Need help with Fowler's HO Slow Action Crossing Gate Kit

Well, no joy yet, but some progress, of sorts:

- First, I dug out the actuator from the other kit, and tried it with the small Marx transformer I'd been using. No joy.

- I then measured the output voltage of the power supply, and sure enough, the voltage was a bit low, about 13.5 volts AC, just below the range recommended in the specs. So, I dug out another transformer, this one an old single-set Lionel (which brand IME all seem to run a few volts higher than their Marx equivalents), and sure enough, the output was about 15.5 volts AC, comfortably within the recommended range of 14-25 VAC.

- I then tried both actuators on the higher voltage, and neither seemed much closer to actually moving, though both hummed and, when manually assisted, seemed to be trying to close.

So, no solution yet. When I get a chance, I'll test the other PS I have at hand to see if one has a bit more ooomph, though frankly I'm not too hopeful it will make enough of a difference.

I did do a quick search for "linear activators", and I see some small, cheap ones offered by slow boat (maybe even slower, with the dock strike!) that might provide the approximately half-inch/1 cm. 'throw' needed to drive the slow-motion activation mechanism. Anyone ever used such devices, and can suggest how to drive them to achieve the two-way action I need? Thanks in advance . . .

Update: I'd been stymied on figuring out how to up the voltage, since both my smallish bench transformers topped out at just below or slightly above the minimum voltage specified. Then, it hit me: a sort of reverse phasing, connecting them serially to add the output voltages, rather than in parallel to add their power capacities as I've done in the past, would bump up the available voltage. A couple of minutes fiddling, and I was able to produce 20-25 VAC.

At that voltage, the solenoids were visibly and audibly trying to function, but not very successfully. Taking off the detent spring helped somewhat, but even at the maximum voltage, the solenoid does not briskly 'flip' the detent lever, and the action was, to say the least, sluggish and unreliable, on both sets of solenoids. So, I think my linear activator order will be money well spent, and may give me my best chance to get these inexpensive kits functioning. Practice note: if you are tempted by the low price of these kits as offered on the auction sites, be aware that you are buying into a really hairy project, not a reliable product! Along with the solenoid problems I've been chronicling, I had to drill out the tiny holes in the crossarm support, which were closed in the metal casting but must be opened to route the control thread through to activate the arm. I still don't know what other poorly engineered or crafted issues lie ahead before I can get these crossing guards functioning, so be forewarned! 😟

Steve,

Perhaps you should try using DC instead of AC to power the gate(s).  99% of the HO world operates on DC, unlike our 3 Rail O gauge world which has been fixated on AC since Day 1.

Give it a try and good luck.  I admire your persistence.  You'll find the root cause eventually.

Mike

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Perhaps you should try using DC instead of AC to power the gate(s).  99% of the HO world operates on DC, unlike our 3 Rail O gauge world which has been fixated on AC since Day 1.

Give it a try and good luck.  I admire your persistence.  You'll find the root cause eventually.

Well, I suppose that's something to try, but the instructions explicitly state 14 to 25 volts AC, which IME is the range almost all accessories, HO or not, seem designed for (other than specialty electronics). For instance, every HO transformer I've had *does* output DC for the trains, but also has an AC tap for accessories. I *could* run the 25 VAC through a buck converter, but I'd be surprised if it worked any better.

Well, another set of potholes in my tale of woe (or, more appropriately, "trail of whoa!"):

- The linear activators arrived (making good time for a "slow boat" order!), and physically seemed a good fit for the task. However, when I delved into how to wire them up, some of the details I overlooked earlier came back to bite me. Specifically, these cheap linear actuators (apparently like most similar) use a stepper motor for activation, rather than a simple solenoid or DC motor, and the four electrical contact pads must be driven in specific sequences by saw-tooth DC pulses rather than being directly DC powered. *That* requires a driver board, and some sort of controller (like an Arduino) to send the appropriate commands. As it happens, I do have a spare Arduino and *maybe* a stepper motor driver that would work, but at best that would involve digging out the pieces and freshening up my Arduino coding and assembly skill set (meager at best!) to put together a bunch of bits and pieces which I would have to shoehorn into limited space . . . all just to drive some crossing gates!

