The controller I ordered from Morley arrived yesterday so this an initial impression and I will add to this review in due course when I have used it for a longer period.
The controller is Morley's Vesta N Gauge. The Vesta is a DC twin track controller with a case case size of approx 8 3/4 by 5 1/4 inches by 3 inches high. It arrived well packaged and with a comprehensive instruction manual which includes hints and tips on the various track wiring combinations. Included in the package were two of Morley's wired remote 'walkabout' hand control units. The total cost of the package was a shade under £70 including postage and packing.
The controller looks to be very well made with a very solid feeling and attractive case and fascia. The fascia has twin rotary knobs for train control (These control forward and reverse with the off position being in the centre). Also on the fascia are the two sockets for the remote units, controller/remote selector switches and twin LEDs which indicate power being supplied to the tracks and an LED which indicates that the on-board CDU for points control is ready. The back of the controller has a screw type connector block with outputs for two controlled tracks, 12 volt accessories and an output for the CDU points supply which is integrated into the unit. The unit has two 240 volt transformers housed inside the case so it has one transformer per track. It does not use feedback and so is suitable for use with latest generation of DCC ready locos.
The remote hand-held units included have a nice solid quality feel to them and fit nicely in the hand. The inclusion of these remote units was important to me as I plan to house the controller under the layout and use the remotes to control the trains on my layout.
Having connected the controller to my layout my initial impression of its operation is very favourable. The locos i tried all ran very smoothly with good and proportional slow speed running. The control knobs are very smooth in operation and the unit was not even warm after being on for approx three hours. Applying the 'kid' test my 4 year grandson found the handsets very easy to operate!
The controller has a five year warranty.
All in all I am very happy with my purchase and will update this after I have used it for a while.
Great review. :thumbsup: Definitely something I would have looked into if I hadn't just bought a new controller.
Was just on the Morley website and was about to order one of these, cupoftea is your controller still working well, would be nice to know before sending off order.
Thanks
Paul
Thanks for that, cupoftea, I've not heard of them, but will now be having a look :thumbsup:
Lesmond
I have just bought a hand held Gaugemaster feedback controller to plug into my 100 transformer...
it seems very good too....and is less than £30....
if I wire the layout to the 'controlled' 12v output on the Gaugemaster I get 'normal' control....
if I swap the wires over to the 'uncontrolled' 12v socket the feedback kicks in...
so I have the best of both worlds
I got one of these a few months ago, and the only niggle I had was that there did not seem to be a noticeable 'stop' when going from forward to reverse.
apart from that a great unit, and if you ask nicely, you may be able to talk them into supplying the longer leads on the handhelds an no extra cost.
class37025
Thanks for that advice class 37025, will give them a call tomorrow.
Can anyone confirm that the low speed control of the Morley Vesta controller is good. Is it better than Gaugemaster W or WS?
I'm looking for the best low speed DC control for N gauge without using DCC. I've also heard that Pulsed feedback controllers should not be used for N gauge. Anyone have any comments on that
Thanks
Quote from: austinbob on April 04, 2013, 07:19:18 PM
also heard that Pulsed feedback controllers should not be used for N gauge. Anyone have any comments on that
In general yes - they tend to cause motor heating. It is possible to get a feedback controller which is designed to work with small and coreless motors but most are not.
Alan
I have the Morley Vortrack for N gauge which comes with 2 hand helds and the slow running is excellent. Sadly the main panel controls do not have centre offs but the hand helds do.
Hi
I too have the Vortrex N 4x track Controller and it is excellent at slow speeds and has good performance all round and does not overheat when double heading.
I bought mine because my feedback controller was causing damage to my recent n guage locos!! Be warned. I have had no trouble with the Morley as it was described as having no feedback of any kind. The 2x handheld controllers with long leads it also came with are great, especially for operations by guests.
It also has two uncontrolled 12v outputs that power my layout lights. I have not yet used the pulse output (for point motors).
Cheers
Mac :thumbsup:
Quote from: austinbob on April 04, 2013, 07:19:18 PM
Can anyone confirm that the low speed control of the Morley Vesta controller is good. Is it better than Gaugemaster W or WS?
I'm looking for the best low speed DC control for N gauge without using DCC. I've also heard that Pulsed feedback controllers should not be used for N gauge. Anyone have any comments on that
Thanks
Hi Austinbob,
I have a Morley Vesta N controller for a few months now and found it excellent. It is this model:
http://www.morleycontrollers.com/Details.asp?ProductID=72 (http://www.morleycontrollers.com/Details.asp?ProductID=72)
Personally it does everything I was expecting and more. The handheld units are great and have a positive off (well mine do).
Hope this helps.
Paddy
I've bitten the bullet and ordered the Vesta - haven't seen a bad review yet so fingers crossed performs well
Bob Austin
Remind me, Morley's Vesta or Gaugemaster's Model D?. Cheers john.
Hi painbrook
I've ordered the Morley Vesta - I'll post what I think of it after it arrives
Bob Austin
:claphappy:
My Morley Vesta has now arrived.
Im very pleased with the way it works. I only have one N gauge loco to try it on at the moment (Farish 4MT 2-6-0) and the results are identical to my old Gaugemaster WS which I used for my EM gauge layout. CDU output works great with Seep point motors. 12v accessory output is unsmoothed full wave rectified.
For the techies who might be interested - the Vesta has a smooth DC output as opposed to the WS which has a half wave rectified and unsmoothed output. I imagine the latter is intended to give better slow speed running owing to the 50Hz pulsed nature of the output. I must say I can't detect any difference between the Vesta and the Gaugemaster at slow speed.
The Vesta handhelds are great and can easily be operated with one hand if you need to. Overall this kit works well and is great value for money.
Bob Austin
50Hz pulsed DC will not be ideal for a small motor. It does help slow running of big old motors but a modern can motor or coreless motor is a very different beastie. Modern feedback controllers use much higher frequencies (as do DCC decoders)
Alan