STEP BY STEP

Cut a strip from the copper-clad glass fibre sheet. A razor saw or junior hacksaw works well, though be aware that the sheet’s edges can be sharp.

Use a sharp blade – a razor saw in this case – to score through the copper. Divide the strip into six.

Divide the six strips in half to create 12 segments. Ensure that your scoring has cut completely through the copper – if not, you’ll create short circuits.

Hold the solenoid against the point and ensure that it allows the point blades to engage on both sides.

The wires on the supplied harness are all the same length. Split the ends and cut them back so one is progressively shorter than the other.

Mark the solenoid mounting holes, then drill them and screw the motor into place. Drill a hole nearby to accept the harness.

Plug the harness into the solenoid and feed the wires through the holes. The green wire is the power feed, the red and black wires are the switch wires.

Position the Capacitor Discharge Unit, mark the holes and then drill them. Screw the CDU on to the baseboard, but not too tightly.

The two power feeds go to the two screw terminals on the left. I’ve used black wire elsewhere and should have selected a different colour for ease of identification.

The two right-hand terminals supply power to the solenoids. The green wire is the direct feed to the solenoid – I’ve wired all mine in series (see panel).

Screw the copper to the board and drill the seed wire feed holes. Apply flux to each segment and tin with solder. The red and black switch wires feed directly to the solenoid. With one end soldered to the wiring harness, tin the other and, with lots of flux, solder to the segment. Each vertical segment is for one point.

The heart of the system is Peco’s PL-17 probe. Screw this into the last remaining terminal on the CDU. The probe also comes with a handy little holster.