Great video, thanks. Never thought of installing these like you have. I have only ever considered below the board servo in aliminium channel with a piano wire rod to the point from above. Your method is elegant, a lot easier and can be disguised with little effort. I suppose the only thing you need to keep in mind is leaving a way to access the servo pit if it needs fixing. Thanks again going to use your idea! 😊
Thank you! Yes, I too had only seen servos fitted into aluminum channel with piano wire to throw the points! This design came about because I couldn't put the motors below the baseboard as with the thickness of the foam, the piano wire wouldn't throw the points correctly! I'm still working on the final design for the enclosure boxes! With the current design, the servo can easily be removed if the point rodding is kept short, but if it's longer, and goes beneath a track or two, you have to remove the hole point! However, I have a plan to circumvent this which will no doubt appear in a future update! Good luck with your implementation! All the best, Ian.
Thanks Chris, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out too! Just need to stop thinking about how to do things now, and start doing them! Lol! All the best, Ian.
That was very interesting Ian, particularly the process of trial and adaptation until you achieved what you wanted. I will certainly remember the idea of using servos for the next layout whenever that might be. Stephen
Hi Ian, i feel that I have been converted, especially after our conversation a couple of weeks ago. I shall in the next couple of weeks be ordering from Megapoints all that is required and Budleigh Regis will become servo operated points wise. I’ve been on the website and done some more research. So thanks for that mate, cheers for now, John
Hi John! Haha! I'm no expert, obviously, but I think these little motors are the way to go! Dave at Megapoints is a very helpful guy, and answered a whole rake of questions for me before I ordered! The system is so flexible, and three servo controller boards can be powered by one 12V 8A DC power supply - that's a whopping 36 servos! I'll obviously create a video about it when I set it up, but that won't be until next year now! All the best, Ian.
Great video Ian, I too intend on using servos to control my points, but was struggling to hide them in surface structures. I think some surgery is needed to install them but definitely worth a shot. Thanks Andy
Thanks very much Andrew! One of the reasons I went with a layer of XPS foam on the baseboard was that I always intended to use it to hide point motors, rather than have them below the baseboard! I just didn't know what type of motor until now! Hiding motors in structures is a viable idea, but with N gauge, buildings are quite small, so the motors are still difficult to hide! Hope you find a solution! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, another interesting video. I am using servos on my layout and have built my own servo brackets from 1mm grey board using a cricut machine. I have developed my own circuit boards to control the system from a keypad, which I am planning on expanding to control signals and routes and ABC braking. I have a video up on my channel showing the build of the servo mounts. Keep up the great work it's always good to see other ways of working.
Hi, and thank you! That's interesting as I've just purchased a Cricut Maker 3 and intend to use it to cut the card for my little enclosure boxes from 2mm grey board! I had a quick look at your channel but don't see any videos, which is a shame as I'd love to see how you approached building the mounts! Unfortunately I don't have the skill to develop circuit boards, but I do plan on using JIRA eventually to provide a level of automation! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge hmmm. I have got two you tube accounts I have a feeling the other one is the one I use to upload the videos. I will see about getting a link sorted.
Late to the show with this comment. Several years ago on a raspberry pi project, I bought a bunch of servo's. Burned two up experimenting. Bought a few more of those little blue ones that your demonstrating. That project by the way went nowhere, it was just for experimenting. I did not know there were servo testers, and those look pretty cool along with that PCB.
Hi Frank! Yeah, those little servo testers come in really handy! I think the servo units are pretty reliable if you purchase decent ones in the first place, but they're all pretty cheap, so replacing one isn't going to be a problem should one burn out! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in with point control with an Arduino at some point, but am going to try the Megapoints controller and a normal Servo accessory decoder first! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian! I think your innovation and perseverance with the RC servos is brilliant! I am about to embark on an N-gauge layout myself so your channel is just what’s needed! Will be interested to see how you follow through the servo points from a dial control to a DCC operation - albeit needing to know the Deg of rotation in either throw :D Have you considered how you are going to control points in a highly compressed area of track with several points? It’s a issue/dilemma I just can’t work out myself. N gauge is so small and the motors are not!
