New Railway Modellers Forums

Bare LEDs always need a resistor in series. As already suggested, 1k ohm is a good starting value, but in theory the minimum/optimum value depends of the LED's colour (different colours have different electrical characteristics), its current-carrying capability (usually related to brightness), and t...

Hi abenn This is where I loose the plot I have'nt a clue when it comes to programmable chips I stick to basic electronic's using the 555 timer is a simple way to operate servo's the reason for 2 555's is one opens the gates 2 clockwise the other 2 anticlockwise the relay is triggered by my plug in ...

I don't understand: He demonstrated that the faulty LED was getting 6.5v and, I think, mentioned that the voltage-regulator had failed open-circuit, which would have eventually caused the LED to fail. So why didn't he change the voltage regulator as well -- or did I miss it?

I'm not familiar with 555 timers, but am a great fan of PICAXE programmable chips, and use a single 14M2 to control the two servos driving the blades on a single slip, and 08M2s for single servos on regular points. The 14M2 has enough outputs that it could drive the four servos for your gates withou...

Of course, silly me! Thanks Bufferstop.

Thanks for taking time for that explanation. So my box is going to get a full complement of levers, some with cut down handles, and quite a few painted white. BTW, just out of interest, what was the issue about not getting a two-handed grip on the levers operating modern equipment? Was that simply t...

That's an interesting insight stuartp. I had thought that all motorised points and colour light signals would be operated from a remote control centre, or is that only the case when there are no mechanical signals and points remaining? So my box could be controlling all the points and signals, of wh...

Thanks Jim. Yes, I'll make a brick relay room to go with it.

I'm in the process of assembling a Ratio signal box to add a bit of interest to my N-gauge layout, and the kit provides a lot of internal detail. The box will be located at a junction between my main line and a branch line. The main line is deemed to be to modern standards, with colour light signall...

Yes, if you use a LED with a resistor in series the brightness will vary in relation to the voltage applied. Not many ways to avoid this with DC. You can minimise the change in brightness by using a current-limiting device such as an NSI50010 LED driver instead of a resistor. That'll limit the curr...

I've used Lenz silver mini decoders in all my N-gauge dcc-ready locos, including a Dapol Castle and Grange. All of them were as easy as Paul-H has said. My only issue was with my Dapol 0-6-0 tank where the decoder is slightly visible in the cab. I painted the visible bits matt black so they're not o...

Lenz is the only system I know, and it has a socket on the back of the control unit for programming purposes. So, a piece of track with two wires soldered to it, and a plug on the end to go into the programming socket, is the simplest way for me. It goes in a drawer when I'm not using it. With diffe...

From Wikipedia: " United Kingdom The standard height for platforms is 915 mm with a margin of +0,-25 mm.[5][14] On the Heathrow Express the platform height is specified at 1,100 mm (43.3 in) .[15] High Speed 2 is expected to be built to dimensions conforming to the European Union technical stan...

How long do you want your test track to be? I use a loose piece of track about 18" long, with wires permanently soldered to it, with the appropriate plug for plugging into my Lenz controller's programming socket. Anything more than programming, and a short forward/backward test, I do on my layo...

I moved from OO to N-gauge a few years back and, using Peco code 55 flexible track and electrofrog points and crossings I've never had a derail since I corrected the gauge of the front bogie on one of my Dapol locos. One key to reliable running is, of course, to have a good solid base for the track;...