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Header: Hal-Zuzzu Model Railway Build Blog |
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| Published: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | ||||||
| Post: #142/174 - Views: 45006 |
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A major change in my layout. I recently made a major change in my layout. I added a second controller. I wanted to be able to throw a point after a short circuit without having to move the offending train off the point using my hands. N Gauge is so delicate and the wrong pressure on certain parts of any train and/or wagon/coach can be costly. This second controller controls all the accessories while the z21 Start controls the trains. The second controller is an Arduino Mega 2560, a motor shield and instead of the popular WIFI card, I opted for a wired connection, so I used a LAN card. DCC-EX is running on this and is also controlled using iTrain on a PC running Windows 10. My first points controller was by MegaPoints. When I started my second layout, I bought another one and added two DCC modules. I connected them to my z21 Start and they controlled the fiddle yard. All worked well for a year or so until I added the main level to my layout and suddenly, the number of points went from 16 to over 40. It is so easy to draw a layout and add all the components that come to mind but when you list what components you need to buy, that opens up your eyes!! I needed point controllers at a lower cost per point than I had. This was right after Brexit and during Covid, when prices were going mad. What with the price of the parts from the UK, shipping and import tax, it worked out more cost-effective to buy the DR4024 by Digikeijs from Germany (being in the EU) I have 9 of these now and work as well as the MegaPoints controllers, plus they each have an additional 4 ports for relay control, something MegaPoints controllers do not have. Sadly, I recently shorted out both MegaPoints controllers and, as most people know, Digikeijs went bankrupt, so sourcing more DR4024 modules was not going to be easy. I could have gone for the new Yamorc modules but I was thinking price again. Then I saw this, the PCA9685:
It is designed to work on an Arduino. There is a lot of support for it to work with DCC-EX. It can control up to 16 servos and daisy-chain up to 62 boards to control up to 992 servos (which I would love to see!!!) It works slightly differently from other accessory decoders. It is not controlled through the regular DCC bus wire, but you will need to hook up 4 wires from your Arduino to wherever you decide to place this board. It will also need a dedicated 5vDC 2A supply to power the servos. Once you pass that hurdle, it is downhill all the way. Hook up your 16 servos and the rest if all about setting up each servo to throw the correct amount without physically damaging the points and/or burning the servo. The best part of all this is the price. You get a 16 port servo controller for under €5 (link: https://bit.ly/3Q7ACIw). I have one full board working now but I have one more to do. I am also working on a video where I explain what I did and how I got it to work for those interested, but that will be in the near future. Part 2 of this post is here Stay tuned and don't forget to register for post updates...Check out the live CCTV camera HERE |
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