Hi Jack! Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm no expert, but am trying to apply a bit of logic and common sense, and will see where it takes me! Regarding setting rotation angles, I'll be using the Megapoints Servo Controller board which allows you to fine tune that sort of stuff - I'll make a video about it when I get there!!! Regarding compressed areas of track, yes, I've thought about it, and plan to locate the motors to one side, and run push rods below the track to service them - again I'll make a video about it when I get there! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, thats a brilliant video and well done for the ingenuity of it all. Now I have used the guagemaster surface mounted switch's on some of my points and although good, they do not always "fire" correctly. I have 25mm foam under the track where these are being used, and this idea of burying the servo into the foam has got me thinking perhaps this is a way forward for me. I also like the idea of using the megapoints controller, as it offers up extra benefits such as lights etc. Thanks for the video, it certainly has me pondering now! Regards Steve
Hi Steve! Thank you very much! Do you have CDU's on your Gaugemaster motors? This is usually the best way to "fix" solenoid motors that sometimes don't fire! Yes, the Megapoints system is very flexible, which is what swung it for me in the end! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge thanks for that - I don't have any CDU's on the system but plan to at some point. I find that even though they do "fire" its not always in a straight line and the points jam, so am investigating that. This model railway lark is keeping the brain cells busy I tell you! Regards Steve
if you are not a MERG member it may be worth joining, one of their many products its a 3d printed servo holder. failing that if you know someone who has a printer there are holders on thingiverse. your foam mountings are quite ingenious though, and allow for nice easy maintenance access without going under the board, which is always a win. not tried the mega points controller, I'm using a PCA9685 board that can drive 16 of the blighters and an arduino (which could be made into a DCC accessory but here is driven by the JMRI software through the C/MRI stuff) - suspect your solution is easier but this is a lot cheaper overall. do like how your system turned out though, with the pushrods a lot of scope for putting motors further from the actual points which is a nice bonus
Hi Dale, I have considered joining MERG, as I was once considering using Arduino based point motors! I've actually just purchased a Cricut Maker 3 which will make construction of the enclosures a lot less time consuming, and a lot more accurate! Yes, being able to mount the motors further away by having pushrods is a big advantage, especially where space is tight between the tracks! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian - very impressed with that 👏! Neat bit of work just shows what skills you really have. Should make your class 08 surgery an absolute breeze 😅 cheers Euan
Hi Euan! Thank you! I'm not sure it's skill, but I'll take your compliment! Lol! Ah, the 08 is a different matter and absolutely terrifies me! Will be making a start on it soon though! All the best, Ian.
If you had a solid plywood base under your foam, you could get away with mounting under the baseboard. Another plus for using servo's is you can still control the speed of the point blades to give slow motion point control as well....
Hi Mark! I do have a plywood baseboard but as I have difficulty getting beneath it the less kit underneath the better! Yes, as far as I can tell these micro servos offer the same slow motion experience as the Tortoise or Cobalt motors just at a fraction of the price! All the best, Ian.
Greetings to the Sill and hello Ian 👋 Alls well that ends well 😇 and you ended with a very neat solution 👍 better still no rail joiners or jigsaws were used 😀 a win win 🌞 Looking forward to the next update already 😁 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️
Hi Paul! I'm definitely hoping that this will be the final solution, otherwise I'll never start building the actual layout!!! I see many rail joiners in my future unfortunately, and the jigsaw is bound to come back and haunt me at some point - but at least I've got soldering under control now! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian A very interesting video there, I've experimented with a single servo before but not actually got around to sorting them all out yet. But can I ask where did you get that servo tester from please, I could do with one of those. Thanks
Hi Peter! Thank you! Yes, I got the servo tester from Amazon - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07485M6PH - although having just looked, the price seems to have almost doubled since I ordered it! I think I paid something like £6.99 for it, so it may be worth shopping around, or waiting until this one drops in price again! All the best, Ian.
