STEP BY STEP

1

The screen is very small, measuring just 30mm by 10mm and the front is made of glass, so be very careful when handling it. We placed it face-down on a piece of polystyrene to do the soldering and left the plastic film on throughout the installation process to protect it from damage or fingerprints.

2

Due to the delicacy of the Smart Screen, it is recommended that you do the soldering quickly and only leave the soldering iron on the contacts for a second at most. Use flux to make the process as fast and easy as possible. Also, keep the solder join shallow, otherwise you’ll have difficulty making it fit into the holder.

3

We decided to switch screen messages using a controller, which meant we only needed to solder the two power pads. It doesn’t matter which way round the wires go. You can also use track sensors and DCC points to change messages on the screen, with full instructions on how to do that in the booklet.

4

Train-tech supplies all the wire you need to programme the Smart Screen. Connect the two wires to the main track outputs of your transformer – not the programming track as we had assumed before we started. The screen uses a locomotive address for programming.

5

Since the screen was going on Chris’ Cornish layout, he wrote down a list of stations he wanted me to programme into the Smart Screen. It is a good idea to write down what you want to display before you start. Rather kindly, he only gave me seven stations!

6

I have two pieces of advice for when you’re programming the Smart Screen. Firstly, keep the instructions to hand as it takes a while to get used to which button to press. Secondly, sit down! Even with my fingers, which are used to phone texting, it took me half an hour!

7

Use a hand drill with the correct sized drill bit to make a hole on the platform where the screen post will be situated. Take your time, ensure that the drill is perpendicular to the platform and test the hole is the right size before adding glue to the post.

8

With the wires passed through the hole in the post we added a small piece of tubing from Evergreen plastic models to give the structure more support. The end had to be tapered to fit into the screen post, but it does provide more support than the post alone.

9

The screen in operation on the platform at ‘Polwyddelan’. The only thing that isn’t perfect is that the real-time clock resets every time you turn the power on. You can make it start at a different time, but at the moment passengers are in for a long wait before this train leaves!