The controls

This chapter is about the controls of the garden railway and everything that comes with it.

Since everything is still controlled and switched analogue, a small 19-inch wall cabinet has been sufficient until now.

This old, 19-inch wall cabinet that had become too small was finally replaced on July 20, 2021 for a larger one with better accessibility.

The control cabinet

The installation of the various transformers, connection terminals to which cables for various points on the garden railway are connected, central power supply and of course the control panel are all housed in a small 19-inch wall cabinet which (unfortunately) cannot be opened in a divisible manner.

A divisible opening makes maintenance and installation of various components much easier.

Pictured above is the control cabinet as it was on December 24, 2019.

The push buttons for the switches are located on the upper front plate, white for straight and yellow for diverging.

On the right on the same front plate the control lamps for Driving power voltage, 24 Volt power and Light power, blue on the left = forward, green is stop

and blue right = backwards.

Below this is the central power supply and on the lower front plate the main (key) switch and a spare switch.

Pictured above is the control cabinet as it was on July 14, 2020.

The push buttons on the upper front plate have been replaced by toggle switches that have been placed in the layout of the track.

Changing direction of travel also is done with a toggle switch, but it has a locking position.

Below that the central power supply and again below that a blind plate.

The junction

All switches were initially EPL controlled, which means the positive sinus of the alternating power was used for straight positions

and the negative sinus for diverging.

Of this 18 V alternating voltage, approximately 8 to 9 V remains (after half-rectification) and is quite sufficient.

If a capacitor (elco) is connected across the diodes, the conversion of the switch is slightly more powerful.

After many problems with this principle, the supply voltage was changed from 18 V ~ to 24 V =.

All control switches have been replaced from push buttons (as shown above) to mini toggle switches

with jump back into center position.

The advantage of this is little mounting space on the front plate and a powerful conversion of the switch(es).

It also is in anticipation of the upcoming digitization of the garden railway, although the financial budget available is not yet

adequate, unfortunately.

However, the switch street is already equipped with digital drives and these work as a switch should run,

reliable and slow.

When the outdoor track is converted in the future, the switches can be converted immediately.

Until then, these modules also work analogue at 10-27 V= or 18 V~ and can still be operated with toggle switches.

The junction after the conversion to digital drives, where the switch signal immediately was added.

This switch signal is based on an Amsterdam example as applied to lines 25 and 26, among others.

As a fact the new equipment cabinet on July 20, 2021.

This 19-inch wall cabinet can be divided in two parts and houses all the equipment needed to control the outdoor track.

All internal components are placed on three DIN rails one above the other mounted to the rear wall of the cabinet.

The connection strips for the power supplies and various relays are placed on the top row (row 1).

All 230 V connections are located in the middle row (row 2).

The control cables to the outer track are placed on the bottom row (row 3).

In the moving part of the cabinet, the power supply is placed at the bottom with the control panel above.

This control panel will be replaced at a later stage by smaller versions of a maximum of 2 height units (HU).

The switches for the points will then be placed separately on a 1 HU front plate.

The switches for the tracks also come on a 1 HU front plate.

The control lamps and the main switch are also located separately on a 2 HU front plate, as are the operating buttons

the driving directions and the switch for neutral (N).

The empty positions above these 4 panels are filled with a blind plate up to the clockwork control.

This clockwork control is placed on the top 3 HU.

The entire cabinet has a total of 15 HU.

Pictured above is the back wall of the control cabinet as it was delivered on July 20, 2021.

Pictured above is the inside of the control box with the connections to the control panel clearly visible.

This design is much more accessible than the old (much too small) cupboard.

There is more than sufficient excess length in the connecting cables to the rear wall and there is sufficient work space for any adjustments, changes or even malfunctions.

The power supply is easily removable from the front, without unnecessary wiring on the top and the power supply receives sufficient cooling.

Pictured above is the temporary front of the control cabinet with all controls and indicator lights.

On HU 1-2 the power supply, HU 3-6 the old control panel, on HU 7-10 and on HU 11-12 a blind plate and at the top on HU 13-15 the clockwork control.

The counting of HU (height units or 3 holes for cage nuts) is from bottom to top.

Pictured above is the current front of the control cabinet with all controls and indicator lights.

On HU 1-2 the power supply, HU 3-4 the main switch on the left and on the top row the indicator lights, on the bottom row the buttons for travel direction and stop.

On HU 5 the control switches for the points, on HU 6 the switches for the disconnectable tracks and on HU 7-10 a blanking plate, on

HU 11-12 a shelf with L.G.B. transformer for 18 V (there is a blind plate for this) and at the top of HU 13-15 the clockwork control.

HU 7-10 is reserved for the digital control.

The control cabinet as a whole, with the front door being lockable and water tight.