Sensor to activate crossing signals

The lionel are far better but not sure about Z-stuff sensor's

When I first installed my Z-stuff crossing signals, I tried using their dwarf signal activators that came with the signals.  These worked intermittently at best.

A fellow train club member suggested using insulated outside rails to activate the crossing signals and this has proven to be a very reliable solution.

And I was able to salvage the activators by pairing them up with my wayside position light signals to give advance indications when a train enters the block.  These dwarf signal activators seem to work very well when used in this manner.

Curt

Gandydancer posted:

I have Rail King dual crossing semi fore signals with bells sounds but without gates.  I wired them to a rail king infrared sensor but it seems to not always activate the signal.  I understand that some railcars create a problem for the infrared sensor because of its color or height.  However, the same train repeatedly going by the sensor sometimes will activate the sensor and sometimes it will not.  Can anyone tell me if The Lionel infrared or the Z-Stuff DS 1070 infrared is the better choice?  Unfortunately my layout is not broken into blocks, so there are no insulated sections.  That is the reason I must use sensors to activate the signals.  Thank you to all who may reply.

You know the railking itads have both a sensitivity and delay adjustment?  Increasing the delay will prevent the sensor from deactivating the signal if it doesn't see one of the cars and then when the next one goes by it restarts the timer.  Also make sure it's at right height compared to track.  Sometimes when people put track on track bed the track and cars can be a little high. And make sure the sensitivity it set high enough .  I have 4 and they work 100% with all different kinds of engines and rolling stock.