MegaPoints System2 · Servo-8 User Guide R2Contents
MegaPoints Controllers · System2
Servo-8 User guide · Revision 2
Eight beautifully controlled servos. One friendly board. Built for pointwork, semaphore signals, crossing gates and the moving details that bring a model railway to life.
SimplePowerfulReliableDesigned & made in the UK
Before you connect anything
Watch the short System2 getting-started presentation. It shows the whole idea first, so the plugs, board names and numbered “V-Ports” will make sense when you meet them below.
A reassuring way to begin
Meet MegaConsole
MegaConsole is the free Windows companion for System2. It finds the boards on your home network and puts them together in one clear place.
See which boards are switched on and healthy.
Open a board’s settings without hunting for its web address.
Back up settings on your own PC.
Plan and start board updates locally, with plain-English release notes.
Use compatible hardware connections for setup, recovery and more options when a board cannot be reached over Wi-Fi.
Example
You have two Servo-8 boards under the baseboard. MegaConsole can show both by name — perhaps “Station throat” and “Goods yard” — tell you which needs an update, then open the correct one. No remembering strings of numbers.
Cost: Free Computer: Windows 10 or 11 Internet: Not needed for everyday local control
Think of the Servo-8 as eight patient signalmen. Each looks after one servo and moves it only when its numbered instruction arrives.
The connections are printed on the board itself. The eight white sockets run from S1 on the right to S8 on the left.Match the plug to one complete vertical socket. On the real board, S1 is at the right-hand end. Its top pin is signal, its middle pin is positive and its bottom pin is negative. Never bridge two neighbouring sockets.
S1 to S8Eight servo sockets. Each plug spans one complete S + − group.
Green terminalThe regulated 12-volt DC supply and the two-wire System2 CAN link. Match its printed lettering exactly.
Hotspot buttonStarts the board's own temporary Wi-Fi network when needed. It does not erase servo settings.
Power off while plugging servos in
A servo plug placed the wrong way round may damage the servo or board. On common leads, brown or black is −, red is +, and orange, yellow or white is S. Colours are helpful, but the maker’s servo instructions and the letters on the board are the final word.
What it can move
Turnout tie bars, semaphore arms, ground signals, level-crossing gates, warning wig-wags, shed doors, water cranes and other light mechanisms. A servo should move the model, not fight it. If it buzzes, gets hot or strains at an end, reduce the travel immediately.
2 · A safe first win
Connect one servo first
Prove one channel on the bench before fitting eight beneath the layout. This makes mistakes easy to see and harmless to correct.
1
Leave the linkage disconnected
Mount the servo loosely or hold it securely, but do not connect it to a turnout yet. Fit a servo horn.
2
Plug it into S1
With the power off, match the servo lead to S + − printed beside S1.
3
Connect the board’s 12-volt DC supply
Check polarity twice, then switch on. Keep fingers and loose wire away from the servo horn: it may move as the board starts.
4
Connect to the board
Use MegaConsole if it is installed. Otherwise follow the Wi-Fi steps in the next section.
5
Centre, fit and trim
Open S1’s Adjust control, choose Centre Servo, then fit the horn close to the desired middle position. Attach the linkage only after the safe travel has been set.
Your first-session rule
Small movements first. Watch the mechanism while adjusting. Save only when it is right.
3 · Let MegaConsole do the fiddly part
Put the board on your Wi-Fi
The easiest method is MegaConsole. It can find a factory-fresh board's temporary hotspot, briefly connect to it, hand over your home Wi-Fi details, watch the board prove that it has joined, then return the PC to your normal network.
Recommended
Use MegaConsole's WiFi page
Enter your home network once. MegaConsole remembers it on this PC and can send it to new or existing System2 boards. You do not need to leave the app and wrestle with Windows Wi-Fi menus yourself.
1Open WiFi and press Look for a new board.
2Pick the Servo-8 and your remembered home network.
3Press Join the board to this network. MegaConsole completes the handover.
If you are not using MegaConsole
The manual method still works and is useful at the club or when no Windows PC is nearby:
1. Join the temporary network whose name begins serv8-.2. Pick your home network, enter its password and save.
Power the board and look for its serv8-xxxxxx network on your phone, tablet or PC.
Join it. If the setup page does not appear, browse to http://4.3.2.1.
Select your normal Wi-Fi, enter the password and save.
Return your device to its normal Wi-Fi, then find the board in MegaConsole or at its serv8-xxxxxx.local name.
If the internet is down
Your local System2 network and board pages can still work. The internet is needed only for online services such as fetching new firmware or cloud backup. Your railway does not depend on a distant server to throw a point.
