How to power and control Rokuhan tunouts

It has
come to my attention that very few people who are getting these new
switches are prepared for the plug and play connections they were
designed to use and so do not understand this new method of
controlling turnouts which Rokuhan developed and patented. The
Rokuhan switches are not snap switches, like Atlas, Kato, Peco,
Marklin and many others in that you are not applying power to a coil
which then repels or attracts a metal core that operates the turnout.
This is a new way of operating turnouts and it uses a coil and a
magnet and the changing of the polarity of the DC supply voltage
changes to the two control wires of the turnout determines the
position of the turnout. The easiest way I can describe it's operation
is if you took track power and connected the turnout control leads to
track power terminals and open the throttle to 10vdc to the turnout
and now use the direction forward reverse switch to control the
turnout back and forth. So no push buttons but a toggle or slide
switch will control these turnouts. I found they would work with the
voltage from the power supply set as low as 6 vdc but the Rokuhan
Controller specification states it supplies 10vdc to the rurnouts. The
internal switch configuration cuts power to the turnout motor once it
has reached it's destination at either end of travel preventing burn
out. so you don't need to turn off the power to the switch once it
reaches is destination. So just a toggle or slide switch that
reverses the polarity supplied to the two control wires is needed. It
has to be wired like a reversing train/track direction switch in the
track power circuit. These turnouts use very little current. When I
discovered the hoq the switch operated I suggested To Rokuhan that
they needed to develope a module that would take accessory or
auxiliary power from just about any power pack or controller and to
control their turnouts. So it is being designed to connect to AC or DC
aux power from your controller and to put out the required voltage to
the turnouts controllers that then snap onto the body of the module or
to the side of the Rokuhan controller for a true plug and play system.

here is a video of the outboard switch that can be added to the C001
Rokuhan controller and eventually will snap onto the aux power module
for for turnout control. The position of the turnout control lever
tells you what it's position is, towards you is straight thru and away
from you is the diverging route. In the mean time remember these
turnouts are both remote and manual types combined in one so they will
work manually until you get the power module or develop your own
turnout supply and switch controls. Anyone who need aditional help can
connect to me by e-amail direct if you wish. and I will cover this on
my nn3.ca web site also with diagrams plus I will ask Rokuhan to
supply an English instruction sheet with this information as well and
add it to the web site.
best regards Garth

Many thanks Garth. These turnouts look like they're going to be a real advance in this aspect of the hobby.

Hi Garth

I keep looking at the track, turnouts etc and drooling! Do you know when there will be a UK/European distributor appointed?

Regards
Tim

Tim,

I am able to get all of the currently available Rokuhan track pieces now, along with the Rokuhan controller and associated plug and play wiring. The cross-overs and flex-track are not yet available.

I can ship to you by Japan Post EMS. Rates are quite reasonable.

I am NOT a dealer or a distributor. I am NOT making a profit from any of the sales. I have already bought a lot of Rokuhan track for many of the Z Central Station members. My only interest is to see Rokuhan continue with their product developement and continue in Z... unlike ProZ.

You can contact me directly through Z Central Station and I can send you a current price list.

Alex

garthah wrote:

I found they would work with the
voltage from the power supply set as low as 6 vdc but the Rokuhan
Controller specification states it supplies 10vdc to the rurnouts. The
internal switch configuration cuts power to the turnout motor once it
has reached it's destination at either end of travel preventing burn
out. so you don't need to turn off the power to the switch once it
reaches is destination.

Hi Garth... OK, now I'm confused.

I see above where you say there's no need to turn off the power to the switch. However I also read on David Smith's 1:220 website where he states...

"If you're handy with wiring, it's easy to operate them with DIY controls. You'll need a power source (a wall wart would work) rated for 3-6 volts DC, and a DPDT center-off momentary-contact toggle switch. Wire the toggle switch as if it was a direction control for track power. Note that you absolutely must use a momentary-contact switch; delivering constant current to the machine will quickly burn it out."

Which is it, or did I misunderstand something? Thanks for the help.

