spst and spdt

[cheech]

does anyone know of a mfgr that markets spst or spdt switches that are ganged together?

i am looking to bring power to the 'gang' then toggle on/off power to different tracks around a turntable.  the atlas 205 set of three seems more suited [amps] for ho/n scale than o ga 

 

any ideas?

ralph

[wrmcclellan]

Cheech,

You can easily gang standard SPST and SPDT switches yourself. I have not seen any ganged versions of these myself, but typically when one encounters a somewhat custom application of standard devices, it usually costs more than if you DIY. Your best option is to frequent a local electronics surplus store where various custom assemblies are typ sold for fractions of their original cost.

I agree that the Atlas stuff is not high current. However - the Atlas stuff should work fine if you are running all modern can motored locos, which typ pull less than 1.5 - 2 amps. The locos in a turntable and roundhouse situation are not under heavy load and will operate at minimal current draw in this scenario.

[dbaker48]

I'm sure this is too obvious.  But, why not put one more switch in, "Master", then when its on, you indepently set the others.  Or "off" turns all off at the same switch.

 

[Dave Connolly]

 Not sure how many tracks you plan on controlling. A rotary switch and some relays wouldn't take up much space on a control panel. The switch with small wires would control the relays capable of handling more current that would power the tracks. The benefits would be that only one track can be powered at a time and a pretty simple control panel that takes up little space. The relays themselves can be daisy chained as far as track power and can be placed near the switch or near the track they are powering up. The downside would be the need of a small 12v dc powerpack for the relays and perhaps the need of a toggle switch to shut the system down entirely. What will happen as you turn the rotary switch and pass by the tracks you don't intend to run the trains will power up for a breif second. Some small stick on numbers can go on the panel to line up with the knob or pointer so you know which track is powered. Another alternative is to use lighted bumpers to show which track is powered.

 A six position switch is shown on line at Radio Shack. They are available online I'm sure but I have never dealt with any of the suppliers often mentioned. The name that comes up a lot is Mouser.

[Dave Connolly]

 Just remembered. Looking at the Atlas site a few days ago they showed heavy duty electrical switches designed for O Gauge. Go to www.atlaso.com and look under the new products just listed.

[phillyreading]

Try using  1/8 inch paneling or aluminum or some light sheet metal to put the switches into and mount it to your layout or control panel. 

I used a piece of thin paneling for my switches and panel meters, drilled the holes from the backside using a piece of wood under the paneling (leave no gap)when drilling so as not to damage the paneling, then I used one by one strips to attach the paneling to my layout after attaching the paneling to the plywood sheet that I am using for my trains.  I put my transformers under the layout table to save on room as the room I have is a spare bedroom on the second floor.

Lee F.