Modifying Peco points for electrofrog operation
The Peco electrofrog points rely on the contact between the stock rails and the point blades to carry current into the blades and this can lead to a loss of continuity and loco stalling. The frogs are then energised by the current that is running through the blades. As a result, if the current in the blades is intermittent, it will also be flaky through the frog.
The solution is quite simple and reference should be made to the photo below.
The photo shows the gap that Peco leave in the sleeper base just where the point blades hinge. To the left of this you can just see the two small soldered wires that link each of the blades with frog section. To the right are the riveted hinges.
The modifications are;
1) cut the two soldered wires to electrically isolate the frog from the blades
2) solder 2 wires, one from each of the stock rails to its neighbouring point blade. These two wires should then be fed into either side of the SPST switch that connects to your point motor (to change frog polarity). In my case it will be the Peco point switch that fixes to the base of the point motor and which is moved when the motor throws.
3) attach the wire that is soldered to the frog complex (already in place courtesy of Peco) to the feed contact of the above mentiooned switch. This means that when the switch moves, either the straight rail/blade or the curved rail/blade will feed current to the frog. MAKE SURE THAT YOU WIRE THIS THR IGHT WAY ROUND TO AVOID SHORT CIRCUITS. A test meter is a better way that wiring up your controller of finding out if you have done it properly!!