TB-IPD-A1

Train Buddy™ Products

A subsidiary of K.A Parker & Associates, Inc.
1200 Jenkins Road
Wake Forest, NC 27587

Phone: 919.369.2373

Thank you for purchasing a Train Buddy™ Product. We know that you, like countless others, will be delighted with your new TB-IPD-A1 (Train Buddy™, Integrated 5V power regulator, Photo-Detector and Flasher, Specification from Rick Allen, 1^st revision)

If for any reason you should decide that this product does not meet your expectations of quality and function, please call immediately for service or remedy. This product has been designed to meet our very high standards of quality. It has been designed to provide many years of excellent service.

DESIGN FEATURES:

The TB-IPD-A1 has several features that you may want to know about before you put it into service.

This product is meant to work flawlessly with any kind of power, AC, DC or DCC. It does, however, have a limit. The power MUST be between 9V and 30V AC or DC. The auxiliary or accessory power terminals of any power pack designed for model railroads would usually provide the proper power. It may, however, be provided by a 9V battery, a plug-in AC to DC power adapter, DCC rail power or the variable power terminals (as long as it is set for over 9V output) for any scale.

This device is designed to operate specifically with a TB-LCBx1 (Train Buddy Cross Bucks in various scales) that has a specific LED load and LED orientation. However, you may have an existing set of cross bucks or you may want to make your own. This is covered in the specifications below for this product.

This device is designed to operate with several external components that must be connected properly for this system to work. These include an external resistor (potentiometer) and one to six photo-resistors connected in series. The values of the potentiometer and photo-resistors are critical to the correct operation. Specifications, again, are covered below for these components for those who wish to buy their own.

This device must be “tuned” to match the lighting conditions. It may even have ranges of light where it will not function properly. In dark environments the cross bucks could blink all of the time. In very bright light circumstances they may never start. Both of these scenarios are possible but are not likely in normal layout operation. See the tips and tricks for remedies to these conditions, if they exist.

INSTALLATION:

1. We recommend that you use an 8 position barrier strip, not included. We suggest the European-style because it is easier and faster to install. Plus, it is less prone to shorts from stray wires. Also, it can hold multiple wires in each position. It is readily available at most Radio Shacks®. The Radio Shack® stock number for the 8-position one is 276-678A. See tips and tricks.

2. Find a spot under your track work, close to the crossing that you want to control. Mount the circuit board and the barrier strip. Do not apply excessive pressure to the board while mounting. Connect the barrier strip connections as follows:

SYSTEM WIRING:

(Positions 1 and 2) Power Input: Clear (copper) wires from the board.

Any AC or DC power from 9V to 35V. Any power over 9V will create heat and cause heat sink (big black metal piece) to become hot to the touch. Please allow air to freely circulate over this board.

(3-4) Photo-Detector Input: Gray wires.

From 1 to 6 Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) type Photo-resistive detectors with approximate resistance of between 1k and 13k ohms from dark to light. These are connected in series.

(4-5) Light Adjustment Potentiometer: White wires.

Must be 50K ohm linear. Can use switch wired with 2 resistors (27K and 47K). If using potentiometer, use center and one outside lug.

(note that one of the gray wires and one of the white wires are tied to the same pin on the board. We twist them together at the factory. You may connect these to the same position on the barrier strip to save a position. If you don’t want to do this, buy the 12 position one and cut off or don’t use the other 3 positions and adjust the position numbers by one from here on out.)

(6-8) Output: one red (+volts), one green (-volts/switched ground) and one yellow (common, blinking)

These are to be connected to the red, blue and white wires respectively on the TB-LCB (LED Cross bucks).

There is a green LED on the board to indicate proper power. Note the precaution that too much voltage is dissipated as heat and the board must be properly ventilated.

TO BOARD:

Clear gray gray/ white red green yellow

Copper…… white

power photo- ….. pot….. red blue white

input detectors wires to cross buck(s)

PHOTO DETECTORS:

These MUST be electrically connected in series. Like this:

You need to install them between the ties at each location. You may elect to install them flush or below the ties. Either like this: (Below the ties)

Or like this: (flush with the ties. You may have to trim the ties to fit.)

In no circumstance should you paint or otherwise block the surface of the photo detector.

As a tip. Push paper in the hole under the photo detector to keep it in place. This makes it easy to replace or reposition if you want to change it later. You may also tape the hole but don’t use duct tape as this has a conductive surface.

POTENTIOMETER:

Mounting is a 0.267” hole. Note that a 5/16” drill is 0.309”. The pot has three lugs. The wires must be connected to the center and one end like this:

CROSS BUCK:

The cross bucks are installed in a 0.096” hole. This is a 7/64” (0.108) or a 1/8” (0.125) drill. The wires are quite small and fragile. The cross bucks are made to exact dimensions and should be

TUNING:

Once the board and components are installed and power is applied, you must “tune” the system for current light conditions. Since many will have layout lighting that is somewhat of a constant, this tuning may be a once-in-a-layout operation. You may also wish to place the variable resistor (potentiometer) under the layout directly off of the barrier strip.

