Cobalt Slow Point Motor DCC control - RM - eLink

[PJ_model_trains]

John (Yelrow), don't tell the wife - I didn't.

 

With only the wife and myself at home who else could it be?

I got it, it was the cats    😆

[PJ_model_trains]

Time flies when we enjoy ourselves... so they say  😎

 

It is frustrating when you have to reply on others but, ah ho, it is just one of those things. I had the 4' square section of the layout put on our dinning table 4 weeks ago, (as my wife keeps reminding me), I am waiting for someone to fit a wall plate and my boards to the wall and hinge them for me. I am still waiting but hoping this next week he may come and do it, meanwhile the 4' square has track (as far as possible), scenery, hills, road, fishing lake, cars, street lighting, fencing, etc etc all done. The top of the this first board is ready (lots of droppers and wires from the other items all dangling below, but I am still waiting for a carpenter.

 

Anyway, whilst I wait the layout has been moved for me into the bedroom it will be working in. It is positioned vertically in one corner so I can access it both sides sat on a chair. So it is now time to add the DCC Concepts iP Point Motors and then set them up to work through RM. At last I feel I am starting to get some where although it will feel more like it when the layout is hinged to the wall.

 

Today I will fix the point motors under this board ready to connect wiring and code them.

 

Reading the instructions, I notice it says to get rid of the snap action springs.

Question: have those who have fitted these point motors removed these snap springs? Does it make any difference if they are not moved as the slow driven motor controls the action not these springs?

[PJ_model_trains]

 Hi guys

 

Ignore my last message regarding 'the snap action springs' I have removed them, it would be silly to have smooth action point movement that clicks!

 

I wish I had removed these before fitted some of the points but have managed to remove them.

 

Movement: I am very impressed

 

Sound: certainly not as loud as the examples seen, so again I am very impressed.

[PJ_model_trains]

Procedure I used to set up the Cobalt iP Point Motor for use with the eLink

With the point motor in position, centrally situated over the point, with the pin through the fulcrum arm on the point motor side and secured with the washer screw, and with the pin through the tie bar of the point which had been packed ready in a central position.

 

I don't have my DCC Bus installed yet so I used two wires from the point motor direct to the eLink (as was suggested in the thread), I transferred the two wires to each point motor, one by one as I set them. For electrofrog points I extended the wire to the third contact on the point motor.

 

Setting the decoder in RM

RM Layout design - set address and Choose Type: Cobalt Point Motor (with decoder), and left or right direct set.

 

Preparing the point decoder by de-activating self centering

1. I set the learn switch on the point motor to SET
2. I then clicked a separate point which was set to the same decoder type, decoder port 198 
3. I then set the learn switch to RUN

 

Preparation complete I disconnected the power and then plugged it back in again.

 

Writing the port address for the required point as previoulsy set in RM

1. I set the learn switch on the point motor back to SET
2. I then clicked the point I wanted to set the port for
3. I then set the learn switch to RUN

 

A quick test and maybe adjust the fulcrum position on the point motor and that was it.

 

Job done.

Thank you all