Hi Jef! Yes, that's why the plates will be removable! They won't necessarily be as big as the one I showed in the video and will more likely just cover the servo itself! Cheers, Ian.
@@jefwisse1957 - Hi Jef, yes, this will require some thought! I plan on staggering pointwork so this doesn't happen very frequently, but when it does, servos can be placed further away, or on the opposite side of the point, and the rodding can be run below the track as there's plenty of space for that! I'm sure there'll be videos in the future of how I achieve this! If all else fails, I can always revert to using a solenoid point motor attached to the track, as I was planning to do in the first instance! Hope this helps! All the best, Ian.
While I am not a beginner, I found this video to be extremely informative when it comes to the use of Servo motor point control. Well done.
Hi Peter! Thank you! I'm really glad you found the video useful! All the best, Ian.
Great video, thanks. Never thought of installing these like you have. I have only ever considered below the board servo in aliminium channel with a piano wire rod to the point from above. Your method is elegant, a lot easier and can be disguised with little effort. I suppose the only thing you need to keep in mind is leaving a way to access the servo pit if it needs fixing. Thanks again going to use your idea! 😊
Thank you! Yes, I too had only seen servos fitted into aluminum channel with piano wire to throw the points! This design came about because I couldn't put the motors below the baseboard as with the thickness of the foam, the piano wire wouldn't throw the points correctly! I'm still working on the final design for the enclosure boxes! With the current design, the servo can easily be removed if the point rodding is kept short, but if it's longer, and goes beneath a track or two, you have to remove the hole point! However, I have a plan to circumvent this which will no doubt appear in a future update! Good luck with your implementation! All the best, Ian.
Great solution Ian, really like your finished product, neat and nothing visible only the push rod.
Thanks Chris, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out too! Just need to stop thinking about how to do things now, and start doing them! Lol! All the best, Ian.
That was very interesting Ian, particularly the process of trial and adaptation until you achieved what you wanted. I will certainly remember the idea of using servos for the next layout whenever that might be. Stephen
Thanks Stephen! A case of "if at first you don't succeed..." I think! The next layout? In another room maybe? :) Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian, i feel that I have been converted, especially after our conversation a couple of weeks ago. I shall in the next couple of weeks be ordering from Megapoints all that is required and Budleigh Regis will become servo operated points wise. I’ve been on the website and done some more research. So thanks for that mate, cheers for now, John
Hi John! Haha! I'm no expert, obviously, but I think these little motors are the way to go! Dave at Megapoints is a very helpful guy, and answered a whole rake of questions for me before I ordered! The system is so flexible, and three servo controller boards can be powered by one 12V 8A DC power supply - that's a whopping 36 servos! I'll obviously create a video about it when I set it up, but that won't be until next year now! All the best, Ian.
I shall be talking to him very soon Ian!
Great video Ian,
I too intend on using servos to control my points, but was struggling to hide them in surface structures. I think some surgery is needed to install them but definitely worth a shot.
Thanks Andy
Thanks very much Andrew! One of the reasons I went with a layer of XPS foam on the baseboard was that I always intended to use it to hide point motors, rather than have them below the baseboard! I just didn't know what type of motor until now! Hiding motors in structures is a viable idea, but with N gauge, buildings are quite small, so the motors are still difficult to hide! Hope you find a solution! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian, another interesting video. I am using servos on my layout and have built my own servo brackets from 1mm grey board using a cricut machine. I have developed my own circuit boards to control the system from a keypad, which I am planning on expanding to control signals and routes and ABC braking. I have a video up on my channel showing the build of the servo mounts. Keep up the great work it's always good to see other ways of working.
