Under the surface mounting DZ-1000 switch Machines

Hi Doug, how is Florida? Eddiem is at York.

Check here. It is on the Z stuff web site.

Don, thanks.  I googled dz but got a different web site.  I should have known better.  I hope to get some input from someone who has done it.  With York this week, I probably picked a bad time to post this.

Florida is great, just no basements.

I use DZ1000s in my yard all mounted under the bench using Rix Rax 628-0001 vertical mounts.  Rix Rax  also makes a horizontal unit, P/N 628-0005.  

The DZ1000 mounts to the bracket easily and comes with a piece of what I remember is .030 wire.  Think of the Tortoise switch machines.  Very similar with the adjustment of the fulcrum to achieve enough throw and tension to get the job done.  You do need to make a shim to mount where the DZ would normally mount on top on a tie.  Small hardware needed to attach the DZ to the Rix Rax mount.  I used 1-72 and it worked fine. Many ways to attach, but I tapped the plastic mount where I marked the holes after squaring and plumbing up the DZ on the mount and the centered DZ switch mid-point.

They work great when the DZ switch machine does its thing.  If you have a lazy or problematic DZ, the Rix Rax mount will sure highlight this fact. 

I do all switch machines under table.  Mainline are all Tortoise.

Thanks Sac sparkchaser.  I would appreciate a picture or two if you can.

Thanks

Have done it with a couple bucks of styrene and 1/4" square basswood.  Search the forum, I found the basic idea on here. At York on a tablet, it's hard to do advanced forum functions on this thing. If no luck finding it by saturday, I'll take some pictures.

https://ogrforum.com/t...ines-under-the-table

Steve

Hey Doug,

You really need clearance underneath to use these under-table mounts.  The mount itself is 4 1/2 inches long and with the DZ1000 add another 1 inch for adequate clearance for the motor and electrical connection.

For about $3 a piece, which includes the wood screws to secure the assembly to the underneath of the top, the two 4-40 machine screws and nuts to secure the fulcrum, and if I remember correctly, an adequate length of music wire.  I usually fabricate a lot of my own stuff, but for $3 to gather all this stuff and prototype and then build 7 of these made no fiscal or time sense to me.  You will see by the pictures they are sturdy and offer slight adjustment in place.

 Because of my experience with the Tortoise switch motors, make a template (tempered 1/4 inch Masonite, acrylic, aluminum) to get everything lined up for drilling underneath.  Use the bracket itself, with the centered DZ mounted, to layout the template locating the slotted mounting holes (2)  and interpolate the location of the one music wire hole clearance (5/16 inch).

I block the switch points to hold a center set.  Then determine which side of the switch throw bar to use.  The hole down through the throw bar is your guide.  Using a small enough but long enough drill bit, drill down straight through the table.  I use a piece of stiff wire to locate the hole underneath and mark it clearly.  I use a 5/16 brad point drill bit with a stop collar securely fastened to the bit and properly gauged to the thickness of the deck and any roadbed material.  Very important!  Too long or the stop collar slips, the throw bar is gone!  The sharp pointed tip on the brad point bit will center perfectly in your previously drilled pilot hole.  I found 5/16 inch is optimum allowing full throw of any manufacturer's switch. 

Now I use an appropriate length 5/16 bolt so I can secure the template to the mounting location from underneath through the drilled hole without hitting the throw bar but pulling the template tightly to underside of the deck. Centered on location and hands free if you wrap a bit of tape to shim the bolt some.  I actually like it so I have to thread the bolt into the wire clearance hole.  Turn the template so the mounting screws are perpendicular to the through switch rails and drill pilot holes for the mounting screws.

Works for me.  You may develop your own methods. 

SAC Sparkchaser posted:

Hey Doug,

You really need clearance underneath to use these under-table mounts.  The mount itself is 4 1/2 inches long and with the DZ1000 add another 1 inch for adequate clearance for the motor and electrical connection.

For about $3 a piece, which includes the wood screws to secure the assembly to the underneath of the top, the two 4-40 machine screws and nuts to secure the fulcrum, and if I remember correctly, an adequate length of music wire.  I usually fabricate a lot of my own stuff, but for $3 to gather all this stuff and prototype and then build 7 of these made no fiscal or time sense to me.  You will see by the pictures they are sturdy and offer slight adjustment in place.

