113 - Shelfington - ESU SwitchPilot 3 Servo Setup

Рет қаралды 653

28 күн бұрын

Welcome to Ian's N Gauge channel!
In a previous video I showed a range of hardware options I had at my disposal for controlling servos, that I was going to use to switch points on Shelfington, using DCC commands.
In this video I’m going to concentrate on the ESU SwitchPilot 3 Servo controller, and work out how to configure it to operate some servo motors.
Thanks very much for watching.
Ian
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Related Video Links
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Пікірлер: 20

@endoorrailway 26 күн бұрын

Hi Ian, It's nice to see something that didn't catch fire, has adequate instructions and just worked :) And stress testing of enclosures thrown in as a bonus! Well done :)

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Thanks Jonathan! Haha! Yes, always a bonus when things don't explode and work as intended! I was over the moon with how rugged the enclosure boxes seem to be! Must try harder to break them! Lol! All the best, Ian.

@thegrowler-blackwoodngauge 26 күн бұрын

Evening Ian - this DCC malarky is so simple and blinking dangerous at the same time😂. Still we have a near fully working bit of Shelfington....... yes a bit of the layout actually has working points. Very well explained in your own inimitable style😊. Cheers Euan

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi Euan! Thank you! Gotta love a bit of jeopardy in the hobby, especially when it comes to personal safety! Lol! Yes, it has taken me a while, but I'm now in a position to start installing the first section of The Tricky Bit! in the train room Of course, it's all got to be dismantled so I can attach dropper wires, drill holes and then glue the track down - but at least I know it will all work! :) All the best, Ian.

@Elvenhome 26 күн бұрын

Good to see that everything worked as you wanted, even if you needed to duck at one point. Nothing like a practical demonstration of laws of physics to keep one on on one's toes. Also good that you can know that section all works and a loco can traverse it. Stephen

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi Stephen! Thank you! Yes, I never expected my model railway to attack me, but I'm glad I was up to the task of avoiding the danger when it occurred! I was definitely pleased to see the 33 tackle the section without issue! All the best, Ian.

@exehavenharbour 26 күн бұрын

Hi Ian, well, you made that look simple, very well explained and I think with model railways if something doesn’t go wrong it’s not real, 🤣. I’m now looking forward to the complicated bit not being quite so complicated, I think that’s right 🤔😂. Nothing much done here this week after my triumphant return from my golf weekend/competition!🏆. Plus sadly mum needs a lot more help now that she’s on her own which has taken up more Exehaven time this week. Have a good weekend mate, cheers for now, John

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi John! Thank you! I think that reading the manual definitely helped me to make it seem simple - although not the one I showed in the video, as that was written in German! Lol! Had to download the English version in PDF format! I think the complicated bit will be in having the patience to configure all of the points on the layout, of which there are about 40, including the Sill Harbour extension! Well done with the golfing, but sorry to hear that your mum needs more support! There's no rush to keep us entertained mate, not when real life is more important! We understand, as most of us have been in similar situations! All the best, Ian.

@bluemike52 26 күн бұрын

I like your super power of fast hand movements. LOL. Those work really well and seem easy to set up.

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Thanks Mike! Haha! Yes, just channeling my inner superhero! They seem like an excellent device for controlling servos, and that little display really helps with the setup! All the best, Ian.

@Wickford_N_Gauge 26 күн бұрын

Wow 😱 scary flying thing 🫣 and I thought the jigsaw was dangerous 😳 That LED display really makes the device so practical to program 👍 I think you chose wisely 😇 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi Paul! Thanks! Haha! Yes, the jigsaw has nothing on my new mortal enemy - the servo horn! Definitely, the little display is a godsend, and is something that puts this controller ahead of the Megapoints servo controller board I have, as although it can do the same things, you basically have to remember what you've done when configuring it, and follow a series of flashing lights to determine what you need to do next! All the best to Wickford and the Continental Shelf, Ian.

@PaulSmith-pl7fo 25 күн бұрын

Hi Ian. Yes, you pronounced Futaba correctly. They also make very good radio control transmitters for model aircraft (which use servo motors), etc. Sorry, but the servo horn flying off did make me laugh (I'm glad you were not injured). Personally, I would slow down the speed of the servos to be more like the Tortoise and DCCconcepts Cobalt point motgors. I just watched a video of a cab ride on the Dutch national railways in which the blades of the turnout moved smoothly and slowly.

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi Paul! Thanks for the confirmation of my pronunciation! You never quite know whether or not you're pronouncing words correctly when you've only ever seen them in print before - and you're from the North!! :) No problem, the servo horn flying off was quite amusing, and that section was included in the video for the entertainment value as well as to inform others what could happen when decreasing the servo position past zero! I think you're correct, I'm going to go with a much slower value that I've currently got set for the speed! I like that you can get a similar effect to the Tortoise / Cobalt motors, but at a much cheaper price with these SG90 motors! All the best, Ian.

@Luc-N-scale 26 күн бұрын

Nice explaining video Ian. I'm not going to use servo's for my switches. I will be using the Marklin/Minitrix switches and the Digital unit that will be needed for that. As far as progress, I did my my incline (Woodland) testing this week and glued the foam to the table. Oh yes, I ordered more rails... 😅

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Thanks Luc! I'm not familiar with those switches, but whatever works for you is the way to go! Great news about getting your incline tested and installed! I'm not looking forward to doing that job, especially on curves, but I expect I'll muddle through it somehow! Lol! All the best, Ian.

@aleopardstail 26 күн бұрын

nicely done, and nice to see good instructions I know when I was coding the controller I created actually controlling the servos was the easy bit, was by far harder writing the code for the configuration side - looks like this block does it quite sensibly looks nice and reliable, I though 8 was a small number to drive, however I think it will work well to tame what can be a wiring nightmare with the servo extension leads (to the result that my new layout has some boards than can drive 16 that actually only drive 2 purely for wiring sanity) that Cl33 is also lovely and a wonderful performer

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Thank you! When I was intending to perform point control using an Arduino, I was simply going to have an array of hard coded values for things like position A, position B and Swing speed! Then it would be fairly easy to update the code to tweak the values should they need to be adjusted! Yes, this unit makes the whole process quite simple - as longs as you remember when you get to zero, taking another step sets the position to 365! It would have been nice if it had prevented that!!! I'm definitely not looking forward to the wiring - it's going to be insane under the baseboard once I've got servo decoders, block detectors, lighting looms and whatever other of things I need wiring for! Ah, yes, the 33 is probably my favourite loco! Definitely one of Dapol's best! Cheers, Ian.

@ngaugefouroaksstreetstatio6932 26 күн бұрын

Hi Ian, As a kid i dreamt of having point motors, its always a milestone when you set up something that works well that you confidence to move forward. Can this controller can then be connected to a visual on a lap top or Ipad etc for the visual? Very enjoyable and education for me anyway. All the best

@iansngauge 25 күн бұрын

Hi Chris! Thank you! Yes, I was similar as a kid, and it wasn't until quite late on that we motorised the points in Wellfield Shed with surface mounted Hornby solenoid motors controlled by racks of those horrible plastic Hornby lever switches! It was amazing watching the points change like magic though! Lol! As the controller uses a DCC command as its cue to switch the points, you can use all of the usual software such as iTrains, JMRI or even the Z21 app to visualise the point positions and switch them too! One day, I'm sure I'll do a video about that! :) All the best, Ian.