DC / DCC Slow Motion Turnout Switch Motor
These unique point motors can be mounted in several ways and either under or on top of the base-board. They have nine adjustable speeds which go from a lengthy 20 seconds to a very quick .07 seconds. These slower speeds give you the opportunity to use them to drive such things on your layouts as Semaphore signals or opening doors or even raising or lowering boom gates at you road crossings. ANE will soon have a new plug in controller to allow this last suggestion to work automatically. The other very important feature is that the movement can be adjusted in either direction just in case you happen to fit the motor slightly off centre and this may mean that one way needs to go a little further than the other way. Once this is set it never forgets and if you happen to change your points to another type then you can alter this setting again.
There are two LED lighting outputs for each motor as well so nothing is forgotten by the manufacturer for the modeller. It is like a one stop shop in a single box.
The company have already upgraded the Smart Frog unit which plugs into the lead connecting the motor to the motherboard and switches the power to the frog so that you don't have the problem of short circuits to worry about. The Smart Frog Version 2 can be set up the same as Version 1 but it can also be set up to automatically change the points so that an oncoming locomotive will not derail and also change the signal lights like some of the auto reverse modules that are available. The main advantage with these units are that when using metal wheels on your wagons as so many of us do these days a timer is activated after the last set of wheels go over the trigger point and then in ten seconds the point motor then powers up and goes back to the mainline setting. The price is also very attractive as well so you get a lot for your money.
Each Smart Switch set comprises four point motor Servos and four Mounting brackets as well as all of the fitting hardware including toggle switches for local control or if using DC only. A Motherboard and four function Stationary Decoder is included in sets A003 and A004 (DC/DCC) but the decoder is not included in A001 and A002 (DC). All sets include four extension leads and an excellent thirty page instruction book.
Click on the button below to go to the Review by Gerry Hopkins MMR
on the ANE Model P/L "SmartSwitch"