Discuss wiring!
Wire-up a new baseboard.
Laurence was a bit under-the-weather again so just Geoff and Stephen this week. Geoff reported that most of the connectors he'd ordered had arrived, although the Cinch connector shells were now unavailable, leading Geoff to surmise that they were not being manufactured anew, but simply selling old stock. Geoff was expanding his 3D drawing skills with a view to 3D printing the shells himself. Watch this space!
Stephen had updated the wiring schedules and layout sketches for the existing boards and also proposed wiring references for the two new exhibition boards.
As lunchtime approached, both were pleased to have resolved all bar one issue - the physical nature of the 'change-over' area (boards #2 and #3), and over lunch the matter was discussed again. Geoff had proposed a mechanical solution mounted on the storage rack, with DPDT switches and push rods operated from each end. Stephen thought that operation of the layout would be better served with an electrical/electronic solution with detachable button boxes adjacent the control panels. Stephens previous solution (push buttons, staircase lighting and relays) was then reassessed to include the 'sections off requirement'. When no immediate solution was found, the question of whether the sections needed to be switched off was considered. After assessing working train operations in conjunction with the proposed wiring, it was decided it was not essential as there were sections on the adjacent boards that would provide the isolation. After deciding these switches ought not be built-in to the control panels, the bones of a solution were discussed that comprised project boxes Velcroed to the two control panels, with switches and 'live track' indicators and long wander leads. All would have to be developed in detail, in due course.
After a late lunch they finally made it to the workshop and decided to wire-up the first new board - Adaptor #1. This involved fitting a new 8-way socket, the feeds to each section and the stock-rail/frog wiring using the DPDT slide switch that also acted as point operator. Note the four brass nails in the baseboard that act as soldering posts - something Geoff developed on a school layout project.
