2
Always hold and push the signal by
its base, NEVER by the post or head!
!
To fit signal into the track
, locate the
power clip slots in the track between the
rails and the sleepers and,
holding the
signal BASE
, carefully align and slide the
signal contact fingers into the slots all the
way until the signal stops - the sensor
should be close to but not touching the rail!
This may be a tight fit so take great care!
FITTING YOUR SIGNAL
Switch off power before installing!
Power clip slots
provided at regular
intervals on some track types
Firstly you need to choose your location, ideally not on a sharp curve because the optical sensor
needs to ‘see’ the train above it and long wheelbase stock like coaches could either knock the
signal or miss the sensor if on a curve. Next you need to provide the Sensor Signal with power:
• Sliding Signal into the track
suitable for DCC layouts only
DCC layouts have power on the tracks all of the time and so Sensor Signals may take their power
straight from the track by sliding contact fingers into the slots which some track has for power
clips.
Note
this is only suitable for some track such as Hornby and Bachmann fixed track and a
very good connection
must be made at all times for reliable operation. Some Peco track also has
slots but they are much wider and will need packing to make a solid reliable connection. If in any
doubt we recommend wiring directly to the signal - see below.
Sensor -
careful never to let the sensor pins
to touch the rail or signal will be damaged!
• Wiring the Signal
suitable for both DC and DCC layouts
If your layout is conventional DC, or you have DCC but do not like the slide in fingers or do not
have suitable track with power clip slots as above, you can wire your Sensor Signal to your layout
supply by cutting off the track fingers and soldering two wires - see below.
Signals can be powered by DC or DCC and require a voltage of 12-16 Volts max and current of
approx 0.05A each
(note they should
never
be powered by an AC or unsmoothed DC supply)
.
Recommended supply for DC use is Gaugemaster Model GMC-WM4 12 V 1.25A Power Supply
Using a sharp pair of wire sidecutters or modelling
cutters, carefully trim off the fingers
exactly
along the
dotted lines marked
- - - - - -
on the signal circuit
base, taking great care not to touch or damage the
small black sensor or any of its wires as this will
cause permanent damage to the sensor signal!
Carefully solder 2 thin pretinned wires into the holes
marked P P on the signal circuit base & drawing,
making sure that any loose strands or whiskers
of wire do not touch any other contact or
component!
On DC layouts connect these wires to a
12-16V DC supply and on DCC layouts connect them
to the nearest rails, DCC Bus bar or direct to the DCC
controller output.
Take care
not to let the rail touch these sensor
wires or any other contacts or components!
P
P
Power
Power
