Workshop Update, Voltage And Amp Meters For The Tri-ang Super 4 Layout. Repairing a Gaugemaster DS
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Welcome to the channel. Today I show what has been going on in the workshop lately. Recently, I bought a pair of very inexpensive combined Voltage and Amp Meters, see how I progress trying to get them to work with my Model Railway Controllers.
Some time ago I acquired a water damaged Gaugemaster DS. Was it a bargain or scrap? Thanks for watching.
Link to Hornby HM 4000 • Main Layout, Testing A...
Regular Railway Updates On Instagram / snoozevideo
Jonathan, I Echo David Atkins and I was equally amazed! Excellent.... you really do tread where most of us stand still....Well done
Good morning Paul, I'm pleased you found the video interesting. It was fun trying out these meters and controller, they are still working well on the layout. All the best to you
That Gaugemaster controller looks like a great bit of kit, should be some good fun to be had with that on the railway.
Take care.
Oscar
Hello Oscar, I'm looking forward to getting this up and wired in. I bet it will take a bit of getting used to. I shall only put the Clippers to one side, they always find their way back eventually. All the best to you
I've recently bought a Gaugemaster Q controller for my Hornby Dublo 3-rail layout. I'm very pleased with it.
Hello Martin, that's good to hear. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Hornby Dublo and Wrenn locos perform with this controller. Best regards to you
Hello Jonathan, I must confess that when I saw the title I thought this was going to be a dry video to watch. How wrong I was, it was very interesting indeed. I think you are the first person I have known that can read/ follow a circuit board. I have a few controllers I would like you to look at. 110 volt input of course.
Regards, David.
Hello David, thanks for the kind words about the video. I'd be very happy to look at your controllers and the 110 makes no difference as I have a 110v step down transformer to run continental electrical items I have. The main problem is you are a bit far away for an afternoon drive. Best regards to you
Just a bit of electronics theory revision Jonathon...When you add a capacitor to a simple rectified supply, it increases the mean voltage. This is why the jinty sped up. I believe with many of those cheap Chinese meters that if you power the meter independent of the load they will happily work and display low and reverse voltages. Best check the instructions first. On my boat I used a pp3 battery switched in just for meter power. It lasts so long it was never an issue. Regards Gary
Hello Gary, thanks for watching. I am going to do a bit more testing as I hadn't got a Clipper to hand and the Tri-ang controller doesn't have a half wave feature so there are still things to explore. I didn't receive any wiring diagrams or instructions with my meters so quickly checked online. I did try independently powering the meter from the PP3 but only got Amp and Voltage readings with the loco running in one direction not both . Maybe I have incorrectly wired the voltage sense wire in my tests. Do you have a copy of your meter instructions you could forward to me if possible? I would be happier to not have to make changes to the Gaugemaster and use a small remote power source to use these meters. All the best to you
@@MrSnooze hi Jonathon. I'm out at the moment but send me a short email and I'll have a look for data when I'm in office next. Have a good weekend
I have a Gauge master dual track without the simulation, the 1.1A output really does work the old locos well. I have a few diesels and they all run well with huge loads as the torque is increased so well, and they never overheat. Strange about the noise you mention, my X04s are barely noticeable when off the board (everything is noisy on those) and if you turn up power quickly they jolt pretty sharply as the motor starts, very powerful.
Very interesting video, i would recommend you buy either the dual track or four track controller for the old locos
Regards
Will
Hello William, that's all useful information. I will be doing an update once I get it wired in. I haven't noticed any noise from the Gaugemaster unit the same as the Hornby HM 4000 so I'm sure all will be well. All the best to you
Very interesting project. I’m sure you’ll have fun with the Gaugemaster they are excellent controllers, I have a model D for my dc section it doesn’t have simulation but I’m very pleased with it.
Hello Rob, I agree, I think this will be good on the layout. These controllers seem very well made. All the best to you
I'm hooked now I know you are a Wizard with wires. I have in storage an N gauge three controller stud and probe layout. As with these things it never came with the transformer. I would like to get it operating later this year 😁
Hello Tim, I hope you get your layout out of storage soon. I'm sure you will have absolutely no problem locating a suitable transformer. I have seen a couple of stud and probe set ups in the past. Great fun to operate. All the best to you
@@MrSnooze The wiring is a work of art. It might even be cab control. There is a male/female connection for the transformer that is missing and it really needs a professional to connect it together. Looking forwards to your next instalment Best Regards Tim 💫🥳
Quite informative your video really cool!