 Because of my experience with the Tortoise switch motors, make a template (tempered 1/4 inch Masonite, acrylic, aluminum) to get everything lined up for drilling underneath.  Use the bracket itself, with the centered DZ mounted, to layout the template locating the slotted mounting holes (2)  and interpolate the location of the one music wire hole clearance (5/16 inch).

I block the switch points to hold a center set.  Then determine which side of the switch throw bar to use.  The hole down through the throw bar is your guide.  Using a small enough but long enough drill bit, drill down straight through the table.  I use a piece of stiff wire to locate the hole underneath and mark it clearly.  I use a 5/16 brad point drill bit with a stop collar securely fastened to the bit and properly gauged to the thickness of the deck and any roadbed material.  Very important!  Too long or the stop collar slips, the throw bar is gone!  The sharp pointed tip on the brad point bit will center perfectly in your previously drilled pilot hole.  I found 5/16 inch is optimum allowing full throw of any manufacturer's switch. 

Now I use an appropriate length 5/16 bolt so I can secure the template to the mounting location from underneath through the drilled hole without hitting the throw bar but pulling the template tightly to underside of the deck. Centered on location and hands free if you wrap a bit of tape to shim the bolt some.  I actually like it so I have to thread the bolt into the wire clearance hole.  Turn the template so the mounting screws are perpendicular to the through switch rails and drill pilot holes for the mounting screws.

Works for me.  You may develop your own methods. 

Thanks for the info. I hope to give this a try next week.

Has anyone used the Rix Rax flat (horizontal) bracket with DZ 1000 to mount under the table? I spoke to a gentleman at Rix and he said the Rax system was designed 40 years ago for a switch machine that’s no longer made, he’s never heard of the DZ switch machines. I do see the pics of the  vertical Rax to mount DZ, and the DZ mounted very with a custom made (polystyrene/basswood) mount, very clever. I just wanted to save some time if Rix flat would work.

Mike

@Mike Marino posted:

Has anyone used the Rix Rax flat (horizontal) bracket with DZ 1000 to mount under the table? I spoke to a gentleman at Rix and he said the Rax system was designed 40 years ago for a switch machine that’s no longer made, he’s never heard of the DZ switch machines. I do see the pics of the  vertical Rax to mount DZ, and the DZ mounted very with a custom made (polystyrene/basswood) mount, very clever. I just wanted to save some time if Rix flat would work.

Mike

They're not strong enough to rock the wire. All the machine will do is bend the linkage wire, it does not have enough power to rotate the pivot.

I tried it with 2500s. You can use the vertical mount rix rax, but not the horizontal.

I have built many of the styrene sheet and brass tubed basswood block mounts for modular layout use and they work very well. If you have use of a 3D printer, I would think the DIY flat mount would not be too difficult to turn into a printable file and replicate as needed.

@Boilermaker1 posted:

They're not strong enough to rock the wire. All the machine will do is bend the linkage wire, it does not have enough power to rotate the pivot.

I tried it with 2500s. You can use the vertical mount rix rax, but not the horizontal.

I have enough trouble getting the DZ-2500's working on top of the table, no way I want to stick them under it for even more fun trying to get them all working 100%!

Yep, I figured as much. I’ll make mounts fir the 1000s. And I have a friend with a 3D printer!

thanks

The DZ were not really designed to work under the table like the Tortoises  that were.

I applaud the ingenuity!

Instead of using a 3D printer, a laser cutter would be better at flat sections with a right angle support bracket.

Dz-1000 with Rix Rax flat

If I were mounting under the table, I'd be using something like Tortoise switch machines, they'll be way more reliable under the table than the DZ-1000.  A bonus is the DPDT contacts for switch position.  You're doing all the work, might as well go for reliability.

Atlas O 3 rail switch with DZ-1000 and Rix Rax flat mounted under the table. Works great. Just use a piece of 1/4”x 1/4” wood and drill 2 existing holes in mount base that line up with motor holes and through the wood to use the two small machine screws to mount the motor to base. After install adjust the fulcrum point for max throw.

Don’t have clearance between levels. Switch is aNovember lower track where power tool is.

Don’t have clearance between levels.

Switch on upper level. Track directly below on lower level

As I reflect upon all the occasions when I had to take DZ1000 switch motors to the workbench to reinstall the motor shaft gear, I can't conceive of having them anywhere but on top of the table, accessible.  I fact, I use small screw connectors to facilitate swap out.  But hey, it's your layout.