DZ-1000 vs DZ-2500

In the past I have been a supporter of the DZ2500's but that has now changed. With almost 100 Ross turnouts on my layout, half of which are controlled by either 1000's or 2500's, I will be changing all over to 1000's as I get "fed up" with tweaking the intermittent operation of some of my 2500's. Some of them have been on the layout for almost 10 years. I find that every so often, the switch will not completely throw and only by successive cycle of the command buttons and I get them to "walk over" completely. Dennis has given me a fix but it involves taking the machine off the layout and opening it up and adjusting the small spring wires on the rotating wheel. I perform that and they seem to work okay for a while but then start acting up again. My 1000's never seem to fail. I have hung the unit on them to convert them to full TMCC operation and will continue to do so. I hear the 1000's click and I'm almost assured that they have thrown. 

The DZ1000's are a bit less expensive.

Hi,  I use DZ2500s on my 20 switches.  They have been installed for about 5 years and operate without problems.

I think it may depend on your circumstances.  Most of my switches are Atlas.  The remainder of the switches are Ross.  The 2500s are easy to install on both switches.  The small size compared to other switches is also a  plus.  I would have a hard time getting some of the larger switch machines to fit.

I find that the when a switch does not throw, there is usually something physically wrong with the switch points such as dirt blocking the points.  Cleaning the points returns the switch to operation.

You can throw the 2500 manually by pushing the small tab on top of the machine.

Good luck with your layout.

Joe

Hi Phil,

My Humble opinion is this.  I have the 2500Cs, mounted undertable on Rix rax. All have worked well with the legacy control. After i had them all working quite nice for a few months i added the switch lanterns, this is where i encountered problems. The 2500s do not have enough torque to spin the lanterns  without taking hours to perfectly adjust each one, and then it is still not reliable. So i have lanterns that are for show only now with reliable switch operation.The 1000s snap so fast they will throw the lantern heads off i ve heard.

Its nice to only have to run 3 wires for operation but in my circumstances i would of went with the tortoises or servoes.These both can pull a small house down.

Joe:  You said

"You can throw the 2500 manually by pushing the small tab on top of the machine."  But what if there's no power ?  That's the case I meant.

BB:  Thx for the cost info

Others:  Thus far, I see no reason to deviate from my plan to stick with the DZ-1000's, but I'll keep checking this thread....Thx to all.

I gave up on the DZ-2500 due to how flaky they work, but remember the DZ-1000 had issues where equipment bumped it due to its higher profile.  TMCC cranes come to mind at the moment.

I went back to manual throws.

Jim

I have found that if you are careful you can use flat head screws to mount the DZ-1000 and then have very little problem with equipment hitting them. The ability to throw them manually is a big plus when you follow your equipment around the layout and do not use the remote to control switches. The switch lanterns could be replaced with small ground signals. I don't know of any yards that use switch lantern anymore. They have all been replaced with signals. There was a thred, I believe it was on the electrical forum, about using small PC board LED mounts to make ground signals.

Al

Al:  Good point; and, I have done that & will do so in the future!  DZ-1000's it is!