Rather than using bi-polar LEDs in conjunction with turnout switches on my control panel, I'd like to know if anyone knows of a DPDT toggle switch that illuminates when in the "on" position? That would simplify the wiring quite a bit.
Ron Hume.
These Touch Toggles are really cool:
http://www.berretthill.com/controls/
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
For the remote turnout controls for the mainline switches in the fiddle yard on the Operations Road Show layout, we used toggle switches with a bi-color LED in the end of the handle. When lined for the normal route, the led is green, when lined for the diverging route, the LED is red. The handles are polished metal.
We bought ours 16 or 17 years ago from McMaster-Carr, which doesn't appear to list them any more. Digikey lists what I think is the same item, though. Check http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/nkk-switches/M2122TCFW01/360-2317-ND/1027314
These switches aren't cheap (around $12 apiece), but for our purpose, which was to control several turnouts and a signal we couldn't always easily see from within the fiddle yard, they have been very useful.
-Fritz Milhaupt, Publications Editor, Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc.http://www.pmhistsoc.org
Thanks for the lead, Berrett, the switches are ordered and on the way!
Ron Hume
carl425:
Thanks for the link to the Berritthill website. Hard to beat the ease of installation.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Sure is easy, but $25 for the controls for two Tortoises and it's NOT a DCC decoder as well? PLUS the price of the Tortoises? My current plan has 24 turnouts just on the lower level and that's without any industry sidings figured in. That's $300 just for the controls.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I checked the Berritthill website. Please help with this. The way I read it was to attach the switches to the paper then attach that to plastic or plexiglass type panel material. Is that right?
rrinker Sure is easy, but $25 for the controls for two Tortoises and it's NOT a DCC decoder as well? PLUS the price of the Tortoises? My current plan has 24 turnouts just on the lower level and that's without any industry sidings figured in. That's $300 just for the controls.
Some folks like cool, some folks like cheap. That's why the Italians make Ferrari's and Fiat's.
Compare the Touch Toggles to stationary decoders and they don't look all that expensive.
Depends on which one you get. NCE Switch-8 is $70, so less than $10 per turnout.
Going with an alternative such as the servo controllers from Tam Valley gets you under $20 per turnout INCLUDING the motor. Stationary decoder with local pushbuttons and LED indicators plus the servo motor. And just as easy to hook up at the BH stuff since you just plug the servo into the board, and feed power to a pair of screw terminals, so nothing to solder.
Tortoises have just gotten crazy expensive, even a discount dealer like Modeltrainstuff they are over $14 each in a 12 pack. $14 gets me at lease SIX servos. While the cost of the controller hardware tends to make it aequal or a bit more expensive if all you were goign to do with the Tortoise was wire a simple toggle switch, once you add indicator lights and the DCC option the servo method becomes less expensive, and plenty fancy. Granted I am going to cheat in many cases and make my own controllers for many locations using Arduinos - this becomes very cheap since Arduino clones are under $5 and can easily drive half a dozen servos, more with slightly more complex software and a few dollars of external parts. For those not interested in trying to figure this out for themselves, Geoff Bunza has some very straightforward step by step to build your own, complete with the required software Pretty slick, and very low cost. But building circuits is not for everyone, thus the commercial products. The BH controls are very slick, no one else has the capacitive touch buttons, but if standard buttons are good enough, there are many alternatives.
rrinkerArduino clones are under $5 and can easily drive half a dozen servos,
Geoff Bunza shows how to control 17 servos using a $3 Arduino Pro Mini board.
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/19446
"Yes, that does mean it can support 17 servos, each with rate, start point, and end point setting via DCC CV’s, per pin, as well as new LED configurable functions."
Steve S
rrinkerTortoises have just gotten crazy expensive, even a discount dealer like Modeltrainstuff they are over $14 each in a 12 pack. $14 gets me at lease SIX servos.
In case you care, BH also has a servo module.
Steven S rrinker Arduino clones are under $5 and can easily drive half a dozen servos, Geoff Bunza shows how to control 17 servos using a $3 Arduino Pro Mini board. http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/19446 "Yes, that does mean it can support 17 servos, each with rate, start point, and end point setting via DCC CV’s, per pin, as well as new LED configurable functions." Steve S
rrinker Arduino clones are under $5 and can easily drive half a dozen servos,
Even more cost effective than I was figuring. I knew it was a lot, for not much money, but I didn't have the link handy.
Hi Fritz,
I purchased the toggles you suggested, thanks. It was a bit of a shock to find nine terminals on a microswitch when they arrived! It took ages to work out the circuit, but with the aid of my old trusty multimeter, I finally nutted it out, I hope!
The combination of fat fingers and conductors with tiny terminals is not a good mix.
Ron Hume...It took ages to work out the circuit, but with the aid of my old trusty multimeter, I finally nutted it out, I hope!..
There is a link to the pdf datasheet that shows the circuit on the Digikey page.
Thanks Robert,
I studied that circuit but didn't know the terminal numbering sequence as there is no indication on the switch other than which way is up. However a kind technician emailed me the info.