Hello-I am a DCS newbie and recently purchased an AIU. I am in the planning stages of my layout but know that my turnouts will all be manually controlled. My question is can I use the switch track connections on the AIU for anything other than switch tracks? I've tried searching the forums but can't find anything on this. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
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Interesting question.
So what you have on the AIU are 10 switch channels each with 3 contacts (1,2,IN). When you press the "straight" or "turnout" icon on the remote, the contacts are momentarily connected as illustrated below.
So here we have what amounts to a solution looking for a problem! 
First you have to get over the "user interface" issue in that the only way to directly activate these momentary electrical connections is by using the arrow icons rather than keys labeled "on" or "off", "up" or "down", or something relevant to a function other than a turnout. But you do get to label the function whatever you want.
I think it comes down to imagining an accessory or layout feature that turns on by a momentary button press, or a by a momentary application of 1/2 second of voltage, current, power, whatever. I don't know if you're a DIY'er making custom animations but there are countless animations where a momentary application of power to a solenoid, electro-magnet, motor, etc. makes the accessory function or change to another position.
Also you've probably experimented with the DCS Record/Playback feature which can automate a sequence of commands. I recall a recent thread where a lighted building had multiple operating modes selected by momentarily pressing a pushbutton some number of times when you first turn it on. I think he had to press the button 3 times when he initially turned on his layout to make the building blink or behave as he wanted. Of course the building is on the other side of the room so what a nuisance. OK. So with an AIU he can wire that pushbutton switch to the AIU and use the Record/Playback function to automatically press the button 3 times...along with other AIU commands to configure his layout when first starting up. Far-fetched? Maybe, but it's all part of the fun of model trains!
Neil,
I expect that if you used an SW port to operate a latching relay, the relay could operate just about any accessory that an ACC port could operate.
thanks to both of you. it looks like I will be doing some experimenting this week.
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