The Octopus turnout control system. Left to right - R/C servo and Servo Bracket, Octopus III, Fascia Controller, Remote Aligner connected to Octopus III with 7 foot cable.
Octopus III Eight Servo Driver with Remote Aligner Tool
The Octopus III can drive up to 8 servos to move turnouts or other devices on your layout controlled by a toggle switch, a momentary pushbutton, the output of a signal system or a DCC decoder. There are 8 positions for plugging in R/C type servos and 8 inputs for switches or 5V logic.
The Remote Aligner allows you to stnd by the turnout being aligned so you can precisely align the servo endpoints with ease. No more hanging under the layout trying to push buttons. The servo endpoints are found automatically by searching for hard endpoints or you can manually align them with the Remote Aligner. This allows each servo to be adjusted to its optimum range and endpoints and each servo can be independently adjusted. With the Remote Aligner you can set the amount of force used in the automatic alignment to match your rail size and the servos you are using. The board also has jumpers for setting the range from +/-20 degrees around center to +/70 degrees and for centering the servo to simplify installation for applications where there are no hard endpoints or where you are using the same turnouts in all locations. The Octopus III has an on-board high-frequency switching 1.8A power supply that is more efficient than the old linear power supply. This means less heat and a lower power draw. Power input is any power supply from 5.0-24 volts DC.
You can use the same fascia controllers as the Quad. This gives you a simple way to hook up the inputs to the board using servo-style cords and extensions. You can use "Y" cords to use more than one fascia controller to control one servo. You can also use a "Y" to connect two servos to one output (works great for passing sidings!).
This board has no DCC input. If you want DCC control of your servos then see the Quad Servo Decoder.
Octopus III Board has 8 positions for driving servos between two positions and 8 inputs for fascia controllers (see below) or toggle switches. Octopus III uses the remote board (below) to align the servos and has automated endpoint adjustment as well as full manual control. Ideal for use with miniature servos and the servo mounting kit (available here). Power with 5-24V DC (do not use AC). Octopus III has a built-in switching power supply for high efficiency and greater range. Board is 2.5" x 1.9" in size.
OCT030 $32.00 USD
Remote Aligner for Octopus III Used with the Octopus III (above) for alignment of servos (cannot be used with the Octopus II). Just one of these needed for all of your Octopus IIIs. Comes with a 7' cable which allows you to stand next to your turnout while aligning the servo - no more acrobatics and hanging upside down below the layout! The cable is a 6-pin straight data cable (not a phone type cable). Board is 2.7" x 1.7" in size.
OCT031 $12.00 USD
Octopus II Board has 8 positions for driving servos between two positions and 8 inputs for fascia controllers (see below) or toggle switches. Has automated endpoint adjustment and flexible inputs. Ideal for use with miniature servos and the servo mounting kit (available here). Power with 7-18V DC (do not use AC). Board is 2.5" x 1.9" in size.
OCT010 $32.00 $29.95 USD Price Drop!
Uh-Oh! "Mystery" servos type SD90 will not work with the Octo II! These are about the cheapest servos you can buy off EBay and they look just like the SG90 (note the G in place of a D in the name) types I sell. However, they will not work on positions 0-6 on the Octopus. This is not something that will be easily fixed so I am warning my customers! (Mystery SD90's DO work with the Quad and the Singlet which use different drive circuitry). Thanks, Duncan Update: A customer has figured out that a 1K resistor inserted into the signal wire will allow the Mystery servos to be used. I am looking into putting this modification in future versions of the Octopus. (Note: This problem does not happen with the Octo III.)
Fascia Controller for use with Quad/Octopus II This fully assembled and ready to use controller mounts on the fascia or control panel. Use for manual throwing of your switches and also provides feedback on servo position when used with DCC/signals. Has 2 yellow LEDs. Mounts using a #4 self-tapping screw (included). Comes with a 12" cord attached. 3-wire servo extensions can be used to extend the reach. By using a "Y" cable, two controllers can be added to one port to provide two control points for one turnout. Controller is 0.6 x 0.8 " in size.
FCB010 $2.50 USD
Fascia Controller Kit
Contains PC boards and parts needed to build 4 fascia controllers. The resistors are pre-mounted. An advantage of building from the kit is that you can substitute your own color LEDS (single color only - bicolors will not work in this version). Requires 4 3-wire servo extension cords to hook up to the Octopus II main board. Two kits are needed to fully control 8 servos.
FCB011 $8.00 USD
Bicolor Fascia Controller for use with Quad/Octopus II This controller is identical to the above controller except that it has two Red/Green Bicolor LEDs instead of the 2 yellow LEDs. Each LED alternates between red and green so both LEDs are lit whereas in the regular yellow LED controller one LED is on at a time. The LED colors in photo are a bit washed out due to the limits of photography. Other than the LEDs it is identical to the single color Fascia Controller.
FCB012 $3.25 USD
Bi-Color LED Fascia Controller Kit
Contains PC boards and parts needed to build 4 fascia controllers with bi-color LEDs (3-lead type). The resistors and transistors are pre-mounted and the board tested. An advantage of building from the kit is that you can mount the components on a control panel anywhere you wish and then wire them back to the PC board. Requires four 3-wire servo extension cords to hook up to the Quad/Octopus main board.
Roll Your Own Inputs The inputs to the Octopus are very versatile. You can use toggles or momentary switches. A jumper (MTR) is used to tell the Octopus whether you are using momentary or toggled inputs. When the Octopus is not sensing the input it puts out a signal on the same wire that can be used lighting LEDS to indicate turnout position. The wire used is a standard servo extension so you don't need to cut wires.
Using a Y cable a DPDT relay can be added to the Octopus to the fascia controller socket. This can be used at the same time as a fascia controller. This gives you a set of contacts to power a turnout frog and to indicate the turnout state to a external signaling system. The relay is a special low power 5 V version that requires only a 30 mA to activate.
*This relay will work on both the Quad and the Octopus controller socket.
Remote DPDT Relay with Y Cable for Controller Socket
A DPDT relay for using on a Y cable in conjunction with a fascia controller. (Will also work without the fascia controller.) Has a 6-pin connector block to simplify wiring. High-sensitivity coil requires 30 mA. The contacts are rated 1 Amp at 24VDC. [Can also be used without the Octopus - red wire, 5V, black wire, ground,
white wire, signal (0V = OFF, greater than 1.4V is ON).] Comes with a
12" Y cable - extra length can be added with servo extensions.
DY5001 $5.50 USD
Set of 8 Remote DPDT Relay with Y Cable for Controller Socket
DY5008 $32.00 USD
These wires can be used to wire a toggle switch as input to the Octopus II. You can crimp your own wires of course, but I provide these pre-crimped kits for your convenience.
The wires can be easily extended by daisy-chaining them as illustrated.
Input Wire Kit (4 inputs) This is a set of pre-crimped 12" wires (8 total) and shells (4 total) for 4 inputs to the Octopus II. Use to connect toggle switches or signal systems.
OWK001 $5.00 USD
9V 1A Power Adapter Can be used to power one Octopus loaded (each servo typically uses 100-150 mA). Power cord is 4' long. Input: 100-240Volts 50/60Hertz AC for US style plugs. Output: DC 9Volts 1Amp.
PAD001 $6.00 USD
Videos of Octopus II (III coming soon)
Video of mounting a miniature servo using a mounting kit and Auto-Aligning the servo endpoints.
How to use fascia controllers and toggle switches with the Octopus II.
