Working Semaphore Signals

[DaveGlew]

Hi all,
Do any of you have working signals on your layout. If so, which kits have you used and what challenges have you had in making them operate. I am planning to use Servos to operate them.

[NeilWhite]

Hi

I've used the Ratio signal kits, and operated them by servos under the baseboard. It is fiddly, but works well. I can provide more information if you like.

Another option is the Dapol signals which come fully working and are operated by an electrical switch.

Neil

[Caz]

I use the Dapol signals on the Fairford Branch part of the layout and other than 2 that go broken moving a module around they've worked perfectly since they first came out.

You read many stories of problems with them and I believe 99% of it is due to the way people operate them, either too heavy handed or incorrect voltage or switch operation.  The six on the branch are all operated via a DCC point motor controller switching a mometary contact relay, you only need to complete the circuit of the 2 yellow wires for a microsecond to operate the signal.  You don't need high power or DC discharge units and recently Dapol have amended their operating instructions to use a lower voltage than originally advertised, some people are even running them on 9 volt.

[Delboy]

Hi

I've used the Ratio signal kits, and operated them by servos under the baseboard. It is fiddly, but works well. I can provide more information if you like.


Neil

Hi Neil,
I have a few Ratio signal kits that I will be building up. I would certainly appreciate more info on your servo use.

[DaveGlew]

Hi

I've used the Ratio signal kits, and operated them by servos under the baseboard. It is fiddly, but works well. I can provide more information if you like.

Another option is the Dapol signals which come fully working and are operated by an electrical switch.

Neil

Thanks.....I was hoping to use servos so pleased the ratio kits can work. Do you gave piccies or are they in "hard to reach" places

[danmk1]

Hi

I've used the Ratio signal kits, and operated them by servos under the baseboard. It is fiddly, but works well. I can provide more information if you like.

Another option is the Dapol signals which come fully working and are operated by an electrical switch.

Neil

Thanks.....I was hoping to use servos so pleased the ratio kits can work. Do you gave piccies or are they in "hard to reach" places

I too am planning to use servos to operate my signals and would also be interested in pictures, and what make of servo you use?.
Luckily my dad volunteered to make them as I am using the comet/wizard etched signals apart from the ones that are 'rail' signals which he is in the process of making.



Dan

[NeilWhite]

I'll start by stating the obvious in that I'm not real good at photos! The main photo of the signal below looks a bit odd because of the angle (or something). It looks better in real life. This is also my first attempt at uploading photos, so please bear with me!

I'll start with a photo of one of my signals out of the layout:



This is based on the Ratio 260 lower quadrant (GWR) signal, but should be adaptable to the upper quadrant version. I wanted to make signals that I could remove easily from the layout. This was achieved by making it so that it would fit snugly in the hole drilled for it in the baseboard. I have removed it from the layout and mounted it on a sheet of card for this photo.

A section of white styrene tube (around 11mm diameter) is glued to the signal base, after cutting away a section to leave room for the weight that you can see hanging down below everything else.

The Ratio kit is made as per the instructions, taking care to leave the signal arm free to rotate on the pivot. I used a Peco track pin for the pivot. Control is (from the top):
-   a length of 15 thou piano wire with a double bend at the top
-   looped through, and glued to, the loop at the top of an M1 (or so) eyebolt
-   the nut on the thread of the eyebolt gives the adjustment for the horizontal position of the signal arm
-   the bottom part of the eyebolt goes through the hole in the Ratio signal base and screws into the cylindrical weight. The weight is made up from Milliput or similar and also acts as the push point for the servo.
-   the servo is mounted next to the signal with its axis horizontal. To turn the signal on the servo pushes up from the bottom. Adjustment for the on position (slanting down) is done by adjusting the servo travel. The servo travel is only critical at the 'on' end as the signal arm stops at the off position anyway.

I use the 'standard' cheap Towerpro 9g servos that many of us use. The servo controllers are MERG Servo4s.

The holes for the control apparatus in the signal arm and the base are as provided in the Ratio mouldings.

None of the dimensions and sizes mentioned above are critical.

The lenses were made using Micro Krystal Klear (as often used for road vehicle windows) coloured with food colouring. I've made no attempt to provide a light, but that would probably be fairly easy to do with the small pre-soldered SMD LEDs that are available these days.

The next two figures show the same signal back in position on the layout in the Off and On positions.

   




This method is reasonably easy to adapt to something like this:



Neil

PS I have larger and higher resolution versions of the photos - I may have gone a bit far reducing them down!

[Bealman]

Excellent work, Neil. That gantry looks very impressive! 

[Chris Morris]

I have 5 Dapol signals which work fine. All of the pc boards failed due to what I think were spikes in my current supply. They are now operated by a simple switch and have been 100% reliable. I can see the ratio single post signal might be made to work but I don't think the parts on the bracket signal would stand being made to operate; the whole bracket signal is very delicate. I currently have two fixed Ratio bracket signals but am hoping to replace these with etched brass signals which are servo operated. The guy who is making these plans to make them available to others once he has built the first two for my layout. They wont be cheap but from what I have seen of his other signals in larger scales they will be very good. I will post on the forum when I get them but I don't have an ETA yet as these will be the first N gauge signals he has made. I understand he has completed all the design work and the etchings required are being made for him now.

I planted my Dapol signals with the signal base under the baseboard in order to make the signal lower; I think they are a bit high for some signal situations in their original state.

[willike1958]

Hi,
I've built some working signals on my layout using a combination of MSE and Ratio parts operated by ESU servos and accessory decoders. You'll find the results in the thread on my layout, Houghtonbrook, at:
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=10285.msg106134#msg106134
At some indeterminate time in the future, I'll do a tutorial.
Kevin

[DaveGlew]

Thanks all.......Some great work here.....think I'll plan using ratio after all. Just need to finalise a working track plan now.