This is the second of 3 pages on basic layout objects in LCOS: blocks and turnouts.
This Part is about turnouts in LCOS and how to set them up on a Client Node.
Local Turnouts
LCOS can control the most common turnout motor types: stall motor ( Circuitron Tortoise), 2 wire coil (Kato Unitrack), 3-wire coil (Atlas, Peco) and servos.
Servos require a PCA9685 board.
The other turnout motor types are run by relays attached to DNOU8 Ports. For more information and wiring diagrams for relays, see Relays. You must configure your relays before you can use them to run turnout motors.
Remote Turnouts
A CLIENT node can also monitorup to 8 turnouts located on other nodes. When a remote turnout is added to a node’s turnout map, the node listens for messages concerning the remote turnout, and maintains a record of the turnout’s last reported status. Remote turnout information can be used by Signals and other automated processes.
The Turnout Tool
In the Main Window click 
to invoke the Turnout Tool.
Terminology
LCOS uses the terms MAIN and DIVERGENT to describe turnout position. Among model railroad hobbyists, turnout position is frequently referred to as “closed” or “thrown.”
Most of the time MAIN means the same thing as “closed” and DIVERGENT means the same thing as “thrown.” In responding to DCC turnout commands, LCOS interprets “closed” to mean MAIN and “thrown” to mean DIVERGENT.
The fundamental difference between the terms is that “closed” and “thrown” describe the position of the points while the LCOS terms describe the route that results from the position of the points. In LCOS, MAIN can describe the “thrown” route, and DIVERGENT can describe the “closed” route.
How does that work? Its a simple byproduct of your ability to define the hardware settings for positioning the points. You can define the hardware settings to “throw” the points for the MAIN route and “close” them for the DIVERGENT route. Accordingly, in the context of LCOS it is more consistent to think in terms of routes rather than point positions.
Defining Local Turnouts
To define a local turnout, you must first select the motor type from the drop-down list at the top of the window.
After selecting a motor type from the list, the drop-down connector list to the right will auto-populate with appropriate connectors, if available. If you select Servo as the motor type, then the connector list will contain PWM ports; if you select either Stall Motor or Twin Coil, the connector list will contain any relays you’ve defined.
If there are no connector objects of the required type, then the connector list will remain disabled and you cannot add the turnout until you’ve added relays or pwm ports to the node’s configuration.
Select the PWM port or Relay attached to the turnout motor, then click 
to add the turnout to the map.
Additional Local Turnout Properties
After you add a new turnout, it will be loaded into the edit area so that you can configure additional properties.
>> If the new turnout is either a Stall Motor (e.g. Tortoise) or Twin Coil type, there are two additional properties to manage:
Default Alignment sets how the turnout is lined when the node starts up. Use the slider to select either MAIN or DIVERGENT.
Relay Default Aligns Turnout tells the system about how you have wired the relay to the turnout. “Relay Default” generally means the relay coils are not powered and the NC Contacts are engaged. On compound relay types such the DP3T, SPDT Break/Make and SPDT Select/Energize, the relay default is where the polarity or selector relay of the pair is in an unpowered default state. Use the slider to select either MAIN or DIVERGENT as the default relay alignment.
If on Node startup the turnout goes to the opposite position of the Default Alignment specified, reverse the Relay Default Aligns Turnout setting.
>> If the new turnout uses a Servo Motor, there are a few more settings to work with.
Default Alignment sets how the turnout is lined when the node starts up. Use the slider to select either MAIN or DIVERGENT.
Align MAIN specifies the servo position that lines the turnout for the MAIN route. The position value is expressed in PWM “ticks” between 150 [0 degree setting] and 650 [180 degree setting], with the default value 400 being the midpoint, or 90 degree setting. The values you use depend on the orientation of the servo and its horn.
Align DIVERGENT specifies the servo position that lines the turnout for the DIVERGENT route. The position value is expressed in PWM “ticks” between 150 [0 degree setting] and 650 [180 degree setting], with the default value 400 being the midpoint, or 90 degree setting. The values you use depend on the orientation of the servo and its horn.
Step Delay specifies the delay, in microseconds, between servo movements. Servos move 1 tick at a time: motion speed is the combined effect of the distance (number of ticks) the horn has to move and the delay between each move. The default value of 20 microseconds will move a typical turnout (100 – 150 tick distance between alignments) in 2 to 3 seconds. The minimum effective delay is 10 microseconds; delays below that may not be honored because of higher priority tasks.
Servo Position Tool
Clicking the green button 
next to the two position fields calls the Servo Position Tool.
The tool comes up with the current setting, in this case the default center setting. When “Sync Servo Position” checked, the servo will stay in sync with the positioning slider, allowing you to see how the position affects the points.
Use the slider to move the servo until the points are positioned for the target route. Use 
or 
to nudge the servo one step either direction. When you are satisfied you’ve found the optimum setting for the route, click Save & Close.
Servo Tips
Servos work best if you set the horn (horns are repositionable on the drive stem) and mount the servo so that at the 90 degree position the linkage pushes the points to mid-way between the rails. Then use the Servo Position tool to find the settings for each route: swing the horn one direction for MAIN and the opposite direction for DIVERGENT. The will likely result in values of 350 -375 on one side, and 425 – 450 on the other.
Frog Power & Reversing Relays
You can link a frog power relay and/or a reverser relay to any local turnout. You must create your relay objects before you can link them to a turnout.
With the target turnout selected and loaded in the editor, click the Frog Relay checkbox, then select the appropriate relay from the list. The SPDT Break/Make relay is specifically designed to work with turnouts to manage frog power.
Default if Aligned sets the relay state to default (generally, unpowered — see above) when the turnout is aligned as indicated. Use the slider to select either MAIN or DIVERGENT. The correct settings depend on how the relay is wired; flip this setting if the behavior of the relay is the reverse of what you intend.
Turnouts located at the throat or entry point for a reversing loop can control the power polarity relay for the loop. On a standard reversing loop, this feature can ensure track polarity is correct for the turnout alignment.
To link a reversing relay to a turnout, click the Reverser Relay checkbox, then select the appropriate relay from the list.
Control Objects
In addition to the relay options, a turnout can also be linked to Control Objects that are triggered by turnout alignment changes.
Using this feature, a turnout can trigger any other object or collection of objects on a node. See Control Objects for more information.
Using this feature, you can
- turn lighting or animations on or off depending on turnout position
- cause other turnouts to move synchronously; this is useful for complex, compound turnout structures that have to function synchronously. For setting multiple independent turnouts, use Routes.
Saving and Testing
Click 
to write the configuration data to the Node.
To complete the change, the node must rebooted. On the Main Window, click 
to reboot and load the new configuration.
After reboot, the new configuration will be active. Click to reopen the Turnout Tool. You can now select a local turnout and click 
to test turnout movement.
Adding Remote Turnouts
Remote turnout monitoring is an advanced feature that is used by the Signal system to extend the logical reach of signals. You do not need this feature if you are not using Signals, or your Signals do not need to monitor turnouts in other nodes.
To add a remote turnout to the turnout map, you only have to know the node id and the UID of the target turnout.
After entering the Node ID and selecting the UID, click 
to add the turnout to the turnout map. Click to write the configuration data to the Node.
After rebooting the node, you can test communication by selecting a remote turnout from the drop-down list then clicking 
.
There is nothing to edit with remote turnouts. You can change to order of the turnouts on the map, or you can delete them. Select a turnout from the remote turnout drop-down list, then click the button for the action you wish to perform.