Japanese interlocking systems

[utrainia]

I join the quest! I am also interested in getting those switches.

These must have a code, we just need to get it to find them.

It would be great if someone who saw the switches (in their clubs, local model shops, friends' houses or exhibitions) could ask for this information.

Think you might notice the thumb lever is real but uses generic switch lever itself and push button

 

It sounds like he assembled the switches himself? Using a combination of a push button and toggle switch, I guess the knob mounted on the push button shaft (which are usually free to rotate), and the bottom of the knob engaging with the shaft of the toggle switch, turning rotation into horizontal movement. Sounds fiddly though.... I wonder if the same thing could be achieved using a rotary encoder with a built in push button? You'd have to add detents and limits, and decode the quadrature output of the rotary encoder, but at least it has both rotary and push switches in the same package.

[kvp]

From the picture i recognize the route select and turnout select diode matrices and the route holding relays, but seem to miss the route protection relays. The small box on the far wall seems to be the power unit.

 

The switches could be normal rotary switches (2 and 3 position ones), but i can't find the levers that should go on top. Buttons are separate so you either turn or push the controls but not both. It does seem possible to make the rotaries from side mounted pushbuttons but the problem of the top (visible) lever remains.

[kvp]

I would like to ask for help if someone could source these switch caps: (the rotary switches themselves are available here, but a complete assembly would also be great)

 

 

[NXCALE]

It is not Japanese (not even English) but still it is quite interesting to watch.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

[marknewton]

The panels he's demonstrating are so very similar to the panel in our signal box here at Waterfall that even in a language I don't understand I had no trouble understanding the demo. Great stuff, thanks for posting it!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[NXCALE]

Hi all,

 

Here below a video explaining the operation of a control board.

 

 

The one shown in a previous pots (re-posted below) is a Japanese control board but both work following similar principles.

 

 

Cheers,

[kvp]

Yes, these boards use manual route release, which is slightly easier to model compared to automatic route release and could be more easily built without track occupancy detection. The japanese system uses red rotary switch for main signals, white rotary switch for shunting signals and white pushbutton for track selection. The black rotary switches in both cases are the turnout overrides (straight - automatic - diverging) with the lights indicating the actual position.

[NXCALE]

Hi all,

 

Here some videos of a project with a digital control panel.

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Edited December 18, 2016 by nxcale