ADS8FX 8 WAY SOLENOID DECODER

[Belah]

Thanks I had seen this discussion.  It is not a passing loop.  The helix has seven crossovers each with two similarly handed points joined on their spurs to enable trains to switch between the inside and outside circuit and overtake slower trains.  I have to use surface mounted points because their is insufficient headroom on the helix track below to accommodate a sub baseboard point.  I do notice a considerable difference between these point motors.  I had previously struggled with peco surface mounted points when using the hornby decoders.  I queried this with both hornby and peco.  Hornby suggested I alter the setting when programming the decoder which helped for individual points.  Peco merely informed me that they do not recommend the use of hornby decoders.  I have changed to the ADS8fx because they are more reliable especially when trying to set multiple points in a programme.  I am still baffled as to why I can easily use two sub baseboard point motors on a single decoder port but not two surface mounted motors.

[St1ngr4y]

This is clutching at straws, but, you have got the two surface mounted points wired to the decoder port in parallel and using the correct wire as the common return?

Ray

[Belah]

This is clutching at straws, but, you have got the two surface mounted points wired to the decoder port in parallel and using the correct wire as the common return?

Ray

Unfortunately the answer is yes.  Just to repeat I have found a method to operate the crossovers by using two ports and different port numbers but I remain baffled by the whole issue.  I have to say that some of the work arounds offered by forum members seem to be the most valuable aspect.  It is a great pity that they are all hidden in individual topic threads.  It would be really helpful if there was someway they could be collected into a single thread and indexed. 

[St1ngr4y]

Are they Peco or Hornby surface mounted point motors? Peco use green wire for common return, Hornby use black.

Ray

[Belah]

Are they Peco or Hornby surface mounted point motors? Peco use green wire for common return, Hornby use black.

Ray

Peco using the green as common return.  They do operate correctly on two separate ports but just will not operate correctly and reliably as a pair on a single port whilst their counterparts with peco sub baseboard motors do operate off a single port on these decoders.  Thank you for your response and for giving some thought to the issue.