4 · Your complete Servo-8 control desk
There is far more here than eight sliders
The main page commissions the servos, tests the layout, watches four communication systems, manages network behaviour, protects your settings and helps diagnose a fault. It is a workshop instrument as well as a setup page.
The complete Servo-8 page. Its sections fold away, so the everyday port controls can stay open while advanced tools remain out of sight.
Commission eight mechanisms
Set V-Ports, travel, speed, movement pattern, direction, trigger and feedback separately for every servo.
Move while you adjust
Open the graphical arc gauge, drag the physical end points and watch the real servo follow in real time.
Build movement with character
Choose Points, WigWag, semaphore actions or four different spring-and-bounce behaviours.
See the railway talking
Live charts show Wi-Fi strength and traffic, CAN activity and MQTT traffic instead of leaving you to guess.
Find faults on the wire
The status log and filterable CAN Monitor reveal board names, messages and V-Ports as they happen.
Protect and maintain it
Save locally, make or restore cloud backups, inspect board health and install validated firmware updates.
The eight-channel table: every important operating value remains visible together.
MegaConsole brings the fleet together
For one board, this page is excellent. For a complete layout, MegaConsole automatically discovers supported boards and gives you one place to:
open the correct board;
name and identify it;
see health and reachability;
back up settings;
plan and initiate updates;
manage Wi-Fi; and
use connected hardware for setup and recovery.
Area
What it gives you
Typical use
Port Configuration
All eight servo jobs and live Adjust controls.
Installation, testing and fine tuning.
Network
CAN, JMRI or Native MQTT selection; Auto ID; roaming; hotspot behaviour and credential sharing.
Joining the rest of System2 or computer control.
Charts
Live Wi-Fi signal and traffic, CAN traffic and MQTT traffic.
Proving that messages are arriving and spotting a weak radio link.
Status Log & CAN Monitor
A readable event history plus detailed, filterable bus messages.
Finding the difference between “no command arrived” and “the servo could not move”.
Dashboard
Processor, memory, storage, network and servo-position health.
Preventive checks and useful evidence for support.
Backup & Update
Cloud restore points and verified firmware maintenance.
Recovering settings or adding improvements safely.
Save Changes means “keep this”
Most adjustments take effect at once so you can test them. They are not permanent until you press Save Changes. Reload Values discards unsaved experiments. Reset to Defaults is a much bigger step; use it only when you truly want to start again.
5 · The heart of the Servo-8
Set travel without learning electronics
Press Adjust beside a servo. The popup shows the two end positions, the allowed movement between them, the servo’s live position and its speed.
This matches the real adjustment popup. The example shows a 1000–2000 range, the full 650–2350 limits, the wide servo arm and speed set near the middle.
Orange handle · HISets the higher end value. Here it is 2000.
Yellow handle · LOSets the lower end value. Here it is 1000.
Coloured arcDrag the arc itself to move both ends together.
Servo armFollows the real servo position while you adjust.
LO and HI
The yellow handle sets LO and the orange handle sets HI. These numbers are pulse lengths, but you do not need to type them — drag a handle and watch the mechanism.
Move the whole range
Drag the coloured arc when the amount of travel is right but both ends need shifting together.
Speed
The vertical control runs from 100% at the top to 1% at the bottom. Point blades generally look better at a moderate speed. Semaphore arms and gates often suit slower travel.
Centre Servo
Moves to the true mechanical centre. Use this before fitting the horn. Pressing it again returns to the previous working position.
A reliable adjustment method
Disconnect the linkage and centre the servo.
Refit the horn so it points near the middle of the required movement.
Reconnect the linkage without forcing it.
Drag the yellow LO handle inward until the first end is correct.
Drag the orange HI handle inward until the other end is correct.
Move between both ends several times and listen for strain.
Press Done, then Save Changes.
Do not use Reset as a test button
Reset returns LO to 1000, HI to 2000 and speed to 50%. On a connected mechanism that could demand more movement than it can safely provide.
6 · Plain-English settings
What every box means
Setting
What it really means
Good practice
V-Port
The unique “telephone number” used to command this servo.
Two things that must move together may deliberately share a number; otherwise keep numbers unique.
Range LO / HI
The two end stops.
Set with Adjust; never make a servo push hard against the model.
Speed
How quickly it travels, shown as 1–100%.
Start around the middle, then slow it to taste.
Type
The character of the movement.
Choose from the eight current patterns below.
Reverse
Swaps which command means which end.
Use this instead of rewiring or swapping LO and HI.
Trigger
A V-Port message the servo listens to as an instruction.
Useful when a panel input or sensor is to move it.
Feedback
A V-Port on which the servo reports its final position.
Use it for panel indication or automation.
