Hi folks, I’m at my wits end trying to get my 1st Tortoise install to work. It would seem I can get the machine to throw my Peco #6 turnout in one direction and hold it tight against the rail, but no luck getting it to throw the points the other way. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? I’m using a DPDT switch with an old MRC power pack set to fixed DC to run the machine. Please help!
Is the problem electrical or mechanical. If it is electrical, check your wirering until it works, unless the tortoise is bad(not likely).
If the tortoise works but the turnout does not change, you need stiffer piano wire for the throw. Most of us have had to upgrade the thickness.
I’m not sure if it’s electrical or not. I’ve doubled checked everything. I did use stiffer piano wire as well… Thanks!
Cut power to the Tortoise and move the Tortoise by hand from one extreme to the other. It should hold the points against the rail in each direction. If not, then you have a mechanical problem. Once this is working then hook up the electric and ensure that when you reverse polarity that the mechanism moves from one end to the other. If not, look closesly at your wiring and ensure that when you flip the switch the coil wires (pins 1 and 8) flip polarity.
Hi,
Try hooking up your power pack directly to the outer pads of the tortoise. The turnout should throw in one direction. Now switch the wires from the power pack so that the leads are hooked up to the opposite outer pads. The turnout should throw in the opposite direction. If this works, then the problem is in the DPDT. If the problem is the DPDT, do you have it wired to change polarity?
Don’t Peco TOs have springs or some such that hold the points against the stock rails?
Also I’d double-check the “crossed” wiring on the DPDT, I know that personally I would wire both leads the same way (forgetting the crossover)… so that the Tortoise would only throw one way…
Probably the simplest way to check this would be kill power, set the points to the center of the track, flip the switch up. kill power again, re-center the points, flip the switch down. If the points go the same way both times, its a wiring error…
I had a similar problem. The tortoise would work in one directinon but intermittantly in the other. As it turned out, there was a splinter of wood in the hole in the table that made it hard for the wire to move in one direction.
If the above suggestions point towards a mechanical problem instead of electrical, it might pay to check the clearance hole for cleanliness and centering. Also be very gentle when moving the tortoise throw machanism manually. Go slowly to avoid potential damage to the gears.
Good luck
Karl
I made a little set up to make installing Tortoise switch machines easier. I took a 12v wall wort and connected its’ output to a DPDT reversing switch mounted in a box with the leads from the center terminals of the switch connected to an 8 pin edge connector, which I attach to the Tortoise. Holding the Tortoise under the benchwork with the wire in the throw bar, I operate the switch back and forth, and while watching the switch points move back and forth, adjust the postition of the Tortoise. When I have the Tortoise so the points are tight against the stock rails each time I operate the switch, I attach the Tortoise to the benchwork. Takes about 5 mins. to get the Tortoise in the right place. You might have to adjust the amount of swing that the wire makes in order to get the Tortoise to throw far enough. Something else I do is to hot glue a 3"x4" piece of 1/8" peg board to the Tortoise. Then when I’m ready to attach the Tortoise to the benchwork, I just run a couple of screws through a couple of holes in the peg board, and it’s done.
I had the same problem. Checked out the tortoise and it was fine. The problem - the Peco switch was spring loaded and had too much resistance for the wire to through both ways. Simple fix - just remove the small spring using a pair of needle nose pliers (may also need an exacto knife to help along). When the switch works easy manually, reconnect to the tortoise and gauranteed success.
Good luck, Ron K.
I’ll also say to adjust or remove the spring. There is usually a metal clip and the prongs come up on a bit of plastic between the points.
Even if you get the Tortoise to throw the points, the springcauses the motion to be abrupt, and loses most of the reason for the Tortoise.