Hello Peter, thanks for the positive comments. Take care, all the best to you
Hi very interesting thank you
Hello, thanks for watching, I shall be testing this all out in the next video. All the best to you
Interesting the difference a capacitor made on the old controller. Must admit when peaking inside older controllers have noticed they have no smoothing capacitor. Not sure why as capacitors have been mass produced and cheap for a long time.
Part of the reason is because at low speed motors respond better to pulses of current. That's why a lot of modern controllers enhance this by supplying a chopped wave....PWM . Even the basic hornby modern controllers do. H and M used to even have a half wave switch to work this effect even more.
Hello Andrew, as Gary says there are lots of different ways that that some controllers try to enhance the performance of the motors in our locos. My only reason for trying the capacitor was to see if I could get this little meter to work using the controller output as a power source. In retrospect I probably should have done more detailed testing as I'm now concerned the capacitor may reduce slow running performance. It's good fun to try and mix old and new items though and these little voltage and amp meters are quite interesting. All the best to you
@@MrSnooze Maybe find the lowest value capacitor that works for the meters when you largest drawing loco is running? 33 to 47uf will have little effect on the motor running qualities. If you use that bridge rectifier idea you can then put the capacitor (again 33 -47uf) behind it so it will smooth for the meter but not effect the motor. Good luck
@@ModelRailwaysUnlimited thanks again for this, it's good to get more ideas to try. I'll be trying the current set up in the next video. All the best to you
Got a couple of these meters. Really cool little things. I was able to get them to work from a 9 volt battery but connecting to my 12 volt Duette transformer i get nothing. Reversed polarity to no avail. What am I missing I wonder? Ill keep trying until I figure it out.
The regulated DC from the Duette is not quite good enough for these, try experimenting with a capacitor across the output of the controller. I'm sorry but I cant recall the value I used as its now hidden away in my meter box. Thanks for looking, all the best to you
Great video. Very interesting mod on the controller.
On the rolling road, using the old controller, did you just bridge the rails with the capacitor, or was it in series with the negative?
Thanks.
Hello, When I was testing I fitted the capacitor to the rails but as it was electrolytic I could only run in one direction. Later I fitted the capacitor into the little meter. I have yet to experiment with a non polarised capacitor but hope to when I get time. Thanks for watching. All the best to you
Are both terminals of the capacitor connected to one leg of the controller output, or does the capacitor straddle between the 2 lines? Also, is it the same concept as a "keep alive" circuit folks put in locomotives? Sorry but I'm not very well versed in circuitry.
Hello, thanks for looking. In this video the purpose of the capacitor was to get the little amp meter to work. I experimented with an electrolytic across the output but as it's got a neg and positive leg it only works in one direction. I am going to try a non polarised one in the future. All the best to you
6:32 sorry, are those non polarized capacitors? if not they will explode if you reverse the voltage, sorry if you already know. One other thing to consider, adding the capacitor to the output of the controller, if you smooth to much you will lose low speed control, maybe try 33 or 47uF? For the metres you could try a bridge rectifier so that they always receive a +/- as needed, you would lose 0.7v for each diode so 1.4v total which you could adjust with the trimmers?
Hello, thanks for watching the video. That's some very useful information, I will be trying some different capacitors when I get the chance. The one I tried was just to hand. It will be interesting to see how this all performs on the layout. I will be updating in the next video. Best regards to you
Really interesting, would it be possible to install these gauges on a dcc layout ?
Hello Bob, I don't think they would connect straight in the circuit as the power to your DCC track is AC. Maybe with a small additional rectification circuit they could be adapted. Best regards to you
@@MrSnooze Thanks very much for your response, I really enjoy your channel
Regards Bob
Great video . I have an HM Duette that works great but occasionally the right hand controller drops voltage and it does not have the click in the middle in the off position like it should. If I pull out on the control post when running then everything is ok. Surprisingly I did manage to buy a brand new original rheostat / control plate to fit but I'm not confident to attempt that repair. Any advice on where to have this repair done ? Best regards - Mike
Hello Mike, the H & M Duette is a great controller. I am using one to control my branch lines and turntable. If you struggle to find a local repair facility for yours I'd be happy to repair it if you got it to me. You can email me at the address in the channel about section or message me on Instagram. All the best to you
Can I use two gaugemaster control
It depends on your layout but you should be able to configure them for almost any situation. Thanks for watching, best regards to you
Hi Mr. Snooze, I have a couple of these volt/ammeters but once wired up I can only get them to display voltage the ammeter just displays 0.00 amps. I have wired it as per the 4-30 volt diagram and have taken the supply for the meter from the dc bus wires, any idea what the issue could be?
Hello there, if you email your wiring plan to me I'll take a look info@snoozevideo.co.uk is the address to use. Best regards to you
@@MrSnooze Thank you Mr. Snooze.