If however, you are installing this on a portable layout or a module where lighting conditions vary, you may wish to mount this on the backboard where it can be adjusted on an installation or light condition basis. It is recommended that if the layout or module is portable, that you install a constant light source to better manage the light variable.

Tuning is accomplished by simply turning the pot (potentiometer) either all the way to the left or right and then very slowly turning it the opposite direction until the system operates properly. This may be, in low light conditions, the cross bucks are flashing all of the time and as you turn the pot they eventually go out. Test this by putting your hand or a car over a photo detector for 10 seconds and see if the cross bucks then start to flash. In very light conditions you may have to put a car over the detector and rotate until the cross bucks start to flash. In order to get the least sensitive tuning do both and rotate the detector to half way between the two settings. There may be times when only one of these will work in which case, rotate to one half the distance between where it works and the opposite end of the rotation. In every case, double check to make sure that it still works after you have made your final adjustment. In most installations this will only require a small adjustment from setup to setup.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Board Voltage:

9 to 30V DC, AC or DCC

Photo detectors:

Resistive. Many will work. They should all be similar in characteristics for each detector. The nominal design values were 1K ohms in light and 3K ohms in dark. It can be very low, in ohms, for light but must go to around 3K ohms for darkness. One that is larger than 3K ohms in light will probably not work.

Potentiometer:

50K ohms linear. A “Tapered” pot will work but will be more sensitive (turn it slower!). You may also get away with a 25K ohm pot but depending on the number or specifications of the photo detectors, it may not work.

Cross Bucks:

Must use LED’s that have a specification of 2 volts and 20ma with a tolerance for up to 40ma. This is common for LED’s. We use a T-1 size for HO gauge. The LED’s must be connected with opposing polarity to the center or white/yellow wire. They must also be connected with the correct polarity from the circuit. Hint: just reverse the leads if they don’t work.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

1. Buy a few cheap small screwdrivers (#1) and file the sides of the blade to fit into the European Terminal Barriers.

2. Put a small street light over the area where the photo detectors are. This will insure that there is light for the detector even if you like to simulate darkness now and again.

3. Block the light or create a shadow over the detector if there is sunlight or other bright lights nearby.

4. Use six photo detectors with the circuit. This circuit was designed to use up to 6. On a double track line, put three on each line. One at the approach from each direction, and one right in the middle of the highway crossing. This insures that a switching engine, standing on the crossing, gives the correct indication, Stop.

INDICATIONS AND ………………………..REMEDIES:

Power light (green) on the board does not come on.	Check wiring, power switches, fuses if appropriate. Note that voltage MUST be higher than 9V in order for the light to come on. Test input voltage with a meter to verify.
Power is on but the cross bucks do not flash.	Did you tune the circuit? Is it too light? Is there sunlight on or near one of the detectors? Shade the suspecting detector with a car. Put cars over all of the detectors at once. Try to tune the circuit so that the lights come on. Are you waiting 10 seconds after you have shaded the detectors? There is a natural time delay from the detectors that cannot be tuned out. Check wiring to the cross buck. It may be backwards. The red wires should be connected. The Green wire from the circuit should connect to the blue wire on the cross buck. The Yellow wire from the circuit should connect to the white wire on the cross buck. Check wiring to potentiometer and photo detectors. Make sure that the leads (white and gray) are not reversed from the specifications. The detector MUST be on the gray wires. If you connected the Gray/White pair to a single position on the barrier strip, check to make sure that the pair is connected together at the board.
The cross bucks flash all of the time.	Is it too dark? There may not be sufficient light to turn off the detectors. Did you tune the circuit? Shine a light over one or all of the detectors. Did the flashing stop? You need more ambient light or need to re-tune. Check wiring to potentiometer and photo detectors. Make sure that the leads (white and gray) are not reversed from the specifications. The detector MUST be on the gray wires. If you connected the Gray/White pair to a single position on the barrier strip, check to make sure that the pair is connected together at the board.
One of the lights on the cross buck flashes but the other one does not.	Check your wiring for the light that does not flash.
Both lights are on steady.	The red and green wires are reversed to the cross buck.
The circuit makes a loud popping noise and then nothing works. There is a very pungent smoky smell in the air.	You blew up the circuit by applying too much voltage to the input. You did not believe or did not read the caution about maximum voltage. We have many more in stock for you to purchase.

ALTERNATE WIRING AND FEATURES:

You may have or want to buy other cross bucks. If you buy ones that have their own flashing unit then just use the red wire and the green wire or the Gray wire and the green wire. This may still not be enough to power other manufactures cross bucks. Please call to see if we have a circuit that matches your situation.

If you elect to use bulbs instead of LED’s then it is important that you use cross bucks that use 1.5 volts, 20 to 40ma. If the bulbs are 12v to 18v then there must be a different output circuit. Again, please call to find an appropriate circuit match. The detector portion is not accessible directly but may be adjusted at the factory to have this output.

FINAL REMEDY:

If all else fails then we apologize and feel that we have not done our job in properly documenting or communicating the limitations of this circuit. Please contact us for additional help.

Contact us at 919-562-4378 or e-mail:info@trainbuddy.com

This page was last updated: 2008-09-08