I am using tortoise machines and I`d like to know what type (supplier) of illuminated switches I can use to provide power to these slo mo machines. I`d like the route to be illuminated on the control devices and I have not been able to find a supplier of illuminated latching push button micro switches. Maybee I need to use another setup like a 1P 2T toggle switch with illuminated leds coming off the auxilary contacts of the tortoise.Anyway any suggestions would be appreciated. I don`t think it matters but the layout is DC HO.
Bob D As long as you surface as many times as you dive you`ll be alive to read these posts.
Our club uses rocker type switches to send power to the tortoise machines. Since the power remains on the tortoise, we put a green LED for main and red LED for siding across the tortoise contacts. A 1k resistor for each LED. Place each LED on the control panel to indicate which path. Some people use two green LEDs on the control panel that has a simple drawing of the turnout. Since LEDS are polarity conscious, you can wire them so one is on when the other is off. There are variations on this issue. LEDs and resistors are fairly cheap.Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The fast answer is to use a normal DPDT toggle switch, and wire a panel mounted Bi-Color LED in series with the Tortoise. It will change from red to green as the Tortoise position is changed with the toggle switch - No fancy wiring needed. I am sure you may be able find an illuminated switch, but the cost is going to be quite high.
Jim Bernier
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Jim do you have any idea who makes/sells the bi colored led indicator lights? Thanks
Miniatronics has twin lead bi-color LED's that have a nice diffused lens. You can get them through Walthers:
475-1224005
This is a 5 mm LED that will fit in a standard 1 3/4 panel socket. I have wired over 20 of them with Tortoise machine at the club. They are powered by a small 'wall wart' power supply that is left on 24x7. You can get then cheaper in quantity from a lot of on-line sources as well.
Here's one of my control panels I had on my previous layout:
I used toggle switches, the direction of the toggle indicates the direction the turnout is thrown. Plus I had green and yellow (as used in CTC panels) LEDs wired in series with the Tortoise motor. Two of the examples on that panel are crossovers, so they are wired with one toggle controlling two Tortoise motors, an greens on the main tracks and the yellow on the crossover. Flip that toggle on the upper left to the X position and the greens would go out and the yellow come on.
On a friend's layout, I wired two bicolor LEDs to each Tortoise. They are opposite one another, so that when one is red, the other is green. These are in the two legs of the turnout drawn on the fascia diagram. Whichever one is green is the way your train will go, the red one is the direction it won't go.
--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 am using radio shack item 276-012 bicolor LEDs. with 276-080 LED holder. Dont remember the cost, but am sure they might be cheaper at one of the online electronic shops.
Jim , Randy or anyone else could you post a line drawing of how you do the wiring of the method you use. Also I don`t see how you mount the LED`s to the control panel. By that I mean I don`t see in the Walthers` book any sockets for the LED`S
This picture from Tony's is basically the way I did it for mine:
Although I used yellow and green LEDs instead of red and green. Notice the two LEDs are hooked up in opposite directions. This same wiring would work with a pair of bi-color LEDs (get the kind that have only 2 wires) although I would use clip leads to test it before sodlering - bicolor LEDs ahev both leads the same length so you can't easily tell which is which, and if you hook them up backwards they'll both be red or both be green.
I won't post the wiring for my friend's layout as it's rather complicated, he uses a 12 volt AC bus around the layout and feeds the Tortoise via diodes - the diagram is in the Tortoise instruction sheet. The LEDs in his arrangement are controlled by one of the contact sets on the Tortoise, and I worked out a kind of 'trick' to control the LEDs with the same diodes used to drive the Tortoise motor. Probably overkill since low power diodes are cheap enough.
On my friend's layout, the LEDs are mounted right in the fascia, as are the pushbuttons to run the tortoises. For the LEDs we just drilled small holes (forget which size - but he uses the smaller 3mm LEDs. A drop of CA keeps them from falling out the back, but they can still be pushed out should one need replacing. On my control panel, I used the larger 5mm LEDs, and Radio Shack hd panel grommets for them, just little black palstic pieces you push into the hole from the front, then you push the LED in from the back. That's what those little black rings are around the LEDs. Other suppliers have them as well, along with really fancy chrome ones. The plastic ones are a maybe 10 cents or so each from a supplier like Mouser. As for the rest of my panel, it's TWO thin pieces of plexiglas, the track diagram I drew in Visio and printed on heavy cardstock paper on a color printer and sandwiched between the pieces of plexi. The nuts on the toggles hold it together.
I use the inexpensive plastic LED holders from Digikey. Part number 67-1044-ND . These will hold standard T1-3/4 LEDs. Depending upon the thickness of your panel the rings may not work on the back. In that case I just glue them with CA. Here's a picture of my staging yard panel with bicolor LEDs from Radio Shack mounted using them. This yard has no switches because I am using DCC controlled (Digitrax DS64s) Tortoises machines. Here's another panel with discrete LEDs and turnout switches but using the same LED mounting..
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Thanks Randy, Jim, Jeff and others for your replies. I got a wealth of info from that post and now feel that I can lay that aspect to rest and tackle the rest of the layout wiring. I did come across another company in my search on the subject named All Electronics that have the devices mentioned in the post and at a very reasonable cost.
I use SPDT toggles to control my Tortoises. I run a Bi-Polar power supply. I have a common ground for all the motors, and supply +12v or -12v to the motors via the switch and control wire. I also use green (normal) and yellow (reverse) T1 3/4 (5mm) LED indicators on the panel. I plan on eventually incorporating trackside signals, as well.
The LEDs press fit in a 13/64" hole, with a drop of Tacky Glue on the base to hold them in place. You may also notice some red indicators in the track lines. These are for a future occupancy detection system. Most of them use mounting clips, because I installed them in 1/4" holes left from the block toggles after I converted to DCC.
I purchase most of my LEDs and things from Demar Electronics.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/