Developing & Building Bell Code Block Instruments.

Discussion in 'Workshop Benches' started by gormo, Nov 22, 2020.

  1. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Yes Andy,
    There is a way to change the pitch of the bell.
    You simply use a pair of pliers and put a bit of slight bend in one part of the rim of the bell and that will change it`s pitch.
    With the bells I`m using being so small though, it`s an exercise that may not change the pitch enough as to make them entirely distinct from each other.
    The plan instead is to have an indicator LED on top of each instrument case. This is activated when the calling box ,switches on their call switch.
    An example would be.....Box A wishes to call box B.
    Box A switches on their call switch......the call switch will light an LED on top of box B.....so even without bells ....box B knows that box A is about to call.
    The call switch also breaks the bell circuit between the two boxes, so the bell won`t ring in the neighboring box until the switch is switched on.
    There is also an indicator LED next to the call switch to show if it is on or off.
    So regardless of bell tone or pitch, the LED indicator on top of each box will show who is calling who.
    The most critical area in the room is Little Bardfield, because it has two boxes, however with the LED indicators on top of the boxes, it will be easy to determine which one is ringing because the LED will have to be lit for the bell to ring.
    I have tried to work around the obvious issues with alternative solutions, without losing too much of the basic concept.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  2. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    You certainly have it all well thought out! :thumbs:
    :tophat:
     
  3. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    Well I`m still plodding away and drilling things and making bits and pieces.
    Today I have drilled some holes for the LEDS that will sit atop the Block Instruments, and also now that the double thickness tops and bottoms of the cases are finally glued, the holes have been drilled into the sides of them that will accept the screws that hold it all together.
    The process is documented in the short video below.



    So once the parts could be assembled, I took the opportunity to do so and confirm that the add on bits of hardware, required to make these things work, would actually fit as intended and according to my drawings.
    The trial assembly is shown in the pics below.
    By the time you get to this stage, you can re- assess and see if your plans were on the right track. One thing I will change is the power BUS. I intended originally to have two rails ( + & - ) set on the inside of the back panel vertically. Looking at it now, I think it will work better horizontally..???...:scratchchin:


    DSC00463.JPG


    The indicator LEDS come with a bezel which allows a push fit into the box


    DSC00464.JPG


    At this stage everything is going according to plan.


    DSC00465.JPG

    The back panel has pin number information printed on it, as well as whether the pin is to be used for IN or OUT wiring, in case I need to track a fault at some later date.
    I will also print out a little sheet with the pin allocations and stick it somewhere in the middle of this sheet.



    DSC00466.JPG

    Well that`s it for Monday the 7th folks..........more to follow of course as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2020
  4. Echidna

    Echidna Full Member

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    Dear Gormo,

    this project is coming along very well, I think your design is excellent, and I really like the way you have laid it out,

    Regards, Echidna
     
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  5. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Echidna..........so far so good.......fingers crossed....:thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  6. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    By heck Gormo that's a damn ingenious construction. :tophat::tophat::tophat::tophat::thumbup:
     
  7. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Paul,
    It`s been on the drawing board in my head for a while now and it`s good to get it out and see it come to life.
    The only thing to be sorted before I can varnish the case, is the mounting brackets. I have a couple of ideas......one needs to be made......the other is using proprietary fittings.
    I will probably go with the latter, in which case there will still be more holes to be drilled......:facepalm:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  8. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    Well the mounting brackets have been sorted out by using a combination of modified Meccano and some picture hanging brackets, the latter being the same brackets I used to build GCJ platforms.
    This is the modified Meccano, which simply means it was cut down from a "U" shaped piece.....therefore two brackets from one Meccano.....:thumbs:


    DSC00469.JPG


    And on the bottom plate we have two of the picture hanging brackets which are of a heavier construction than the Meccano


    DSC00470.JPG


    The back panels are starting to have their fittings fitted as well.
    I`m using an audio plug to bring 12 volts DC into the boxes. That supply can come from either an uncontrolled supply on transformers I already have in place, or from a wall plug, which ever is the most convenient for the location.
    We have the 25 pin ( blue ) plug and socket that will handle the IN and OUT connections comprising of the LED indicators and the Bell circuits. We have a total of 10 pins out and 10 pins in and 5 spare.
    Then we have 2 terminals (silver) to sort out track connections. These terminals may activate relays or they may go straight to the track......I`m still contemplating that one....if I use the relays it will give me more options at the track end....however are they required..????..:scratchchin:


    DSC00467.JPG


    So we have here three distinctly different types of connection to cover three different functions. When we come to fault tracing, we will know which group of connections to head for and it can then be broken down from there.
    The logic behind this is that I want to be able to completely remove the block instrument from it`s mounting point on the fascias that front the railway. Once the mounting bracket screws have been removed, I just then need to unplug the plugs and unscrew the track terminals. I can then take away the whole assembly to my work bench for any major repairs. Much easier than crawling around under the railway and or trying to work up and in behind the instruments.


