Insert an extra track break on the engine shed board.
Yes, a Tuesday, as Geoff had commitments on our usual Wednesday, but, unfortunately, Laurence couldn't make the only alternative date.
Firstly, an extra track break on the engine shed board had been identified as an asset to shunting on the stonemasons board and this was formed.
The Bridge board and the 4 adapter boards were set up. The four 5-pin din leads were temporarily connected together in a connector strip. This will allow power delivered from the main control panel to adapter board 1 (AD 1) via the fiddleyard loom plug, to be fed to boards AD 2-4. These leads will eventually feed into the switch box, but this temporary measure will allow running through to the two new scenic boards, for basic testing.
The Cinch plugs and sockets for the new boards (engine shed and stonemasons) were selected. These were fixed to wooden blocks to accommodate the wires underneath. The engine shed board required two. An 8-way to accommodate connections from the switchbox/main loom in the two layout configurations and a 20-way for track feeds, points, lights etc from the new 'Local' control panel. Female plugs are normally fitted on the loom as they carry live wires, so a 20-way male plug was fitted. However, an 8-way female was required because the existing fiddleyard lead had been fitted with a male plug!
The stonemasons board was fitted with a 20-way, as one was available.
The previous meeting had included a viewing of progress on Geoff's 4mm layout and his use of servo-operated points using MERG controllers. These use unadulterated servos (unlike WC) which allowed control of rotational travel and speed. The possibility of them being used on the new WC boards was now discussed further. Geoff had used 12-servo control units on his layout, but a 4-way unit using a different control method was also available, which would suit the new boards. If successful, a 12-way unit might be employed on the main layout in the future. Geoff to investigate 4-way units further.
