I would like to know if the ATLAS Snap RELAY will power HO CROSSING GATES with the CIRCUITRON TORTOISE Switch Machine used as a gate actuator and the CIRCUITRON DT-2 Grade Crossing Detector. I already have these electronic devices, but I don't have the crossing gates wired to the Atlas relay for realistic operation. I would prefer to use the CIRCUITRON ER-2 External Relay to power the HO crossing gates rather than the Atlas Relay, but the ER-2 is hard to find at WALTHERS.COM. David Briel in Georgia A HO scale model railroader
Application #106 on page 29 of this document: http://www.circuitron.com/301CAT.pdf shows the circuit. However - I do not know what the coil rating is on the Atlas Snap-Relay - I think it is over 100ma, which will not work. This relay from Radio Shack would work though: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062483 It says available in most stores but for all the ones in my area it says it is a ship to store item, not stocked. You also need the diodes: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2036268 which they do have in stores.
Or there is the GD-1 which has the flasher controller and Tortoise driver and connects to the DT-2
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Unless there is another way of wiring a relay to the DT-2 than what is shown, then you can not directly drive an Atlas Snap Realy with the Circuitron DT-2, regardless of the relay's coil current. The Snap relay operates just like an Atlas remote turnout in that it has two coils and requires a momentary pulse to one coil or the other to switch. The DT-2 is designed to drive a single coil relay that is powered constantly in one position and spring returns to the other. The DT-2 would only be able to activate the snap relay in one direction and then would burn it out by applying the power for too long.