

The diagram below will help:



Brian Meldon

[B.Meldon]

Also.....

The centre four connections, green on the diagram above, are in fact for the switch and not the point motor coils and the two middle ones are joined so only one connection is needed.

Although the diagram shows an indicator LED you should use the central switching contacts to duplicate the electrical switching of the point blades as the blades on the points are not reliable in this respect and will fail causing the trains to stop.

So the central contact, marked as 'To transformer 16v', should be connected to the frog of the point and the contacts marked + and

[Eric]

Thanks Brian for the very full explanation. I've finally had chance to get back to the motor (life is a bit hectic with a 1 month old baby on top of three older kids in primary school!) and have a play, and yes I was wiring it up wrongly. The motor is fine. Our next job is to actually fit it to the base board.

I like the idea of fitting LEDs as route indicators, but will probably leave that for a later retrofit (I think I'll run dual core wire between the motor and each stud on the control board to make it an easy retro fit). We're planning on using the built in switch for polarity changing the frog so as not to rely on the stock rail making the connection. Thus presumably if we do fit LEDs, they will need to be able to cope with the full output of the controler, and that the LED will only light if the section is actually being powered. We're planning on fitting on-off-on section switches to allow either of two controllers to control any part of the layout at a time. I presume that only way we could get LED indication of which controler is controlling which track section is to fit LEDs in series with the switches, perhaps those bicoloured ones (which are actually two LEDs in the same casing as I understand it)? But then again we can always just look more carefully at which way the switches are thrown...

Cheers
Eric & crew

[B.Meldon]

Yes Eric, as I said in my posting use the contacts on the point motor for the frog switching.
Additional contacts will be required for LED panel indication. But there are other ways to have panel indication.

One way is to make up a mimic of the point on the panel with brass or nickel silver strip, 8 ba nuts and bolts like this:



A is a normal round (or cheese) head screw with two nuts below the base board allowing the strip of metal (D) to move back and forth, The common for the points is also soldered to bolt A (I use a solder tab between the two nuts.
C are 8 ba bolts with countersunk heads almost flush with the control panel with the wires to each point motor coil attached under the board. The two cheese head bolts B are located to limit the travel of the metal strip (D).
The sections E are the fixed painted track diagram.

In operation the strip D is moved to the desired direction then pressed down to contact with the screw C momentarily thus switching the point and indicating the on the panel the direction of the pint at the same time.

It is also possible to use a normal two way switch to change a point motor vial two diodes and a capacitor fitted at every point motor. If a two pole switch is used the additional contacts on the switch can be used for panel indication. This method also reduces the wiring from the points to the panel. But costs about

[Eric]

Thanks Brian,
What an interesting idea using metal strips effectively replacing the probe. I'll discuss with my chief assistant engineer!
Cheers
Eric

[B.Meldon]

I can not take the credit for the idea, I got it from the late Jack Carter and he always maintained that he got it from someone in the 1950

[B.Meldon]

Here is a photo of one of the point switches on the panel.



Brian Meldon