The eight movement patterns in current firmware
Type 1
Points
Smooth eased travel between two ends. The usual choice for turnout blades and simple two-position mechanisms.
Type 2
WigWag
Moves side to side for a set number of swings. Intended for crossing warning signals.
Type 3
Sem Bounce
A semaphore arm movement with a small settling bounce at the “on” position.
Type 4
Sem Lever
A slow first pull, a brief re-grip pause and a quicker completion, like a signal-box lever being worked.
Type 5
Spring 1
Two wide, gentle rebounds, suggesting a soft rubber buffer.
Type 6
Spring 2
Three crisper rebounds, suitable for a firmer spring effect.
Type 7
Spring 3
A second gentle two-bounce pattern retained for compatible layouts.
Type 10
Spring 4
A “bouncing ball” pattern: each parabolic bounce becomes shorter and smaller.
About the resting pulse
By default the board stops continually driving a stationary servo after movement. This prevents many low-cost servos from humming and warming. Enable resting pulses only where the mechanism must be actively held, and check temperature and noise.
7 · Worked on the layout
Three complete examples
Example A · One turnout from a panel switch
Job: The first switch on a factory-set Panel Controller should move servo S1, and the first pair of panel lamps should show its position.
Leave S1 on factory V-Port 1.
Leave Trigger at 321 and Feedback at 161.
Choose Points.
Set safe LO and HI positions with Adjust.
Operate the panel switch repeatedly, check both end positions, then Save Changes.
The matched factory addresses are intentional: S1 V-Port 1, Trigger 321 and Feedback 161. Channels S2–S8 continue in sequence.
Example B · A pair of crossing gates
Job: Two servos should raise and lower together from one command, with one installed as a mirror image.
Give S3 and S4 the same V-Port — for example 45.
Choose Points for a clean two-position gate movement.
Set a slow speed on both.
Use Reverse on the servo that travels the wrong way.
Adjust each servo’s LO and HI separately because the linkages will not be identical.
Save, then test several full cycles.
Sharing a V-Port is useful here: one instruction rings both “telephone numbers” because they are deliberately the same.
Example C · A semaphore with character
Job: A semaphore arm should rise steadily and settle with a small bounce.
Centre the servo before fitting the arm linkage.
Select Sem Bounce.
Start with a narrow safe range.
Widen LO and HI little by little until the arm reaches its correct on and off positions.
Set a moderate-to-slow speed.
Watch ten cycles. If the arm or wire flexes at either end, reduce the range.
Save Changes.
Example D · Set up a second Servo-8 quickly
Job: Give the second board its own block of eight servo numbers.
Open EasyConfig.
Select Board 1b (9) to assign its eight operating V-Ports from 9 to 16.
Apply and inspect the table.
Press Save Changes.
Adjust each physical servo separately; EasyConfig changes addresses, not safe travel.
Important: The current page offers blocks 1–8, 9–16, 17–24 and onward. The board firmware’s legacy helper path also contains older 101-series presets; trust the values visibly loaded into your table and save only after checking them.
8 · Boards talking together
The System2 network, without the computer jargon
A V-Port is a shared number for an action. A CAN bus is the sturdy two-wire party line that carries those numbered messages between boards. A CAN ID is the private identity of one physical board; leave Auto ID on so the system chooses it.
Panel switch sends V-Port 1
→
CAN H + CAN L the party line
→
Servo-8 S1 listens on V-Port 1
→
Point moves feedback on 161
Which protocol should I choose?
Choice
Choose it when…
CAN
You are using System2 boards together. This is the normal, simplest and most dependable choice.
JMRI
Your railway is already controlled through JMRI and you deliberately want the board to use that integration.
Native MQTT
You already run an MQTT broker and understand topics and network automation.
For most readers
Leave the protocol on CAN, Auto ID on, Roaming on and HotSpot AutoStart on. Those defaults are chosen to make the board easy to find and reliable on a normal System2 layout.
Joining several boards
Switch power off before altering the CAN wiring.
Carry CAN H to H and CAN L to L from board to board using a twisted pair.
Avoid star-shaped branches where practical; make a tidy line through the layout.
Use termination only at the two physical ends of the bus, following the board labels and System2 starter guidance.
Use Locate Board when you need to identify one among many.
After one board knows the Wi-Fi, Share can pass those credentials to compatible boards on the wired CAN network.
9 · Keep the good work safe
Save, back up and update
Three different kinds of safety
Action
Where it keeps things
Use it for
Save Changes
Inside this board
Making today’s settings survive a restart or power cut.
MegaConsole backup
On your Windows PC
Keeping a labelled local copy of one board or the layout fleet.
Cloud Backup
MegaPoints online service
Off-site recovery after registration and while the internet is available.