Hi, and thank you! That's interesting as I've just purchased a Cricut Maker 3 and intend to use it to cut the card for my little enclosure boxes from 2mm grey board! I had a quick look at your channel but don't see any videos, which is a shame as I'd love to see how you approached building the mounts! Unfortunately I don't have the skill to develop circuit boards, but I do plan on using JIRA eventually to provide a level of automation! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge hmmm. I have got two you tube accounts I have a feeling the other one is the one I use to upload the videos. I will see about getting a link sorted.
Late to the show with this comment. Several years ago on a raspberry pi project, I bought a bunch of servo's. Burned two up experimenting. Bought a few more of those little blue ones that your demonstrating. That project by the way went nowhere, it was just for experimenting. I did not know there were servo testers, and those look pretty cool along with that PCB.
Hi Frank! Yeah, those little servo testers come in really handy! I think the servo units are pretty reliable if you purchase decent ones in the first place, but they're all pretty cheap, so replacing one isn't going to be a problem should one burn out! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in with point control with an Arduino at some point, but am going to try the Megapoints controller and a normal Servo accessory decoder first! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian! I think your innovation and perseverance with the RC servos is brilliant!
I am about to embark on an N-gauge layout myself so your channel is just what’s needed!
Will be interested to see how you follow through the servo points from a dial control to a DCC operation - albeit needing to know the Deg of rotation in either throw :D
Have you considered how you are going to control points in a highly compressed area of track with several points? It’s a issue/dilemma I just can’t work out myself. N gauge is so small and the motors are not!
Hi Jack! Thank you very much for your kind words! I'm no expert, but am trying to apply a bit of logic and common sense, and will see where it takes me! Regarding setting rotation angles, I'll be using the Megapoints Servo Controller board which allows you to fine tune that sort of stuff - I'll make a video about it when I get there!!! Regarding compressed areas of track, yes, I've thought about it, and plan to locate the motors to one side, and run push rods below the track to service them - again I'll make a video about it when I get there! All the best, Ian.
Great vid Ian and thank you for helping me decide what to do for my points :)
Thanks Mystic! Glad I could be of some assistance! All the best, Ian!
Hi Ian, thats a brilliant video and well done for the ingenuity of it all. Now I have used the guagemaster surface mounted switch's on some of my points and although good, they do not always "fire" correctly. I have 25mm foam under the track where these are being used, and this idea of burying the servo into the foam has got me thinking perhaps this is a way forward for me. I also like the idea of using the megapoints controller, as it offers up extra benefits such as lights etc. Thanks for the video, it certainly has me pondering now!
Regards
Steve
Hi Steve! Thank you very much! Do you have CDU's on your Gaugemaster motors? This is usually the best way to "fix" solenoid motors that sometimes don't fire! Yes, the Megapoints system is very flexible, which is what swung it for me in the end! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge thanks for that - I don't have any CDU's on the system but plan to at some point. I find that even though they do "fire" its not always in a straight line and the points jam, so am investigating that. This model railway lark is keeping the brain cells busy I tell you!
Regards
Steve
@@lynganddistrict - That's really odd Steve! Hope you get to the bottom of it! Cheers, Ian.
if you are not a MERG member it may be worth joining, one of their many products its a 3d printed servo holder. failing that if you know someone who has a printer there are holders on thingiverse.
your foam mountings are quite ingenious though, and allow for nice easy maintenance access without going under the board, which is always a win.
not tried the mega points controller, I'm using a PCA9685 board that can drive 16 of the blighters and an arduino (which could be made into a DCC accessory but here is driven by the JMRI software through the C/MRI stuff) - suspect your solution is easier but this is a lot cheaper overall.
do like how your system turned out though, with the pushrods a lot of scope for putting motors further from the actual points which is a nice bonus
Hi Dale, I have considered joining MERG, as I was once considering using Arduino based point motors! I've actually just purchased a Cricut Maker 3 which will make construction of the enclosures a lot less time consuming, and a lot more accurate! Yes, being able to mount the motors further away by having pushrods is a big advantage, especially where space is tight between the tracks! All the best, Ian.