- So, back to design purgatory: there *are* some DC-driven actuators available, but they are both relatively expensive (the best I've found so far are 12VDC auto power lock activators, about $10 each) and, I suspect, very abrupt in action and drastic overkill in terms of power. I've also considered salvaging solenoids from vintage model train gear, but aside from the waste of the originals, the cost and abrupt/overpower issues would also likely apply.

So, once again I'm open to any suggestions/recommendations on some form of linear activation I can put together for my salvaged crossing gate mechanisms. I need something like a half inch of "throw", and at most an ounce or two of "pull". Anything cheap/simple in the RC world?

How about a Tortoise switch machine?

@SteveH posted:

How about a Tortoise switch machine?

Hmm, good idea, thanks! They seem a bit pricier than I was hoping for (about $20 each, unless bought in quantity) but not impossibly so. How long is the "throw", and can that be adjusted, and can they be controlled directly via ordinary switches or are there any control mechanism or proprietary connectors required?

The travel of the swing arm's throw is a little over 1/2".  Unsure how much force it can apply, but that would be somewhat dependent upon the gauge of spring wire used with it.  Without actually measuring the force, one to two ounces of push-pull seems doable with a stiff spring wire.  The diameter of the larger hole measures 0.100 inches. For pulling laterally, a small screw could be threaded into the Tortoise's larger swing arm hole.  The smaller hole is for inserting the included spring wire, intended for use with a turnout.

It can be actuated by a SPDT switch among other options.

Circuitron 800-6000 TORTOISE Slow Motion Switch Machine Instructions here

Although connection wires can be directly soldered to the contacts, some prefer the 6606 ZipZ Solderless connection

@SteveH posted:

The travel of the swing arm's throw is a little over 1/2".  Unsure how much force it can apply, but that would be somewhat dependent upon the gauge of spring wire used with it.  Without actually measuring the force, one to two ounces of push-pull seems doable with a stiff spring wire.  The diameter of the larger hole measures 0.100 inches. For pulling laterally, a small screw could be threaded into the Tortoise's larger swing arm hole.  The smaller hole is for inserting the included spring wire, intended for use with a turnout.

It can be actuated by a SPDT switch among other options.

Circuitron 800-6000 TORTOISE Slow Motion Switch Machine Instructions here

Although connection wires can be directly soldered to the contacts, some prefer the 6606 ZipZ Solderless connection

DING, DING, DING, I think we have a winner!

Not only does it appear to be about the right size to fit the spaces I have available, the half-inch throw is in the right ballpark, the instructions make it clear it will work with the voltages I have available, and the wires can be soldered directly to the tabs. As a bonus, some of the additional tabs give access to the two built-in SPDT contacts, which would be perfect for controlling the overhead traffic control signal (and the sound modules, if I end up going that route)!

Any idea what the best/cheapest source would be?

@Steve Tyler posted:

DING, DING, DING, I think we have a winner!

Not only does it appear to be about the right size to fit the spaces I have available, the half-inch throw is in the right ballpark, the instructions make it clear it will work with the voltages I have available, and the wires can be soldered directly to the tabs. As a bonus, some of the additional tabs give access to the two built-in SPDT contacts, which would be perfect for controlling the overhead traffic control signal (and the sound modules, if I end up going that route)!

Any idea what the best/cheapest source would be?

Steve, how many do you need?  I sent you a Private Message via the forum.

Well, I bought a set of used Tortoise switch machines at a decent price, and have so far managed to re-engineer one of them to drive a pair of the kit's traffic control gates, after a lot of fiddling. I just managed to breadboard control of the adjacent traffic lights by using one of the internal switches on the Tortoise, so I'm well on the way to completion of this phase of the bridge project:

https://youtu.be/19STyBy5dnY?si=-UwQnDhNhTfkdVm7