Baseboard

[Tony fly fishing]

I'm in a bad situation with this folks got myself ready cleaned up the baseboard and plenty of power but none of the change over switches are functioning I'm unable to carry out the work, I'm completely useless where electric issues come into play, jim said I should put up a few pictures please   help 

[Tullygrainey]

Hi Tony, When you say there's plenty of power, I'm assuming you mean track power to make the trains move. It's likely your points motors have a separate power supply (?) so the first thing to check is whether that power supply is working and is delivering power to the points. How's it connected to the layout? Could it be something simple like a wire coming adrift at the source?

Points are often wired with a separate feed to each motor but a common return wire daisy-chaining from motor to motor and back to the PSU. Given that all the points have failed, the trouble could be a bad connection somewhere in this common return.

Hope you get it sorted. These sorts of things can be very frustrating!

Alan

[dropshort105]

That's what I was thinking, one bad connection on a common return wire and nothing works, thats the middle wire on the point motor, what part of the country are you in, I'm not an electrical wizard, but happy to take a look if it's not too far.

[Broithe]

The back of the controller will look like this. There's a good chance that the points run off the middle "Accessories" outlets. See if things are still connected there. As said, if they're all not working, it is likely to be a common supply isuue.

Starting at the source and working 'downstream' is a good procedure.

[Tony fly fishing]

That's the same control box all wires are tightly connected, I believe two are for the track and two other wires are for the points that's me trying to think maybe I'm wrong folks but I'm bloody useless, with this, I went and bought another 3 locomotives yesterday for it but that's me as you can see iv cleared the baseboard for access as access is tight but I really would appreciate any help payment straight away just get me going again, Tony Butler Bohernabreena chairman of the dodder anglers association Dublin  ph 085 750 5202 

D24hh7a 

Edited Sunday at 07:25 by Tony fly fishing
Forgot to include my contact details

[dropshort105]

You have connections to track one and two that's a DC power source, there doesn't appear to be anything plugged into you AC accessory power source, because points only need a momentary jolt of power, they are usually operated off an AC  power source, so

scenario 1, if you are providing individual power for two tracks your points aren't connected to your power source, 

Scenario 2, if one of those track power connections is powering your points, its connected to the wrong terminal, switch them to the AC terminal. 

See how you get on with that.

Edited Sunday at 09:22 by dropshort105

[dropshort105]

Can you post a photo of one of your point motors, let's have a look at what's going on there.

[Flying Snail]

Hi Tony, I'm not good at wiring myself either so can't help in that department, but you're just up the road from South Dublin Model Railway Club in Knocklyon:

https://sdmrc.ie/

 

I'd say someone there may be able to help you if you give them a shout.

[Broithe]

If Track 1 is running the trains, then it is possible that Track 2 was being used to power the points, but it would only work if it was turned right up to around 10. I can't see from the picture where it is set at.

Even if this is the case and turning it up gets the points working, then the points would be much better running off the Accessories power from the two central terminals. And that would release a second track power supply.

[murrayec]

I see from your photos above that Mr Lindfield built this layout, I also see that there is a servo motor on the underside of the baseboard- if this is how the points are controlled there has to be a controller board for the servos?

Dave used 'Megapoint' controllers for this, is there a board behind the sector plate and is it powered up?

Like this;-

Eoin

Edited Sunday at 10:28 by murrayec

[Ken K]

1 hour ago, murrayec said:

I see from your photos above that Mr Lindfield built this layout, I also see that there is a servo motor on the underside of the baseboard- if this is how the points are controlled there has to be a controller board for the servos?

Dave used 'Megapoint' controllers for this, is there a board behind the sector plate and is it powered up?

Like this;-

Eoin

Eoin is prob correct here, I have the  megapoints system and it works off 12 dc so would have to be wired to the second controller, if the board is there it should have some sort of flashing led.

Make sure its up full and all the servo wires are correct way around. Not to far from you in D22 but away until next week. Ken

[murrayec]

This is a two track layout, the DC controller is for the two tracks! The Megapoints controller should have its own power supply which would be a 12v 'wall wart' supply, which needs to be located and plunged in!

I do not recommend using a variable power supply- like a DC controller, as they can deliver over 12volt and may damage the Megapoints board. Also under supply could cause the same issue......

Eoin

[Broithe]

6 minutes ago, murrayec said:

This is a two track layout, the DC controller is for the two tracks! The Megapoints controller should have its own power supply which would be a 12v 'wall wart' supply, which needs to be located and plunged in!

I do not recommend using a variable power supply- like a DC controller, as they can deliver over 12volt and may damage the Megapoints board. Also under supply could cause the same issue......

Eoin

Indeed, that is very true, but people do do strange things...

[Ken K]

I only ever got a helix from irish baseboards so I have no idea how he wired his layout build up. He was at one stage an agent for megapoints and did show me the system however I have bought direct from Dave Fenton at megapointscontrollers.co.uk along with the proper power packs naturally!

A photo from behind your control may show more.....

[dropshort105]

Oh yes, I hadn't noticed the servo motor, in that case do not plug into the AC accessory ports, they need DC power, have you managed to assertain if there is a circuit board knocking about somewhere ?

[Tony fly fishing]

Thank you for your kind help the electrician replaced a tiny wire on the circuit board like a spider egg .

But him very helpful however him not any knowledge of points etc, etc, I think one point not working, and the trains keep derailing I suppose oat time they would move hopefully I can get them level because I broke a steel wheel of the axle, but I hot to pop it back in hopefully it will hold,