Hi Ian - very impressed with that 👏! Neat bit of work just shows what skills you really have. Should make your class 08 surgery an absolute breeze 😅 cheers Euan
Hi Euan! Thank you! I'm not sure it's skill, but I'll take your compliment! Lol! Ah, the 08 is a different matter and absolutely terrifies me! Will be making a start on it soon though! All the best, Ian.
I have servos controlling 20 points on my layout,perfect solution for me,using Megapoints control board.
Hi Bob! That's excellent! Looks like I'm heading down the right track then? Cheers, Ian.
If you had a solid plywood base under your foam, you could get away with mounting under the baseboard. Another plus for using servo's is you can still control the speed of the point blades to give slow motion point control as well....
Hi Mark! I do have a plywood baseboard but as I have difficulty getting beneath it the less kit underneath the better! Yes, as far as I can tell these micro servos offer the same slow motion experience as the Tortoise or Cobalt motors just at a fraction of the price! All the best, Ian.
Greetings to the Sill and hello Ian 👋 Alls well that ends well 😇 and you ended with a very neat solution 👍 better still no rail joiners or jigsaws were used 😀 a win win 🌞 Looking forward to the next update already 😁 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️
Hi Paul! I'm definitely hoping that this will be the final solution, otherwise I'll never start building the actual layout!!! I see many rail joiners in my future unfortunately, and the jigsaw is bound to come back and haunt me at some point - but at least I've got soldering under control now! All the best, Ian.
That was brilliant Ian, going to be interesting to see how you fit them all into your layout though.
Regards Chris
Hi Chris! Thank you very much Sir! As you have probably guessed, I have a master plan to fit them all in! Lol! All the best, Ian.
Great job Ian. I have to admit I’m keen on servos, being an RC enthusiast as well it makes sense for me plus it’s cheaper.
Hi Lee! Thank you! Yeah, I don't know why they're not much more popular, as they seem very versatile to me! Cheers, Ian.
Hello Ian. Hopefully you will be able to find the vidoes using this account. I have no idea why I have ended up with two.
Aha! I can see your videos now! Have subbed and will follow with interest! Cheers, Ian.
You may want to think about how you will access your servos for maintenance...
Hi James! Access will be as easy as removing the plate from above the servo motor! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge That may be difficult if you put scenery on top of it?
@@JamesPetts - Well the plates won't be glued down, and the scenery will be glued to the plates, so they should come up easily! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian A very interesting video there, I've experimented with a single servo before but not actually got around to sorting them all out yet. But can I ask where did you get that servo tester from please, I could do with one of those. Thanks
Hi Peter! Thank you! Yes, I got the servo tester from Amazon - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07485M6PH - although having just looked, the price seems to have almost doubled since I ordered it! I think I paid something like £6.99 for it, so it may be worth shopping around, or waiting until this one drops in price again! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Ok Thanks for that
@@peterjackson-cheadleheath1182 - No problem!
Have you thought about replacing a defect servo?
Hi Jef! Yes, that's why the plates will be removable! They won't necessarily be as big as the one I showed in the video and will more likely just cover the servo itself! Cheers, Ian.
@@iansngauge I,m also curious how you mount the servo's if more change points are mounted together. Love to hear from you. Cheers, Jef
@@jefwisse1957 - Hi Jef, yes, this will require some thought! I plan on staggering pointwork so this doesn't happen very frequently, but when it does, servos can be placed further away, or on the opposite side of the point, and the rodding can be run below the track as there's plenty of space for that! I'm sure there'll be videos in the future of how I achieve this! If all else fails, I can always revert to using a solenoid point motor attached to the track, as I was planning to do in the first instance! Hope this helps! All the best, Ian.
@@iansngauge Hi Ian, thanks for the response.