emm Posted October 19, 2019 (edited) Hello All, So I've finally got my act together and started building my layout however due to space the Lego 12v points are my only option as the 9V/PF switches take to much room. However an electronic pair will set you back around £90-£110 with all the switch boxes etc. So my challenge was can I do it cheaper? The answer was Yes. My first design (first image) was to use the Lego servo motor as it turns 90 degrees however these are around £20, then you'd need a Sbrick or another way to control it. It works but it looks bulky. So as I use Ncontrol from 4D Brix, I like the interface, click options and Tom is really helpful. So after a quick chat he wrote some code for me to limit the movement to 90 degrees and I purchased a Monorail Switch. It is very simple, looks neat and above all works. You have to purchase the quad motor control module but the beauty is that this will do four switches. So if you have 4 switches you save £30 on the second pair. So your first pair will cost you £80 but the next pair will only cost £50. This is the cost Lego 12 Volt Points Pair @ £100 My Second Design @ £80 Lego 12volt points not motor > £20 2x 4D Brix Motors > £25 4x 1 Meter Cables > £5 4D Brix Quad Control > £30 The only downside is you lose the turning symbol but I can see that in the software so it doesn't bother me. Andy Edited October 19, 2019 by emm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bricks n bolts Posted October 20, 2019 Hi Andy, That's a great solution. One thought is those 4DBrix monorail switch motors should also work well for Bricktracks points when they come out, due to the technic turntable design. Also, pretty ironic personally, because this last week I've been working on the exact opposite solution, fitting original 12v switch motors (which I have plenty of going back years) to 4DBrix switch points. Agreed, Tom is very helpful when it comes to discussing solutions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted October 20, 2019 Wow ...great analysis! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lowa Posted October 23, 2019 @emm Great to see you got it up and running. I like the way you mounted to the monorail servo motor, simple and efficient... Thanks for sharing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
