Manual OC32/NG
VPEB
Control your Miniature World
Page 10 of 48
Version 1.0 – December 15
th
, 2017
2017 Leon van Perlo
2
Practical Notes
2.1
Opening and closing the enclosure
If you purchased the “boxed” version or the version with enclosure, it is good to know how
to open and close the enclosure before reading the next sections.
To open the enclosure grab the upper half of the enclosure between thumb and a finger at
both sides, just behind the two clamps (small bumps), as indicated in figure 3a below.
Squeeze the top part of the casing slightly together and pull upwards. The upper half should
flip open as in figure 3b. Once open at approx 30 degrees you can remove the top half
entirely.
Fig 3a
Opening the enclosure
Fig 3b
To close the enclosure, first insert the upper half in about a 30 degree angle into the
triangular notches as per figure 4. Carefully check both corners are inserted correctly. Now
gently close the upper half. The casing should slide just next to the DIPswitch. No
substantial force should be necessary until the casing hits the two clamps at both sides
near the other end. To close completely, push the upper half now between the two clamps.
No excessive force should be neccesary. If required, press both sides towards eachother as
you did when opening the case.
Fig 4: Closing the enclosure
2.2
Using the connectors
The connectors supplied with your OC32/NG are spring-loaded types. This means you can
use solid wire, stranded wire and pre-tinned wire and in all these cases will have a solid
contact, provided the wire is correctly inserted. No tooling is required except a wire-
stripping tool. A small screwdriver may be handy.
Control your Miniature World
VPEB
Manual OC32/NG
2017 Leon van Perlo
Version 1.0 – December 15
th
, 2017
Page 39 of 48
6.4.6
Decouplers
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A Sink Driver)
Solenoids may draw up to 1,5A (or more). That is too much
for the 500mA driver so you will need an OC32-ADM/SI to
solve that. The solenoid is connected between Vp and the
OC32 I/O Pin.
6.4.7
Turnout-solenoids
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A Sink Driver)
Solenoids may draw up to 1,5A (or more). That is far too much for the 500mA driver so you
will need an OC32-ADM/SI to solve that. The turnout solenoids are connected between Vp
(common wire) and two consecutive OC32 I/O Pins.
Fig 33: Solenoid driven Turnout
If you have turnouts with end-switches that switch-off current when the end-position is
reached, you may, in some cases experience problems with the stability of your system. This
specifically can happen when the distance between your turnouts and the OC32 is short.
The reason is that end-switches can cause very high Voltage spikes when the current
flowing through an inductor is suddenly interrupted. Stopping the current by electronics is a
far more subtle process.
Our first advice is to remove the end-switches if reasonably possible. Many experience
problems with end-switches after years of operation, since the continuous spikes are not
only a pain for the electronics, but also lead to contact burn-in. At some point the turnout
motor will stop working. Knowing that, removing them in the first place will solve problems
now and possible problems in the future.
If you cannot or choose not to remove the end-switches, the spiking problem can be
mitigated by soldering two 1nF multilayer capacitors between the connecting wires of your
turnout drive-unit. If you do, place them as close to the drive unit as reasonably possible.
Fig 34: Solenoid driven Turnout with end-switches
Vp
Q(x)
Fig 32: Decoupler solenoid
Vp
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Straight
Thrown