Joe

David K Smith pointed out an error I made in my information on the Rokuhan switch. The toggle is a momentary contact variety and he has details on his web site. Here is the link 1-220.blogspot.com/2011/02/remarkable-product.html

cheers Garth

For those new to the Rokuhan track, I think I see where the confusion arises between Garth’s explanation and David’s. Actually Garth is correct too in a way, at least when he says the power is “cut”.

From what I’ve read, the Rokuhan turnouts are “directional power” instead of “all power” as are MTL & Marklin turnouts. This means that whichever way a turnout is in thrown, the power to the track follows along in that direction and is “cut” to the other direction. This still means one needs a momentary contact switch, but this also means this should allow one to use two trains without the need for sectioning tracks into blocks and using two transformers. Here’s what I mean. It sounds a bit confusing but it’s not really. Let’s say you had a bypass siding at your Grand Central station that connects back onto the mainline. Flip the switch to that turnout and that siding should now have power. Now pull Train #1 off at the station. Flip the switch back and leave Train #1 on that siding – it should be dead on the rails. Now using another siding, say on the other side of the layout at your Rural station, flip it’s turnout switch and pull Train #2, which is conveniently waiting there, onto the mainline. A bit of switching and the turnouts act like track blocks. One mainline, two sidings, one transformer, two trains. At least that’s the theory, I haven’t tried it yet.

The one thing that bothers me about these directional power turnouts is that they haven’t been time tested. With a Marklin or MTL switch, if the switching part stops working electronically, the power still goes through the whole of the turnout and it can still be used manually. I don’t know how the circuitry works inside a Rokuhan turnout. If it stops working electronically will it still give power through to the direction of travel, if it can only be used manually?

Joe

Zcratchman_Joe wrote:

For those new to the Rokuhan track, I think I see where the confusion arises between Garth’s explanation and David’s. Actually Garth is correct too in a way, at least when he says the power is “cut”.

The one thing that bothers me about these directional power turnouts is that they haven’t been time tested. With a Marklin or MTL switch, if the switching part stops working electronically, the power still goes through the whole of the turnout and it can still be used manually. I don’t know how the circuitry works inside a Rokuhan turnout. If it stops working electronically will it still give power through to the direction of travel, if it can only be used manually?

Joe

The Rokuhan switches are both manual and remote in one package so they work manually as long as you have power to your track leading into the switch. Run a train into the siding and and stop it then turn switch back to the main, the train in the siding stays put.If you have a siding with switches at both ends then you can do around and pass a train on the main.

cheers
Garth

David K Smith has it right. The switch that Rokuhan is using is a toggle switch and when you move it it changes position but there is a spring which resets the switch to off internally so it is not visible in operation. So essentially the toggle is DPDT spring return to center off. This yields a momentary contact to the turnout. THe lever itself has only 2 positions up or down and it stays there in one position or the other. Up is the diverging route and down is the straight through route. I expect there will be an instruction sheet released in English shortly from Rokuhan. I worked on the text of it earlier today.
cheers Garth

Zcratchman_Joe wrote:

The one thing that bothers me about these directional power turnouts is that they haven’t been time tested. With a Marklin or MTL switch, if the switching part stops working electronically, the power still goes through the whole of the turnout and it can still be used manually. I don’t know how the circuitry works inside a Rokuhan turnout. If it stops working electronically will it still give power through to the direction of travel, if it can only be used manually?

Yes, I'm quoting myself here...

Due to a few recent mishaps with wiring these turnouts, I have been assured by others in the community that the turnouts will, in fact, supply power through in the direction of travel even if the switching circuitry is fried.

David K. Smith wrote me today mentioning he has authored two more items on the Rokuhan track switches titled “Working with Rokuhan Switches” (Parts 1 and 2). These are two (more of his) very informative writings about Rokuhan track.

David gets into layout wiring, kinds of switches to use and how to wire them, why Power Routing switches are better in the long run, and a lot more. I recommend reading them… at jamesriverbranch.net/clinic_4.htm