Peco Servo-Based Switch Machine System

[C855B]

My usual internet shop announced today they're stocking the Peco Smartswitch system. Suddenly we have a major MRR supplier using model airplane servos as switch machines. It was certainly news to me, but maybe it was in the HO market for a while before my N-only retailer picked it up.

Anybody know anything about it or have experience with it? Pricing, features and options seem comparable to Tam Valley.

[CPR9009]

Looks very much like the ANE system that has been on sale at MBK.  Wonder if they bought them out or licensed it from them??

Scott

[Viperjim1]

Check MRR magazine they had an article about a couple years ago on how to do it yourself and seemed fairly straight forward, or search the net or YouTube I'm sure you'll find it somewhere.

[VonRyan]

I love the idea of servos, but I hate the fact that everyone and their mother that offers them for model railroading applications creates a bunch of proprietary do-dads that are required to use them. Tam Valley is one, and now Peco too.
It makes it practically impossible for modular clubs that don't use fixed module arrangements to utilize servos. Especially for the club I belong to where we use our own CTC system that uses 8-wire CAT5 cables (black as common) and other components to make a truely modular CTC system.

Myself and others just don't appreciate being forced to use someone's proprietary system with no option or help to use them as we desire.

[railnerd]

I love the idea of servos, but I hate the fact that everyone and their mother that offers them for model railroading applications creates a bunch of proprietary do-dads that are required to use them. Tam Valley is one, and now Peco too.
It makes it practically impossible for modular clubs that don't use fixed module arrangements to utilize servos. Especially for the club I belong to where we use our own CTC system that uses 8-wire CAT5 cables (black as common) and other components to make a truely modular CTC system.

Myself and others just don't appreciate being forced to use someone's proprietary system with no option or help to use them as we desire.

You lost me there...  these "do-dads" are just DCC accessory decoders.

[VonRyan]

You lost me there...  these "do-dads" are just DCC accessory decoders.

No, not just that. Both Tam Valley and Peco force you to use proprietary base stations and connectors and such. Tam Valley even makes you use their own buttons/switches to throw the servos.

What they should be doing is making just servos with a built-in/on board to control travel distance and frog power. All else should be optional.

[peteski]

What they should be doing is making just servos with a built-in/on board to control travel distance and frog power. All else should be optional.

But at that point, they wouldn't be just ordinary (read: inexpensive) RC hobby servos.  If they were made specifically for throwing turnouts (a motorized part and the electronic part together), then they would be guess what?  Switch machines.  As such, they would suddenly become much more expensive.

All joking aside, I think I know what you would like to see: servo-like switch machines which would only require standard 2 or 3 wire interface to throw them (like a stall-motor or a twin-coil machines of today).  But the problem as I see it is that a cost such custom made servo-based machine (or even an intelligent circuit board and a generic RC servo) would most likely be about the same (or even more) than the solution being used now (basic servo at the switch and controller (handling multiple servos) mounted remotely).

[railnerd]

No, not just that. Both Tam Valley and Peco force you to use proprietary base stations and connectors and such. Tam Valley even makes you use their own buttons/switches to throw the servos.

The connection between the controller for Tam valley is hardly proprietary— they use a standard 3-pin servo cable to connect to a motor. They use another 3-pin .1" connector to attach a button board.

They provide a full schematic for the fascia controller board on page 2 of this manual:

    http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/images/SwitchWright_Manual_v1.pdf

If you don't want LED indication, you can toggle turnout by shorting pins 1 & 3.

-Dave

[Mastertech]

Hey guys check this out
http://www.berretthillshop.com/store/products/category/controls/

[C855B]

The connection between the controller for Tam valley is hardly proprietary— they use a standard 3-pin servo cable to connect to a motor. They use another 3-pin .1" connector to attach a button board. ...

Yes, plus Tam Valley's interconnects are all hobby-shop grade R/C cables. Dr. McRee went out of his way to design the system to be as generic as possible so you could roll your own at all levels of the system. He supplies the hard work of controlling the servo and the DCC interface, and the rest is up to you... or you can use the bits he (and his friends) designed to make it all even easier and quicker to get up and running.

[railnerd]

Hey guys check this out
http://www.berretthillshop.com/store/products/category/controls/

Yes, those products are pretty neat as well.  Have looked at the touch toggles as Arduino peripherals.

-Dave