not having problems with them, largely because I've written my own software that makes adjusting the final positions quite easy, helped by the thinner piano wire and length it has to flex providing a nice spring. software is adjusted so when the point is thrown the servo can comfortable hold the position - note also it has had the horn clipped so it never binds on the channel. I'm using a Raspberry Pi Pico, largely because I wanted to learn how to work with one, a bog standard Arduino could drive the same controller board pretty easily.fourtytwo wrote:Thanks for the vote Nearest B&Q to me is 15 miles so I use whatever I can find in my local hardware store, I had heard about the U-method, nice to see it in the flesh! I eliminated the micro-switches by using an extra pole on the panel mounted switch that operates the point, much simpler IMOP, sometimes if the point is far away I use a relay operated by the same method.
How are you getting on with servo-twitching etc, there are many lurid stories all over the net but I have not personally experienced any problems yet.
I suspect the usual Adafruit type drivers could be adapted easily enough - the trick is to make it so you can adjust them all individually in terms of range of movement and have the two end points nicely defined. I've not tried the commercially produced point servo controllers but I think they all have the ability.
I suspect most of the issues people have with them are either down to electrical noise in overly long wires (better to keep the servo wires short and have a localised driver that can have a nice shielded line going to it, or to use shielded cable for the power and signal line), or them just not being quite adjusted right so the thing is constantly fighting itself.
I suspect not using the blade to stock rail contact for anything electrical is a good idea as well, then the servo really just needs to make the two contact lightly enough to work, not try and weld them together.
and yes the switch at the control source is a lot easier for things like frog switching, unless you have a slight delay (insufrog points don't care though)