If you're running common rail, you can do it with a SPDT toggle switch. Center goes to the layout, each outer goes to the appropriate supply. The two power packs are treated as one supply ON THE COMMON SIDE ONLY.
If you were running non-common rail, they DO make a 6PDT toggle switch. $19 at Mouser:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Nidec-Copal/ET610N13-Z?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtFyPk3yBMYYJQMYdIqGZzQJeN4h7eYntk%3D
You could also do it with relays, if the mood struck you.
Ed
Ha, there you go! Thanks for the info.
Ok, here is a quickie CAD drawing of what I would do. If this works for you I’ll wire it up for you.9 DPDT center off toggles
I second Kevin!
"By the way... BRAVO on the quality of your "crude" drawing.
It was easy to understand and interpret. The addition of an easy to interpret drawing will always get you better answers."
Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
7j43k If you're running common rail, you can do it with a SPDT toggle switch. Center goes to the layout, each outer goes to the appropriate supply. The two power packs are treated as one supply ON THE COMMON SIDE ONLY. If you were running non-common rail, they DO make a 6PDT toggle switch. $19 at Mouser: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Nidec-Copal/ET610N13-Z?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtFyPk3yBMYYJQMYdIqGZzQJeN4h7eYntk%3D You could also do it with relays, if the mood struck you. Ed
Why do you think you would need 6PDT switches? You only need DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switches - one double pole for each power pack and the center teminals would go to the block.
EDIT - After reading back through the thread again, I think you may be refering to swicthing between DC and DCC. If that's the case, you would need a 4PDT, whether you're using common rail or not. In theory, with common rail you could use a DPDT (but still not a SPDT) by having a comon bwteen the DCC system and the power pack common, but I wouldn't recommend it.
snjroy...My point in my precious message was mostly about mixing the traditional common-rail, two power pack wiring to a combined DC-DCC wiring. I can't see how you can go from DC to DCC at the flick of a single switch with that arrangement, at least between the power sources and the track...
4PDT center off switch. The switch goes between the power packs and the block selector switches. One set of four poles goes to the power packs, two to each pack (whether using common rail or not). You treat the center four poles just like you did the power packs before, and the other set of four poles goes to the DCC system. You can wire the DCC system to just two poles and the block selector switches will select between DCC and off when in DCC mode, or you can also jumper the DCC system to the other two poles and both sides of the block selector swicthes will be DCC.
RR_MelOk, here is a quickie CAD drawing of what I would do. If this works for you I’ll wire it up for you.
Mel, this is amazing. It's exACTly what I was envisioning.
What do you mean you will wire it up for me? Are you coming over? Am I dreaming? And what do I owe you? Probably I cannot technically ask that on here, so I'll add that I'm kidding. But yes, it works for me.
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
It’s pretty straight forward, just wire it like Ed’s drawing of Traditional DC. Always make the engineer’s rail the same color wire keeping the polarity correct, I use red for the engineer’s rail. My layout is normal counter clockwise direction or east to west so the outside rail is red.Mel Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Aging is not for wimps.