What Servo driver are you using?

Dear ???

Whether you prefer to use Press/push, toggle, touch, or other physical form of tactile switches,
that is "simply" a choice of physical controls.

The key is going to be selecting the appropriate Servo Driver circuit which can support your preferred switch type.

Do you have a specific Servo Driver (Manuf and Model, or link to DIY circuit pls)
in mind?

Also, are you wanting:
- a seperate button for "Normal" and "Thrown" positions (IE 2x buttons per turnout)

OR

- a single button, which toggles whatever the current turnout position is every time it is pressed?

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Trying to use this but it

Trying to use this but it doesn't show switches.

Beyond...

Dear ???

Given that this is a DIY Arduino project, it's not (quite) as simple as just saying "where do I connect the push buttons?"

I'm sorry, but it's true. The majority of homebrew Arduino projects mean you, the modeller,
need to be willing to "get dirty" in both _hardware_ (where do I connect the buttons?) and _coding_/_software_ domains.

To explain, the YT you link to is talking about:

- Using an Arduino Uno as the "Brains" of the turnout/servo control
- Loading/modifying the Arduino "sketch" (the "coding" bit) 
- Such that the Arduino knows which "input pins" = which turnout push-buttons

- Once the "button push" _input commands_ are received by the Arduino,
- and interpreted/processed by the "sketch"/code,
- the Arduino uses a "command buss" called "I2C" (Eye - Squared - Sea) to connect to a _Output_Board_
(This is the "PCA9685" mentioned in the YT description)
- so that the Arduino "brains" can control more physically-connected servos than the number of pins on the Arduino itself would otherwise allow...

Clear?

If you can honestly answer "...as crystal", then you should have no problems following the links in the YT description to:
- obtain the correct hardware components
- download the provided "Arduino sketch"
- modify said sketch to suit your "press-button switch" Input Interface requirements
(you still haven't specified if you want "2x explicit buttons per turnout" or "1x toggle button per turnout")
- and assemble the hardware components together into a complete "system",

IF however, you are prompted to answer "...as mud",
then I would respectfully suggest that some more research may be required before diving headlong into the world of DIY Arduino Turnout-control "science experiments"...

As a starter, check out the excellent work by our own "Dr Geoff" Bunza and "Pelsea"...

-  https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776
-  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/control-the-world-with-arduino-12205507

The reason the YT video does not address "where to connect the buttons" is because it's focussing on the _output_side_expansion_ possibilities offered by the "I2C" buss and the "PCA9685 board",

it is assumed that the viewer/reader/modeller already knows that:
- there is a "Arduino brain" controlling this system,
- that the "input buttons" are (hardware) connected to the Arduino itself,
- and that the Arduino sketch takes care of the "software mapping and actions" from Arduino-Button-IN --> I2C/PCA9685/Servo-OUT

I hope this helps...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Worse than mud!!!!!!!!!!!

Worse than mud!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearing the mud...

Dear ???

Oh dear... That's unfortunate but I totally understand...

Reccomend reviewing the "Arduino 101" article by Dr Geoff Bunza as a good "plain english" starting point

https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776

...and hopefully that will give you at least a foundation on which to proceed...

Alternatively, if you just want a solution to allow servos to throw turnouts,
(enough of the homebrew, just get something that works)

then I suggest checking out some of the more RTR commercial offerings
- Tam Valley Depot 
https://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/microsingletservodecoder.html
/> https://www.tamvalleydepot.com/products/octopusservodriver.html

- Iowa Scaled Engineering
https://www.iascaled.com/store/ModelRailroad/TurnoutControl/MRServo-1

- Berrett Hill "Touch Toggles"
http://www.berretthillshop.com/joey-ricards-video-of-his-touch-toggle-installation/
/> https://www.berretthill.com/controls/

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Tutorial with examples

Adafruit has tutorials on most of the electronic projects that would interest model railroaders, they just don't have any reference to model railroading.

This tutorial gives in-depth examples on how to use the 9685 driver with several Arduino boards, including code examples in a couple of programming languages.

I'm going to be very direct, this isn't plug-and-play stuff.  But, if you're willing to take the time to learn something, you will have an excellent set of new tools in your problem solving tool box.

If you are looking for plug-and-play, and there is nothing wrong with that approach, there are other solutions to your problem.  Azatrax, and others offer solutions.  But be prepared to spend some cash.

gs

For what it's worth, after

For what it's worth, after researching many of the options, I decided on Tam Valley components. I didn't want to take the time to learn all the Arduino programming and design.

Lou N

I am a gluton for

I am a gluton for punishment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quad Servo DCC Decoder

If you really want to build your own servo decoder (which you can control simply via pushbuttons) then have a look at the article I wrote for MRH, published in the February issue this year -

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mrhpub.com/2020-02-feb/online/index.html

- and continued in the March issue - 

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mrhpub.com/2020-03-mar/online/index.html

You get full constructional details as well as an explanation of how it works - and a video showing how to set up your servos. Have fun (better than getting punished . . .)

About as simple as you can get servo controller

There is an article on my web page along with a YouTube video that describes what may be the simplest way to operate servos with a push button

http://www.trainelectronics.com/Servo-simple-controller/index.htm

dave

Thanks for the replies, I

Thanks for the replies, I will check them out.  Had other pressing issues come up so still reviewing.

Dave, If you don't use the

Dave, If you don't use the servo tester, what size pot would you recommend?

Push buttons are kind of a problem

Push buttons are kind of a problem with servos, because they don't have any memory. A toggle switch on the other hand, stays in the position you last set it to, so that should work. You might be used to controlling turnouts with buttons if they were the twin coil type, where the turnout itself basically has memory, but unless you have a microprocessor storing the position, you might find your switches wrongly set when you turn layout power on.

Servo Tester

Just a pot will not work - you need the servo tester to get things moving as it produces the pulses that control a servo

dave

Dave.  Thought of that after

Dave.  Thought of that after posting question.  Thanks