Servos, mounting brackets, extension cables, Y cables and reversers and parts to make working with servos easier.
As well as the servo decoders on the Tam Valley Depot website, all of the servo products on this page work with all R/C servo controllers including Arduino and other brands of servo controllers (Adafruit, sparkfun, pololu and so forth).
Miniature Servo (SG90) Subminiature 9g servo. We have recently switched to the Hobby King brand as these operate smoother and are the most reliable we have found. Servos have plenty of power for hinged point turnouts and solid rail point turnouts. If the point rails are hinged then the rail size is not an issue - it has been used up to G scale, otherwise code 100 is max for non-hinged points . Size 1.25" wide (including mounting tabs) x 0.5" deep x 1.125" tall. Servo lead about 7". The label on the servo and the lead colors may vary between batches. Works with all of our boards.
SRV002 $4.95USD
Includes bracket, music wire, mounting tape and 2 screws.
3DPrintedMicro Servo Bracket Kit (servo not included) This bracket is designed to mount underneath the layout and actuate the points with a spring wire. To munt the servo a single screw and gap-filling CA glue (hold in place with a rubber band until dry) is used. You are free to use this bracket in other creative ways if you feel the need to experiment. Comes with a piece of foam tape for easy attachment to the layout and two 1/2" x #4 screws for permanent attachment. A #4 screw fits snugly in the mounting holes so that when you are under the layout the screws will not fall in your face. Also comes with a piece of music wire.
Specs
Actuating Wire- .032" steel music wire. Length - 5" before assembly; 3" usable length after assembly (maximum thickness of subroadbed + track height)
Bracket Size - 1 3/16" wide x 1.0" deep X 1 3/16" high
Fits servo size 0,87" (23mm) wide x .47" (12mm) deep (SG90, 9g servos).
Minimum mounting clearance under layout - 1.5"
Mounting Screws - #4 x 1/2" for bracket to layout; 1 screw (comes with servo) for attachment of servo to bracket
Note: May come packaged 2 per package to save space when you order several.
B3D001 $6.95 USD
SPDT Snap Switch for Miniature Servo Bracket
Snap Switch mounts on the back of the bracket with the 2 included screws and some thick CA glue. Provides a set of contacts for controlling frog power or signaling. Switches near dead center. Rated 5 Amps.
SSW001 $1.85 USD
Screw fits snugly in hole so it does not fall out when under the layout!
Plenty of throw available.
The Micro Switch Machine is a small servo-based switch machine with a built-in snap switch. It is 1.25 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall. It is ideal for N scale installations yet has enough torque to throw O scale turnouts. It comes completely assembled.
Note: We are no longer able to provide pre-assembled switch machines. Instead you can make your own from the above parts SRV002, B3D001 and SSW001 (optional).
Servo is shown for illustration purposes. Kit includes 8 L-brackets and 8 screws
L-bracket Mounting Kit
An easy method to mount a servo under the layout. Also a nice way to mount servos for operating a semaphore blade. The kit works well for both miniature (SG90) and standard size servos. The kit includes (8) 3/8" L-brackets and (8) #4-40x1/4" screws for mounting four servos. To mount the bracket to the layout use the screws that come with the servo.
LBR001 $5.95 USD
Shown with the battery cover off. Servo plugs in to yellow board at right. Use an extension cable to extend the length of the cord.
Servo Centering Tool
Use this handy portable tool to keep your servos centered while you mount them under the layout. The tool consists of a battery box connected to a small circuit board that continuously puts out a centering signal for the servo (1.5 ms pulse). Keeping your servos porperly centered while mounting is the key to making the servos work best. The battery box has an on/off switch to save your batteries when not in use. Everyone using servos for turnouts needs one of these.
Requires 3 AA batteries.
SRC001$15.95 USD
In-Line Servo Reverser
You can often reverse your servo throw direction by turning it around or reversing the servo linkage. Sometimes there just isn't room under a turnout to do this. You can't reverse the servo direction by swapping wires since servos work by varying the pulse width and reversing the wires will just disconnect off the servo. In cases where you want to reverse the servo rotation direction, this servo reverser comes in handy. If you put this in line with the servo it will swap the two ends about the center. [It works by mirroring the pulse around 1.5 ms which is the center on a servo. I.e. if a 2 ms pulse is input, the reverser will output 1 ms and if a 1 ms pulse is input it will output a 2ms pulse.]
SRR001$6.95 USD
No-Buzz In-Line Servo Quieter
Sometimes a servo will buzz or chatter continuously. Some poeple find this very annoying. The No-Buzz goes in line with the servo cord and quiets the servo. Here is how it works - if the servo is stopped in the same position for more than about a second the circuit turns off the servo. If the servo starts moving again it will turn it on and drive the servo until it stops again. When the servo is stopped the gears will hold most switches in place. A side benefit of the No-Buzz is that you do not need to adjust the servo as precisely but can overdrive the position and let the servo relax back after it turns off.
Note: The No-Buzz circuitry is built-in to the Octo III, the Micro Singlet and the Switchwright Board so this is not needed if you use them.
NBZ001$6.95 USD
How to install In-line Reverser and No-Buzz
Install the units as in the picture to the left. The white wires on both sides go to the side marked S (for signal - on some servos this wire is yellow). The right side with the pins go to the servo and the left side with the female plug goes to the board. You can plug the unit directly in to the board or use a servo extension.
12" (30cm) Servo Extension Cable (Set of 10)
3-wire servo extension cable 12" (30cm) long, 24 AWG stranded wire. Added to the 12" cord that comes with most standard size servos you can power a switch up to 2 feet from an Octopus or Quad Servo board. Set of 10 cables.
Can also be used for Fascia Controllers.
SRX112 $19.00 USD
(Set of 10)
40" (100cm) Servo Extension Cable (Set of 5)
24 AWG 3-wire servo extension cable. Set of five 40" extension cables.
How many of these can you daisy chain together? In an experiment I daisy-chained 15 extensions and found that the servo still worked OK. At 20 extensions, the servo threw but could not hold against back-pressure. So I would say up to 15 40cm extensions is the limit - that's 50 feet.
Can also be used for Fascia Controllers.
SRX540 $18.00 USD
(Set of 5)
12" Y-cord The Y can can also be used with the fascia controllers to provide two control points for one switch (For Octo III the Mntry jumper must be on).
Y cables can also be used to attach two servos to one output. Both servos will move in the same manner at the same time. (Note: some users have had trouble getting this to work with some servo types).
A third use is to connect a DPDT relay and a fascia controller to the same control input (NOT a servo output) so that a relay and a fascia controller can be used at the same time.
SRX003 $3.75 USD
Extra Programming Jumpers (Shunts) (Set of 10)
Most of our boards come with enough jumpers for normal use. However, these little guys have a way of disappearing and so customers often need more so we are now offering this small 10-pack for your convenience.
JMP001 $2.95 USD
(Set of 10)
The Female jumper wires connect to the gold pin 0.1" headers used on our boards.
The Male pins fit nicely in to terminal blocks.
Jumper wires to simplify connections to the boards.
Pre-crimped and shrouded jumper wires in a ranbow of colors. The wires are easily seperated in to singles and bundles just by pulling.
We no longer carry these but you can buy these on EBay - search for "Dupont Jumper Wire". Pololu is anther good source.