Before changing a busy station throat
Open MegaConsole and make a local backup named with the date and purpose.
Change and test one servo at a time.
Save Changes after each proven channel.
Make a second backup named “after servo adjustment”.
Names beat memory. “Station-throat-before-2026-08-21” is far more useful than “backup2”.
Firmware updates
Firmware is the set of instructions already inside the board. Updates can improve reliability or add facilities. MegaConsole can show available releases and initiate local updates. The Servo-8 also has its own Update page.
Read the release notes first.
Do not update just before an operating session or exhibition.
Use a steady power supply and do not switch off during the update.
Allow the board to restart.
Confirm the board, settings and one servo work before moving on to another board.
10 · One thing at a time
Fault-finding
The servo is completely still
Power off. Check that the plug is on the correct channel and aligned with S, + and −. Restore power, open that same row and use Adjust. Try another known-good servo on the same socket; then try the original servo on a known-good socket.
The servo moves the wrong way
Use Reverse. Do not swap power wires.
It buzzes or becomes warm
The mechanism is probably holding it against an end stop. Reduce LO or HI until the strain disappears. Check the linkage is free. Leave resting pulses off unless active holding is genuinely required.
It jumps when switched on
Disconnect the linkage, centre the servo and refit the horn. Check that saved LO and HI values suit the mechanism. A strong, regulated supply and sound connections also matter when several servos start together.
I cannot find the board on Wi-Fi
Check MegaConsole first. Confirm the PC is on the same home network. If the saved network is unavailable, wait for HotSpot AutoStart and look for the board’s serv8-… hotspot. The board continues to retry its normal network.
The panel switch does nothing
Check the panel instruction and servo are using the same V-Port. Look at the Status Log or CAN Monitor to see whether the message arrives. Test the servo from Adjust; this separates a movement problem from a messaging problem.
Settings disappeared after a restart
They were probably tested but not saved. Re-enter them, test, then press Save Changes. Use a MegaConsole or cloud backup before larger changes.
What to note before asking for help
The board name, software version, which socket is affected, what you expected, what actually happened, and the last relevant lines in Status Log. A photograph of the plugs and wiring often saves a long conversation.
11 · Build only what your railway needs
The wider System2 family
All these boards use the same idea: numbered V-Port messages pass around the layout, so an input, an action and an indicator can work together without a central tangle of wiring.
Panel & Mini Panel
Your traditional control desk: switches and sensors in, indication lamps out. The Mini suits smaller panels.
Route Processor
Stores sequences of points and signals, then sets a complete route from one request, detector, schedule or RFID event.
Motor drivers
Solenoid Driver for twin-coil motors; Stall/Kato Driver for slow-motion, Kato and MTB mechanisms; Servo-8 for hobby servos.
Product
Its job on the railway
Input-32
Collects many switches, detectors and other contact inputs.
Output-32
Drives a large bank of ordinary panel or layout indicators.
RGB Panel Driver / OUT-64
Controls up to 64 individually addressable colour LEDs for sophisticated panels, signals and lighting.
DCC Decoder
Brings DCC accessory commands into the System2 V-Port world.
Relay Driver
Provides isolated change-over contacts for frog polarity, accessory power and general switching.
RFID Reader & Display
Identifies tagged trains and displays or uses their four-digit identities.
EtherBridge
Bridges supported computer-control protocols on Ethernet to the System2 CAN network.
AutoSignal
Automates signal aspects from layout events and rules.
Repeater
Extends and strengthens larger System2 CAN installations.
MegaConsole
The free Windows home for finding, viewing, backing up, updating and recovering System2 boards.
12 · Keep this page by the layout
Quick reference
Servo channels
8, labelled S1–S8
Board supply
Regulated 12 V DC; observe polarity printed on the board
Servo plug
S = signal, + = servo supply, − = return/ground
Factory channel addresses
V-Ports 1–8; Triggers 321–328; Feedback 161–168
Factory travel
LO 1000, HI 2000
Factory movement
Points
Movement patterns
Points, WigWag, Sem Bounce, Sem Lever, Spring 1, 2, 3 and 4
Normal System2 protocol
CAN
New-board setup address
http://4.3.2.1 while connected to the board hotspot
Golden sequence
Power off → plug in → centre → connect linkage → trim LO/HI → test → Save Changes
You do not need to become a computer expert
For a normal layout, remember only this: each job has a number, the wired CAN pair carries that number, and the Servo-8 moves whichever channel is listening for it. Everything else is adjustment, labelling and sensible testing — skills model railway builders already have.
Technical basis checked against the Servo-8 firmware and web interface in the System2 source tree on 21 August 2026. Firmware changes may alter a label or add a feature; the board’s own page and MegaConsole show what is installed on your particular board.
