Tam Valley Depot Servo Controls

[James Costello]

Gary's Tehachapi thread prompted me to take a couple of photos of my Dad's Tam Valley Depot servo controller set up.

They're mounted on a sliding shelf to enable easy future access and they'll sit under a track diagram / control panel that will sit proud, angled back towards the fascia.









http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/quadservodecoder.html

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions - Dad's on holidays though, so answers may take time.

[Midniteflyer]

Nice Idea having the controls on that pull out. I really like the Tam Valley controls. I just installed mine on my HOn3 modules(pics in a thread here).

[Ian MacMillan]

Very nice. I like the Tam Valley servos and used them quite a bit on my last 2 layouts. I am moving to use them more and more for grade crossing stuff as well.

Edit: Just saw that TVD just came out with the QuadLN! Finally LocoNet feed back with muliple servo drives I have been waiting for!
http://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/quadlnloconet.html

[Big Windy]

My Quad LNs and align tool should be leaving sunny San Diego today for a trip to my layout in cold rainy Chicago. I have the facia controls but never installed them. Nice pullout idea!

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks for posting this James.  Now for my dumb question: what am I looking at?  I presume these are the stationary decoders to drive the servos?  How is he planning to control them?  Local switches? Throttle? Dispatcher? All of the above?    

-gfh

[Ian MacMillan]

James,
Where from TVD did your dad get the Frog Relay Daughter Board that he has on his quad servo decoders (green one on the bottom QSD in the photo)? The new Quad LN has info in the manual on them, but I can not find them on the site.  It will save me a lot of time instead of wiring up micro switches.

[James Costello]

Hi guys, I am Jim, James'Dad.
The quad pic daughter boards have been out for several years and have been recently discontinued,but you can use the dpdt relay board that Tam Valley has released.They plug into the facia control so operate when the push button is released. In the photos James posted the TVD products are the Quad Pic.These have DCC capability as well as the fascia panel push button control and as the name suggests they control 4 turnouts.. I will be mounting the push buttons on a track diagram in front of the boards that will be hinged but recline in behind the fascia.I want to be able to control turnouts both by an automatic DCC control but have the ability to manually control at the locations.
The boards are not finished.I intend to draw a track diagram and number each turnout on the board as well as one servo lead.Each servo lead and facia control lead will also be numbered for easy tracking and if necessary,replacement.

I model the New Haven in N scale and the photos will control turnouts on the 4 track mainline I am currently building. In other areas that I do not want to control turnouts by DCC I will be using the Octopus panel to control 8 turnouts with the relay panels as above as I need to power the frogs. My turnouts are number 8's made on a fast tracks jig,code 55 and ME track. Made over 100 turnouts and have over 70 servos installed.
Currently in Stamford Ct. at the 50th New Haven Reunion

[Ian MacMillan]

Thanks Jim.

I find it odd that Duncan discontinued them and then there is a good section about them in the new QuadLN board manual and the manual has that it was wrote less than a month ago.

IMO I would much prefer the Frog Relay Daughter Board compared to the remote relay board that he has as the alternate option now. Oh well, c'est la vie.

[John]

Hi guys, I am Jim, James'Dad.


Currently in Stamford Ct. at the 50th New Haven Reunion

Jim.. when you get back .. you should join up here and show us your work .. thanks

[James Costello]

Ian, couldn't agree more,I will not have enough to complete even after we rob the store,( we have been retailing
TVD for several years). I hope to get the opportunity to call into and seeTVD on my way home. I have already requested a fascia controller that would allow an easier installation for a single crossover,say using 3 LEDs and 2 push buttons  but Duncan seems a bit reluctant .I want about 30 units and we have another customer who wants at least 6 so I am sure the is a need .

John, thanks will think about it. James did set me up several years ago but we lost everything in a computer
Crash

[James Costello]

Ian,
I called in on Tam Valley yesterday and spoke to Duncan. He has a policy that if the units do not sell enough then he will discontinue them.He was also concerned that the relay used in these boards are rated at one amp and may not be sufficient for most applications . In our case of powering the frog only I don't see a problem as the time a set of power bogies is on the frog would not be a concern

I also planted a seed with him as to a facia controller that will operate a single crossover with either one or two push buttons and possible  3 x LEDs , say one one each mainline and another showing the crossing itself. Most layouts would have a few crossovers on their layouts and if  one has a track diagram as I want then it will save space on the panel as well as reducing wiring.
Will have to wait to see what transpires

Jim

[Ian MacMillan]

Yeah I talked to Duncan last week as well. Unstandable business decision. I was interested in the old ones because it would be a lot fewer wires and runs than the new relays.

[N_DaveS]

Has anyone out there set up a crossover with a single controller splitting to run two servos, one for each turnout?

[C855B]

Has anyone out there set up a crossover with a single controller splitting to run two servos, one for each turnout?

Won't work. Servos are a feedback thing - the controller makes movement decisions based on what comes back from the servo's position sensor. Having two position sensors telling it what to do would be loads of fun. 

[N_DaveS]

OK, good to know. (Also, rats!) I suppose I could mount the servo in between the two turnouts and run linkages to both, but I imagine that would have to be done very carefully to ensure that the points on each turnout move the right distance.