    DSC00468.JPG


    This is the other side of the panel, the interior view. Everything has enough clearance to avoid shorts.


    DSC00471.JPG


    And speaking of clearances, it`s best to keep checking them as we move along and make sure that, especially the Morse key, can move and not touch anything.
    All good so far.....:thumbs:


    DSC00472.JPG


    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2020
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  9. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Coming on nicely! :thumbup:
     
  10. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Andy.........yes it`s getting there.....lots of little bits and pieces to get sorted out though.?....:scratchchin:
    Today I have prepared the front panels by firstly punching out the holes for the LEDs and switches on the laminated paper sheets and then marking those hole positions on the 3mm MDF to be drilled.
    If you try gluing the laminated paper to the MDF and then drilling the lot in one go, it will tear the laminated paper too much. Just paper alone works better, but with the lamination it`s properties change somewhat.
    So we now have enough bits completed to get an overall view of the whole thing, so I put one together tonight juts to see how it all goes. No wiring yet....this is a dummy if you like.?

    We are minus a bell ringer here, but this is how the instruments will will look.


    DSC00474.JPG


    The cut out is now done so that the Morse Key can pop it`s head out.


    DSC00475.JPG


    Of course there are five more LEDs to go into the panel as well


    DSC00476.JPG


    I took this pic to give it some scale ....the boxes are 145mm high plus the bell


    DSC00477.JPG


    They will be mounted on the fascias around the railway in the most appropriate and practical locations.


    DSC00478.JPG



    DSC00479.JPG


    Andy was interested in the lines leading up to the curved section on the display. You can see here that it becomes an extension of the white line on the commutator knob.
    I did this just to make things a little easier to follow and I believe there is no doubt as to where the commutator is set.


    DSC00486.JPG



    DSC00487.JPG



    DSC00488.JPG


    The cut out leaves plenty of room for the Morse Key to move unencumbered, however the Key now travels far less than it did on the testing rig. I guess it`s good to test and iron the bugs out before you commit to the final set up instead of trying to alter things later on.


    DSC00485.JPG

    A short video showing the revised movement.



    More as it happens.

    :tophat:Gormo
     
  11. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    Brilliant! the morse key looks about right to my uneducated eye.

    Think it’s time I started my mimic display.
     
  12. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    OK Folks,
    Family commitments and Christmas preparations are taking precedence over my Block Instrument build, so I have slowed considerably, however must get things prioritized in the right order, so model railways come last on the list.
    So I`ve sneaked in some more of the build after having some more time to consider how I should proceed.
    The main thing that needed thinking through was the wiring connections inside the boxes. There is limited space to use so the connections need to be set out in an orderly fashion, whilst at the same time not fouling any of the moving parts. What this means is that the lengths of wire used need to be of minimum length, other wise you`ll end up with a pile of spaghetti inside the boxes.
    The other important requirement is that the wired panels be easy to fit into the boxes, whilst at the same time being easy to remove.
    This type of problem is best broken down into it`s individual elements. Solve the first part of the problem, work on the next part and tie that into the first and so on until some viable plan is worked out.
    The first part of the problem was how to wire the front and back panel to each other. I have found some ribbon cable ( 5 strand ) that was given to me in a job lot of train bits. This will go some way to controlling the layout of the wiring. I also need to be able to hold these two panels securely so that they can be wired up.
    The solution again is a jig......a simple clamp come press, that will do the job nicely.


    DSC00489.JPG


    The panels of course will have all switches, LED`s, Connectors, Plugs and BUS fitted to them before any wiring begins. You can see on the right that the BUS ( 2 bits of old rail ) has been fitted.
    The idea is that once the panels are wired, the clamp can be released, the panels can be stood up back to back and slid carefully into the box frame.


