How To Install Peco Point Motors

How to fit SEEP point motors. Michael Campbell details his arroyo.

Motor operated points make a huge divergence to layouts. As MRE reader Andy Richardson explained in this profile of his layout, they make a tremendous difference to the enjoyment of operating a layout.

But equally anyone who has ever tried fitting them knows, installation is ofttimes problematic.

The concept is easy enough. Cutting a small pigsty under the point; position the motor in place under the baseboard and then the pin from the motor slips through the hole so secure information technology in place. When the motor is activated, the pin moves back and forth operating the point.

Easy huh?

Until you come to do information technology.

Getting the slot to line up with the necktie-bar (the moving bar on the point that moves the rails) is fiddly enough. And then trying to secure the SEEP motor in the precise location under the board to match upwardly with this slot is fifty-fifty harder.

And then there'south wiring, connecting the motor(s) under boards is not my idea of fun.

Luckily, Michael Campbell has washed this recently fitted SEEP indicate motors on his Hexworthy layout and has plant novel solutions to these problems which he explains beneath.

Difference in Point Motors

Before getting into fitting the motor, all the same, a quick word from Michael on the differences between point motors and his pick of SEEP motors. I'll permit Michael explain.

Slow-acting motors take become popular, and we're using Tortoise motors on the latest gild layout, which seem well designed and fabricated.

However they are very deep, and even the three.5″ depth of the Hexworthy base of operations-lath is insufficient, and so they don't adjust shelf layouts. They are too pricey, and I've heard mixed reviews of cheaper versions, even though I merely need iv I find it tricky to justify £x-20 per point.

The thing is, I don't really see the demand for slow acting motors – whenever I've seen a real indicate move it'due south with a "clang" that takes less than a second. Solenoids go faster and with a "Thunk", is that worse than a 2-3 second two-3 second "whrrrrrr"? It's never bothered me…

Servos have started to go popular in recent years.

They are cheap merely need a mounting arrangement, and a circuit to drive them – while there are various options for this (including from PECO) they exercise push the cost upward and they aren't simple. I've besides heard reports of them "jittering" or moving due to voltage spikes or noise from motors.

Solenoids are relatively inexpensive, reliable, and simple.

My choice is SEEP motors, they are easy to fit under the baseboard with no extra fittings, and have the necessary built in switch for frog polarity switching.

Those on Awngate were salvaged from a previous layout and so are probably over twenty years old, I admit they're not used intensively only I've only ever had one failure – and that was repaired. I already take the Capacitor Belch Unit (CDU) in my power-pack to drive them, and a simple passing contact switch or push button is all that'south needed to operate them.

For those interested, there's a further discussion of the differences between SEEP and Peco point motors here.

But back to plumbing fixtures them and on with Michael'due south guide.

I've found that the SEEP motor requires enough move to switch the switch properly. On Awngate with a 6mm baseboard, the movement of the 009 betoken tie-bar was barely enough, requiring some careful set-up.

It struck me that the motor can travel further than the tie bar as the pin invariably flexes a little, so if the motor was farther from the bespeak the backlog motility could be increased, and the demand to site the motor perfectly would be reduced.

fitting seep point motors 1

Firstly a ruler was set along the tie-bar and a pin pushed through the foam an inch or 2 from either end. Underneath the lath the pin holes were joined with a pencil line marking the line of the necktie-bar, the point motor should align with this to piece of work finer.

Next, the hole for the actuator pin was opened up from beneath with a scalpel, wider at the underside than above, ensuring the pin cannot foul on the foam-core (which is double-thickness, so 10mm deep here) even if the motor travels further than the point tie-bar. The hole was afterward painted blackness. Note the wire in the centre of the picture, which is the dropper from the point crossing vee/frog.

Previously I've glued the SEEP point motor base of operations directly to the underside of the baseboard. I figured it would make them easier to change in the upshot of a failure if they were screwed in place, so I made some mounts from 9 mm ply. The large pigsty clears the actuator pin and the motor is attached with a couple of pocket-size screws, a couple of pencil lines marker the centre-lines. You'll note the motor is now about nineteen mm below the point.

fitting seep point motors

From above the points were wedged to the centre position with a couple of strips of plastic backside each blade, I call back they were most 30 1000 but it was whatsoever fitted. The blu-tak holds the wedges while I capsize the baseboard.

fitting seep point motors 4

The motors were held centrally by a piece of plastic cut to fit between the coils and a hole for the pin. The pin was pushed into the tie-bar pigsty and the ply stuck in place (PVA is fine), aligning the centre-lines as it sets. After the glue is dry the plastic pieces are removed, the excess pin is marked, the screws were removed to release the motor, and the pin cut downward. They're tough steel and so a slitting disc in a mini-drill is best for the job.

fitting seep point motors 5

While the motors were out I soldered wire tails to the contacts – much easier on the demote. I've added these the same to all the motors, long enough to achieve a 6-fashion terminal cake connector, which you will annotation is sited and then that the wire dropper from the signal frog connects straight in. The grey wire is the switched (frog) output, the white pair are for the stock rail, the green pair are the switched motor feeds to the solenoids, and the black is the return from the solenoids.

In theory, I'll be able to change a motor with 8 screws — two holding it, and 6 wires — provided it has the same length pin and wires pre-fastened, so I may prepare a spare for exhibitions. At present though I need to finish the wiring and check they all work.

As mentioned, there are some handy insider tips here.

Endeavor following this guide with your SEEP motors and allow me know how you get on.

> A final, personal, note: I spend a huge amount of time testing, photographing, writing and researching techniques for these articles and pay for all the running costs of MRE out of my ain pocket. If yous institute this commodity useful y'all tin can support me by making a donation on my fund-raising folio. Thank you and happy modelling, Andy.

Updated:Monday, December 20, 2022