indicator switches

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have a schamatic of a switch circuit that can be used on a Atlas snap switch so when the switch is pushed it will light a LED to show what track its on .
if anyone has circuits for trains let me know my little layout so far only has 27 switches and is only takeing up a 14 by 30 foot room and i keep looseing track of what tracks it on and what switches are where .
thanks [B)]

[nfmisso]

The Atlas book on wiring has the circuit you desire.

You should also consider changing to stall motor type turnout motors, like Tortise, and getting rid of the twin coil motors like Atlas. The Tortise are always on, and thus can be controlled with a simple toggle switch (on-on). Using a simple bi-polar supply to power them means you only need SPDT contacts, and thus if you use DPDT you have a circuit to power indicator LEDs, and the LEDs can be run off the sample power supply as the Tortise.

[willy6]

"nfmisso" is right, go with atlas. i used "LEDS" from "Radio Shack" and Atlas snap relays to light up my control panel on switch position. works great.

[Anonymous]

I dont have the book from Atlas on wireing and the town i live in doesnt even have a place to buy it any way you could send me the Scmatic for the circuit ?
id greatly appreciate it
Sincerly Richard

[jwmurrayjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MNbiker

I dont have the book from Atlas on wireing and the town i live in doesnt even have a place to buy it any way you could send me the Scmatic for the circuit ?
id greatly appreciate it
Sincerly Richard

Richard,

You'll need the Atlas Snap Relays if you are going to use the Atlas Snap switches. I think that the Snap relay comes with a diagram since your application is its main purpose.

[:)]

[nfmisso]

You can order wiring books from Amazon.com, or when Atlas's on-line store returns in a couple of weeks, you can order one from them, or direct from Kalmbach......

[nfmisso]

Re snap relays; by the time you pay for the Atlas twin coil machine, and the snap relay (using Atlas's provided spst momentary switch), you could have bought a Tortise and a dpdt switch.......

[bcammack]

Or you could just use a DPDT switch, a N.O. SPST pushbutton, and some sort of LEDs or lamps.

Use one side of the DPDT switch to select the route of the switch and the pushbutton, wired to the center, switched leg of that circuit to fire the turnout. Use the other side of the DPDT switch to route power to the appropriate indicator light/LED to show the selected route. (helps to think of a DPDT switch as two SPDT switches thrown by the same toggle)

[cwclark]

I would go with the tortoise but if you are set on keeping the atlas stuff then you will need a snap relay to operate lights...I used them in the past so here it goes..you can wire both the snap turnout control and the snap relay to the momentary push button / slide switch..one slide switch will operate both at the same time ....there are three places on the snap relay that you need to add wires (actually there are 6 poles) but just use one side of the snap relay ( one pole is further apart from the other two poles)...so ,from your power pack ,one wire goes directly to one pole of the light... the other wire from the power pack will go to the first pole on the snap relay (the pole on the snap relay furthest from the other two) , now, add another wire to the second pole of the snap relay and then to the light...after you wire it as such, when you throw the turnout there will be power to the light, and when you throw the turnout again there will not be power to the light...now to wire the second light..do as above (add a wire from the power pack to one pole of the second light) except this time add a wire from the third pole of the snap relay to the remaining pole of the second light..now when you throw the turnout one light will come on and when you throw it again the other light will come on as the other light goes out.....Chuck[:D]

[jwmurrayjr]

QUOTE: Originally posted by nfmisso

Re snap relays; by the time you pay for the Atlas twin coil machine, and the snap relay (using Atlas's provided spst momentary switch), you could have bought a Tortoise and a dpdt switch.......

Sad but true![:0]

Or maybe not so sad if you don't already have all of your Atlas Snap machines.[:)]