    DSC00490.JPG

    The main problem is how to connect the LED on top of the box, the Relay at the far end of the box, and the Morse Lever at the opposite end of the box.
    I believe I have solved this, by having those three elements plugged into slide on connectors at the Morse Key end of the box. The connectors are are made from rail joiners that slide snugly into some brass connectors I have. The rail joiners fit through holes drilled in the panel. There are two connectors per element.




    DSC00491.JPG


    They are bent over on the back of the panel and Superglued in place. The logic behind this is that they will not pull away when removing the brass connector from the other side.


    DSC00493.JPG


    These brass connectors will be trimmed slightly as well....they dont need to be that long.


    DSC00492.JPG


    Still three more panels to go.........but little bit by little bit gets the big bits done.


    DSC00494.JPG


    Here you can see the plan I have in mind. With the connectors at this end of the box, they can be removed to release the Relay at the back, the LED on the right and the Morse Key that would normally fit in this opening.


    DSC00495.JPG

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  13. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Progress by increments folks,
    I have made securing plates to prevent my home made ( rail joiner ) connectors from popping out if the Superglue bonding decides to fail.....unlikely....but there are....Murphy`s Law.??:scratchchin:
    They are simply bolted onto the back of the boxes, and have a washer spacer between them and the back panel. That leaves a minimum clearance for the connectors and stops the panel from bowing under the pressure.


    DSC00496.JPG


    You will also gather from the pic above that I have allocated the pins on the 25 pin connectors to their tasks. This will help enormously when it comes to the wiring, and if all the instruments are wired the same way, in theory they are interchangeable.?.....:scratchchin:
    The wiring will be mostly undertaken from the other side of the panel, which means that everything is backwards compared to what you see here above.
    So I have reversed the numbering and colour coding on the 25 pin schematic and placed a copy on the inside of the panel. Again this is just to help me with the wiring. I don`t want to be constantly flipping the board over to get my bearings whilst I`m soldering.


    DSC00498.JPG


    The pin allocation is also copied to the inside for the same reasons. You will notice that there are locations noted B4, B5, B6. These refer to the terminals on the commutator switch. The switch is a four pole, twelve terminal, three position switch. What this means is that we have have four possible connections on each position of the switch.
    So if we put the switch into its far left position, it will activate pole A terminal 1, pole B terminal 4, pole C terminal 7 and pole D terminal 10 all at the same time and separately, therefore giving four possible allocations from the one position.
    If we move to the middle position on the switch, all terminal numbers increase by one and so on and likewise if we moved to the third position.
    So you can see I need to keep my wits about me when I start wiring and give myself plenty of visual information for the process.


    DSC00497.JPG

    More as it happens folks,
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  14. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    I`ve started work on the relays tonight.
    What needs to happen is that their protective covers have to come off and have a slot cut into them to allow a rigid wire to pass through.


    DSC00519.JPG

    We then need to solder the rigid wire into the form of a "T". I have penciled a T shape onto a piece of MDF and then tape the wire over the pencil lines. The wire has been scraped bright to create a keyed surface for the solder to take to. I am using Silver solder and some Flux for this joint.


    DSC00528.JPG


    Once soldered, I use a part brass connector as a spacer ( 5mm ) so that I can bring the pliers up to the connector and trim off the excess wire and get consistent results.


    DSC00530.JPG


    We then take the relay and scrape the Copper strips that will have the wire soldered to them


    DSC00532.JPG


    And add some solder


    DSC00533.JPG


    I then use some of this Ultraviolet resin glue to tack the wire to the Black plastic strip just to the left of the " T "


    DSC00534.JPG


    This will hold the wire securely so that I can solder it accurately to the Copper strips on the relay.


    DSC00537.JPG


    After the wire is soldered to the Copper strips the relay cover can be slipped back on into place and we`re done.


    DSC00520.JPG


    This is how it will be secured to the side wall of the instrument. The wire can be moved left or right through a small arc for adjustment and then the relay is clamped once it`s set right.


    DSC00523.JPG


    And of course the idea is to line up centrally with the slot in the top of the box.


    DSC00525.JPG

    And a short video to show the range of movement in the wire.



    I still have to determine how far up the wire to put a right hand bend and then trim it relative to the bell......shouldn`t be too hard to work that out...:thumbs:

    More as it comes along
    :tophat:Gormo

    PS.....I should add that this method with having a wire connected to a relay, may be useful for operating Semaphore signals. These relays are only three dollars each Australian so they would be very cost effective compared to that well known brand of electrically operated signals...???
    Just have to work out how to connect it.....:scratchchin:
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2020
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  15. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    A few little steps again today. The relays are all fitted with their bell ringer wires now and I`ve also been adding electrical connections, getting ready to plug them in when final assembly begins.


    DSC00538.JPG


    These are the electricals for the Morse Key . The circular connector gets bolted to the inside end of the Key.


    DSC00539.JPG


    The clamp for the relay has also had a rubber pad added to grip the relay better.


    DSC00541.JPG



    DSC00542.JPG


    Because this build is actually four builds, each instrument has it`s own parts box, courtesy of Streets Blue Ribbon ice cream.
    During Covid, our ice cream consumption seems to have increased for some reason....:scratchchin:..... and therefore my handy plastic container collection has increased.....:avatar:


    DSC00544.JPG


    Just to give an idea of how things are going to fit and be connected.


    DSC00545.JPG


    And it`s going to get a lot more complicated than this.


    DSC00546.JPG

    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  16. Echidna

    Echidna Full Member

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    Dear Gormo,

    this Project is progressing quite well, and I am very impressed with how it is going together.

    Question, how are you going to prevent dust getting into the relay ? I was wondering if rice paper may be of assistance in this regard, as it is soft enough not to inhibit the striker, and therefore should also not inhibit the actual relay's internal mechanism.

    Also thank you for your kind comments earlier,

    Best wishes and regards, Echidna
     
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  17. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Echidna,
    I have considered the dust element, but only for a moment, because I feel it probably won`t really be an issue. I have taken the relay apart at one stage. There is only one moving part in the form of a robust metal plate which pivots on it`s own metal lugs and is secured with a return spring.
    I feel it would survive quite well without it`s cover, however in my case, I need the cover to secure the relay within the instrument.
    That said though..??...it would be no trouble to add some rice paper to protect the inner workings and save me some maintenance further on down the track.......so I will factor that into the build.
    Thanks for the suggestion Echidna...:thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  18. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    OK Folks,
    No mucking about here.......based on Echidna`s concerns about dust getting into the relays and his suggestion of a covering, I have made up these felt covers.
    I used felt because it is soft and it was commonly used as a dust protection for switches on audio amplifiers........plus Mrs. Gormo had some in her box of " I`ll keep that for a rainy day " things.

    It is simply a rectangle with a slit cut into it along about 1/3rd of it`s length up the centre.
    It is attached with a drop of Superglue on each corner of the relay box.


    DSC00547.JPG


    It has been tested and it does not impede the movement of the wire.


    DSC00548.JPG

    Thanks for the suggestion Echidna..........:thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  19. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Okey Dokey,
    I`ve sanded all the wooden panels today and finished them with their first coat of Teak Stain / Varnish.
    I`m not sure yet whether they will get two or three coats. I have to wait twenty four hours for this first coat to set and then I can rub it back and apply coat two.
    We have rain about at the moment and the humidity has been over 90% ,so the drying process may take longer than anticipated.
    We`ll just wait and see and do it when it`s ready.

    Here are the panels spread out on my work bench like a queue for free beer....:avatar:


    DSC00549.JPG


    I`m quite happy with the colour and it will better when I get the shine toned down. The next coat of varnish may darken it a bit more, but the final rub back should lighten it up a bit.
    The final result yet to be determined.


    DSC00550.JPG I.


    The top and bottom panels have had temporary screws fitted up underneath to give me something to hold them with whilst they dry


    DSC00551.JPG

    Time for a beer.....:cheers:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  20. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Well the varnish dried surprisingly well overnight in spite of the weather.
    So I`ve rubbed it all back this afternoon and varnished it with the second coat this evening.
    This is how the first coat looks rubbed back. Yes it is quite severe, but stay with me on this one.


    DSC00552.JPG


    A short video of the technique for varnishing



    Here we are now with all the pieces varnished with a second coat. The second coat will be rubbed back lightly and then the beeswax will be applied.
    I think a third coat is a bridge too far........it will be too dark.


    DSC00557.JPG

    Of course there is variation among the various pieces and that`s because it`s a natural product and no two pieces will be exactly the same, but that`s the beauty of it, grown by nature and finished by hand.
    This looks more red in the photograph than it actually is, but you can see it`s considerably darker now. A light rub back will reverse that slightly and loss of the gloss will show the timber to better effect.

    DSC00558.JPG

    Rockin` on.......:cheers::tophat:
    Gormo
     
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